Flint
February 19, 1858
Dear John,
I letter from you at any time is a welcome guest, but more
especially after a long silence. I have
been expecting to hear from you for some months as Robert Williams told me you
were going to write soon after he saw you.
I am very sorry to hear that you are embarrassed and I regret to say we
are quite as bad here. We have never
experienced such times since I knew anything about business. The Borough Bank Liverpool broke about 4
months ago. Mr. Gardner was a shareholder
in it and it has almost ruined us. You
may think I am naming this as an excuse for not sending you the required aid,
but I can assure you it is not. Were I
in a position to assist you I know of no one in whose integrity I have greater
confidence, and it is from sheer inability and not inclination that I am unable
to do it. There has been an awful panic here,
the effects of which will be some time felt.
I have just been upon a journey for three weeks in Scotland and I
solemnly declare I have never found money so hard to get; in fact, it is almost
impossible to get it. I fettered myself
very much by the purchases I made at the Mostyn sales, so much so that it would
be impossible for me to raise a hundred pounds at all unless I was to sell
again. What I have bought, if your application had
come before I had vested my little money, I could have accommodated you , but
now I am completely past. I hope relief
will spring from some other source. I
shall be going to Holywell in a few days and I will consult Mr. Jones the
watchmaker about it. I think (but do not
know positively) he may have some money unemployed. I have turned the matter over and over again
in my mind but nothing as yet has presented itself to me. I am sorry it is not in my power to relieve
you at once.
The friends you have named in your letter are all well and
are glad to hear from you. Your brother
James is married and living in the cottage opposite our mill. He is working with us but we are very slack
and have been working short time all through the winter months.
I shall conclude my letter without entering into passing
events. I feel too much depression in
not being able to do what I could wish for you.
We must try to trace the hand of our Almighty providence in whatever befalls us whether in
prosperity or adversity, may be able to say from the heart thy will be
done.
My wife and all friends join me in very kindest regards to
you and yours and hoping to hear from you soon with a more cheering account.
I remain as yours truly,
Thomas Gleave
ReplyDeleteWe finally hear from Thomas Gleave. This man was obviously important to the Welsh Benjamins. My guess is that he was the owner of the local mill but that is a guess. It is also my theory that the Gleave name in our more immediate family was taken from Thomas Gleave in his honor.
It is now more than 6 months since we last saw a letter from John. It is clear from the Gleave letter that John is having serious financial problems.