[From Goldie-Taubman Papers - unsorted correspondence of John Taubman]

John Taubman - Orders for Peter Sterling 1768

[note several water stains with some damage and loss to the text]

Castletown 1 Sep 1768

Orders & Instructions for Peter Sterling Master of the Smack or vessel called the Dispatch.

First Your are to use your edveavour to gett a freight for your smack in Dublin for Cadiz, Malaga, or some other port in the straits, but if no freight offers, you are then to proceed in ballast without any stopp or delay (after you are victualled & mann'd) to Barcelona in Spain, without touching Gibralter or any other place.

2ndly On your arrival at Barcelona, you are to apply to Messrs March & Tileburn Merchants there deliver them this letter and they have my order to load your vessel without [] cargo of good Salo Brandys & four small casks [] which no doubt they will ship on board your vessel without loss of Time, And for the convenience of Stowage &c they are to give you as many hhds & Qr casks as possible as also 300 small Keggs, or Anchors, which you must remind them of.

3rdly After your Smack is loaded, you are to sign bills of laden and take out clearances for two different ports, to say, for the pipes, hhds & Qr casks for North Faro, and for the 300 Anchors or small Keggs, and the four box's for Dunkirk, and then you are to proceed without delay straight on your voyage for North Faro Isles; and you are particularly ordered to aske the east side of those Islands, and enquire for the harbour of Thorshaven in the Isle of Stromo, which lyes on the East Side which is your destired port or place, where you are to land and deliver all your pipes, hhds and Quarter casks of Brandy to Messrs Rosenmeyer, Flor & Compa Merchts there, for whom I now send a Letter, which you are to keep till you arrive there and then deliver those gentlemen.

4thly But the 300 Anchors or small casks of Brandy, & the four Box's of handfs, you are to keep on board yourself, and so proceed thro' the Scots and Irish channel for a place called Anglesea near Holyhead, and on your arrival there you are to deliver at a creek or place called Kemlin 150 Keggs or more and 2 Box's of the handfs to Hugh Shadrack & John Long and their partners, then go to a creek called porthliana, with 50 Keggs for one John Hug[lost ? Hughs]Caijadda, & Lewis Hughs, then go to the point of []nos [] Owen Richard, & Owen [2 Box]es 5[0] Keggs, and so to Amlwch with the remaining 50 Keggs for John, Wm & Owen Owens the 3 Brothers, and the other 2 Box's may be given William Aters - My old Servant George knows all these places & people, and will direct you how to manage & proceed herein in every particular:

5thly After you have made good your landing in Anglesea you are to proceed with your Smack to Derbyhaven road and come to Anchor in the dark of the Evening or night, and send George ashore to me for further orders. But suffer not a lad or man to come ashore but George, and charge him to call at no house, not even at his fathers, but to come straight to me and you may hold yourself in readyness to sail in an hour or two, for I will send him back to you imediately with orders - for Derbyhaven will be no place for you to stop.

6thly These are my present orders for you which you will take care to observe, unless I shall hereafter think proper to send you fresh orders to Barcelona, or North Faro which I may probablly do, for in case you cannot gett to Faro in the month of December - it will be very dangerous navigating in those seas after that month, and in such a case it woulkd be more proper to proceed to Guernsey with your cargo, wch I have some thoughts of - However if you do not gett any fresh orders from me, you must observe the beforegoing directions in all respects - and am wishing you all imaginable success & prosperity & John Taubman

Notes

John Taubman is obviously intending to smuggle Spirits and illicit articles (the Barcelona silk handkerchiefs) using one of the Faroe Islands as a storehouse and using the many contacts he made pre 1765.

An Anker is a small barrel usually around 10 gallon - one that is easily carried by a man and a pair can be slung on a horse - Selo (Saloe or Sally) is actually brandy produced on north coast of Africa near Tangier. The 'hhd's are possibly hogsheads or large barrels containg 63 gallon or a quarter ton, or more likely given context half hogsheads.