Rice C. Ballard Papers

Natchez Dec 19th 1833 Dear Ballard This will inform you we have only about forty Negros on hand here sold fast for 10 days at tolerably fair prices but have been unfortunate in loosing 8 or 10 since Since they arrived. Uncle Isaac will leave for New Orleans on tomorrow & will remit you Some finally from that Place would do so from this but cannot get checks for less than one Pct [prn?] in this City. we have Strong opposition & have about 550 Negros in market & we do expect to have hell this spring for they do Say they are some Cholora in these [dizzins?] Try to reduce the Prices if possible & Send more but there likeliest Negros they will sell Adieu Isaac R Franklin

Natchez Dec 9th 1833 Dear Ballard I have nothing of importance only Uncle Isaac arrived last evening with all his Negros except the 9 he sold below & three men who died of Cholora on the Steam Boat two of which I find belong to your Concern we have Some few Cases of Cholora & I believe the Small Pox though in a mitigated form. I would advise not to Purchase unlikey men at the prices you all are paying (rest of page is torn leaving only occassional words) north I am really affraid you...ahead to fast...

(letter continues written vertically) ...you all have hand ..[unreadable words] .Lee will forward you the Same in a few days

This puts the thing in a point of view that I have no Doubt you did not consider as to the Money we can raise in a Short time any Amt that may be wanting & if Mr Russle wantd put in the negroes allready in hand it might be an advantagous arrangement for all hands I would advise you to make it & draw on me for funds when they should be wanting after he makes his first shipment we have sold all of our negros for Good prices & Good profits accept some old negroes say 18 in number all of which are the negroes you sent accept 7 therse those are your old Richmond Fellows Busson Sam Cost $530 One Eyed Henry cost $282 could not be sold for $50 also Soloman and some others that will keep house untill next Spring if they do not Die before that time could have sold us many more if we had of had of the right kind men from $8 to 900 dollars field woman large & likely from 6 to 650 dollars we have no young Girl on hand but your Girl Minerva an she is a Caution I sold your fancy Girl Allice for $800

New Orleans 9th April 1834

R C Ballard Esq

D Sir

I have just recd from Mr. R Franklin a letter in answer to one I wrote relative to Franklin Ballard & Co acct and also relative to Ballard & Alsops Acct he states that he has collected for B & A $5126 11/100 Dollars and that we had only recd in Cash on recpt Franklin Ballard & Co Sales only $48000 & that the 5121 11/100 dollars Recd on acct of B & A was charged in his last remittance of 14,000 when I left Natchez I was so hurried that I neglected to mention it indeed I did not recollect it. All I knew was that I had the 16,000 Dollars to remit to you F B & Co and will have lotts of paper and Franklin Armfield & Co will not have a Dollar out of this years sales I never have experienced such distressing times in the whole course of my life I have had more dificulty and trouble this season than my shear Armfield complains & you complain I have done all in my power to sustain and protect the whole of the [c?] & yet I cannot give satisfaction every Dollar I am worth in the world and more two is hung up in paper an no chance to discount any unless at a onerous discount I see no chance for business next season unless times changes and your banks will assist us if we could only had prudence to have held

and purchasd sparingly we should have done much better in fact if we had the money the whole of the negroes cost I could buy moore and better paper than we have however I have no Doubt you all done for the Best, yet if we ever collect we have made a hansome profit the Land pirates are comeing Down to sell there paper and they find that where they take off the [?] they will not have cost for there negroes I assisted in scining your friend,Coyer Collier he had some good paper Hoopes & Moore & B Hughes Walker of Natchez endorsed by P M Lapier and accepted by the Widow Miner & same accepted by Eli Montgomery amting to upwards of 12,000$ I was called on by the Shaver for information I told him I would give him no information on the subject unless he would following advice he said he would I then told him that Collier had a payment to make the next day and he must say to him he Collier must endorse the whole of the paper and Discount Thirty prct and the man followed my directions Got the thirty prct fr Amn Drs and Colliers Indorsement I learn that the ballance of the paper he has could not be discounted for half off and unless he can make many arangements with you he will not trouble you much this season he is making Desperate efforts to form several consernes with other traders I

