[From Goldie-Taubman Papers - Letter Book]

John Taubman - Letter to George Aust 1788

[To George Aust] 28 July 1788

Sir I am favd with yours of the 12th Inst and duly notice the contents, with your kindly intimations in regard to the wellfare of this Isle, which I shall take care to lay before the House of Keys at their next publick meeting, and am pursuaded it will afford particularly satisfaction, as indeed you Correspondce generally does, although not always attended with all that success, which your applications on their behalf would appear to be entitled unto.

I observe you intended communicating to his Majesty's Secretary of State the Resolutions of Loyalty & attachment lately passed by the Keys, and am hapy to hear, you have no doubt of the favble disposition of government towds this Island, which gives great pleasure to one and all the Inhabts.

I take this opportunity of enclosing you a copy of the Key's Resolutions which will speak for themselves more satisfactorily than the intimation I lately gave you, and you are at liberty to make such use thereof as will appear to you for the benefit of the Inhabits.

You have been already advised that his Grace of Athol with a large party of his friends arrived in this Isle about three weeks ago, and I can now inform you, that he has lately embarked, rather dissatisfyed (from what I hear) tho there was no impropriety in the Inhabts conduct and behaviour twrds him, further than a general disappointment in his expectation.

I could not with decency do less than wait on his Grace to pay my respects, in consequence of the very polite civility, & attention to my son & daughter when lately in London, and his Grace very civilly returned my vist the following day, and I had the honor of dining with him on which occasion he though proper to make known his plans, and the expectation, he had of being reinstated in the Inheritance of his Ancestors to wit, the Sovreinity of this Isle, and that he looked up to me as his first friend in support of this measure, to which I imedly replyed that as far as concerned his land rent, and private in this Isle that both I and my Son would render his Grace every aid in our power But in regard to publick matters we must beg leave to be excused for that his Majestys present Government had been very bountifull & good to the people of this Isle in many respects, whereupon his Grace appeared rather displeased, and say'd he would not forget those who opposed his measures &c, In short, this conference was a pretty limp one, and it would be endless to tell you all that passed, let it suffice to say, that his Grace made no impression, and it closed without his having obtained the desired satisfaction.

From what I can learn his Grace mett a similar reception and disappointment in every other Quarter, which caused him to hurry away much sooner than he first intended. I am with great Esteem Sir &c

Notes

This is a copy letter - in the days before copying machines merchants would keep a bound ledger into which copies, or it seems in many cases drafts, of letters sent were kept for future reference. These copy letters were usually rather abbreviated textually.