[From Atholl Papers - AP X17-25]

[Copy of letter from John Quayle to Basil Cochrane 30 September 1763]

Dear Sir

The friendship and favour which you have proved by your kind letter of the 2d inst Mr Quillin & I must privately and yet sincerely acknowledge - But such are the attachments, such the deep consultations & schemes of the triumvirate, that our Great one says, he will have his friend Mr Taubman deemster, told Mr Quillen he was engaged in his favour, that he would hear of no application and the skirts of them that interfered should feel his weight & might expect nothing but uphill work - This morning died your old friend the Deemster, and from this day Mr Taubman will gape for the promised reward of his many great compliments and signal service - the G's letter is already wrote and Mrs W. & Esther were of the councell.

The G. is very inquisitive about the Majors[Major Hammersley - Duke of Atholl's agent] correspondence and by the manner of his behaviour make me more shy than prudence requires particularly upon this occasion, I am well satisfied of his friendship, tho yours only is made use of upon this affair.

Should his Grace listen to the Govrs recommendation and you find a necessity to push things you may venture to him that there has scarce been a cause but what the deputy deemster had a feeling in. As I can prove Capt Gawn exclaim that the other day he demanded and received 5 guineas for drawing a plea (half a sheet length) and supporting it. And I have the draughts of six or seven more bills in chancery of his own handwriting which he distinguished himself vehemently supporting in the council, these facts are as undeniable as they are abominable and which (if the Govr will deman himself to ask my opinion about the deemstership) I shall very freely convince him off by shewing him the bills and reminding him how warmly Mr Taubman behaved in those causes.

The Govr made an experiment of Mr Taubman in writing his letter to the Duke about the boons, and this new secretary committed the faux pas you mentioned - not one word of this letter transpired until he could no longer conceal the peccavi - which may keep me longer in office - But I was publickly threatened with a discharge because Mrs Woods eight dozen of puffins began to smell after being kept close in a bag two nights in Castletown their maid being busy at other work - may I ever be free from greater offences & objections in discharging my duty, & displacing cannot injure me - Madam is greatly alarmed for the loss of the boons but expects her friend Mr Muir's law will make up the loss - I am ordered to be particular to a farthing of these new acquisitions and fear her avarice will lead her out of her judgement. After the courts the affair is to be settled & we shall know what allowance will be made me for any extraordinary trouble and expences for punts &c.

The Recr and I talked over the affair of the boon money left in his hands at your departure, we compute it about 7 or 8 pounds but cannot be particular as Madam received and keeps all the boon accounts - the nature and application of the boon money are exactly according to your accounts - only the officers were indulged with a few carriages 3 or 4 in a year with pease and rye from the north side which to avoid cavil has been forgot or placed among the losses suffered by the departure of our Govr and parent

Madam and her simple sister are just returned from a wall fruit visit at Balla Moor [presumeably George Moore, John Quayle's father in law] - they were highly entertained with an old joke The captains commission to Mm Moors dog Rousse - next to averice a claw agt you is her greatest passion.

I spent the first ten days of this month in Ireland where I purchased for £900 Irish BallaWhetstone & the Whitestone which is 85 acres & joins BallaCurry along the river and joins the high road from Castletown side of the Great meadow to above KK Malew church, this is brother Radcliffes scheme and he is even fonder of it, as it opens a communication between the two roads, makes me a farm of above 260 acres wthin one boundary, and in a little time will sett for £40 a year. But in the mean time this and the tythe purchase have made me the poorest man in the parish.

Last week Miss Frissel (to the indeliable blemish & distress of her family and connections threw away her heart and disgraced her hand with Mr Crellin whose servitical profession, bespeakes him never to be immensely rich. [Margaret Frissel m. Rev John Crellin 21 Sept 1763 at Malew] - As paultry are more narrowly looked after in this Reign Sol Mercer and Mrs Makon &c are decamped to Dublin - the dutchess dowager leaves Balladool has taken Mrs Livingston's house, & the squire leaves his house in town for an Irish Councill^r. Mrs Livingston waits in the temple till a husband comes - Mr Hamilton is in a very happy way of selling his affairs and having a very handsome revention, Doctor Cartwright and Cole^le [?] are both dead - Ossario to be prevented from starving was let out of goal [sic gaol] and stroles about Dublin, Da Costa is in cog at Cork and Vianna lives at Douglas upon small sums he can catch from old stragling customers - the French Doctor was no sonner released from being a prisoner of war than he became captive to Suky Corrin (Hall Corrin his landlord's daughter) he went to France for his prize money bought a cargo of Brandy to Dublin & this day returned to his spouse which finishes the Manx occurances - your favour of the 5^th I with thanks acknowledge and shall take the first opportunity to answer it, but do not understand how many years you mean by a lease of two or three nineteen years. But I should not like to miss it at any rate to avoid the disagreeable limitation of the price of the Puffins and to picque our female friend - Mrs Quayle (who is as round as a teapot) desires her sincere respects to you. All other friends are well, and I am with the greatest gratitude and esteem

Your obliged & fathfull huml servt

John Quayle