We have Recd very little money from sales this season and the most that has been paid out & remitted was raised from F & A last year and the year before lasts business but no matter

Let me hear from you frequently give me your views

suppose with a view from what I learn he he will have use for all the funds that he can possibly raise here to pay his Bills and in order to meet his Bills here he has borrowed from several of the Traders and Given Bills on Richmond should that be the case unless he has very strong Backers he must make a Loosing business he looks as much like a thief as any man I have ever seen in my life the convick Band was hawked all about Natchez and every man I am told traded with him as tho they were trading with a Thief & the way they will see him and enjoin the Callahans will be sinful Old fellow our business is Two large unless I had more help its a sin to kill up the old fellow if you could see me you would be sorry my spirits [pride?] and health impaired but dont Give up the Ship will hang on to the seniment and Die hard do the best I can for all conserned and the best can do no more if times should change a little and you can see your way & can borrow money from the banks for 60 or 90 Days with an understanding that you pay the notes by bill an we at 4 or 6 months purchase sparingly at the low price for should the money market become easey the price will raise so soon as those pirates gets Back but you know that it will not do to sacrafice Good paper at from 20 to 30 pct I could have got off the same paper that Collier sold at 30 pct Dist at 18 to 20 if I had put my name on it at 15 Adieu as usual Isaac Franklin

let me hear from you frequently give me your views on all the matters say wat can be done I hope to get something here through the Bank in June

New Orleans 13th May 1834 Mssrs R.C. Ballard &Co. Gent

You will herewith please receive R.L. Booker Casier of the Bank Louisiana his original check to your order No 733 dated this day on the Merchants Bank New York for the sum of $4,000 say four thousand Dollars you will also find enclosed Past note same date made by the Louisiana Bank in your favour at seventy five days date No. 29 and payable at the Merchants Bank N York for the sum of five thousand Dollars which I hope will reach you with the Least possible delay

As Usual Isaac Franklin

Nb I have made some cash sales at low prices since my last arrival say men at $700 best Large field hand Girls at from 500 to 550 we have on hand only about 35 Slaves I fear the Greater part of which will have remain unsold both of your koopers are on hand have not sold or had application for a Cooper this season will Leave this sometime between this and next month for Tennessee will Try to be in your place in July late will Endeavour to make you some remittances before I leave if you can keep off your Bank debt untill they will Discount Bills on me I will be able to meet Large Amts from November to January

you must purchase 2 Negroes for a Dollar the price of Cotton is on the rise and should it continue slaves will sell well next fall I do not believe there will be much money in the purchasing market this season the Greater part of the Traders are hung up with paper that cannot be made available and I am of opinion that your friend Culver will not be much in your way this season I would be in favour of early purchases if the money could by any reasonable means be raised for if the prospects perhaps should be flattering in the middle of the season planters will by same means raise money consequently the price will be high Altho I am much less satisfyed with the way we have been compelled to do business if we do not make heavy losses in our [Callerhans?] we will make more money this season then we ever have but I hope you will be all more prudent when you get money again and profit by this years lesson be seen never to ship a negroe that has not been vaccinated or purchase one that will not sell readily for cost the unsuitable and Diseased negroes are alway in the way here where we are prefered for room and if you should be unfortunate to get hold of that description the first sacrofise is the best I haveto shipp them only accumulates expense Doctors bills and sextans bill neither of which are as high with you as with us Adiou Isaac Franklin

Col R C Ballard Natchez Missippi

Bay Willes

Isaac Franklin Isaac Franklin May 22 1839 24 May 1839

Bellevue May 22th 1834 Col R.C. Ballard

Yours by Wilson is recd I cannot say what time I can come up I am off for Bayou Sarah this morning & will be Back as soon as I asssertain how the suit will go or whether it will be Tryed this court or not Frank P. spent a whole week at Court & It is hard he intends to sue his creditors & take the benefit of the insolvent law This I suppose is done in order to get his evidence which will in all probabillilty show us and our mortgages this could have been prevented by your timely interference only