Manchester, 13 May 1869 

Dear Hermann, 

My best congratulations on the increase in the family, which 
pleases me all the more since this finally breaks the spell that 
caused you sO much concern. You WILL NOW HAVE TO MAKE UP FOR LOST 
TIME. 

The current account is so far correct, but I cannot calculate how 
interest at 5% on 27,924.29.4 thalers should come to 1,396.25.5 
instead of 1,396.7.6 thalers. But since this does not amount 
to more than a bottle of moselle wine it is not worth altering 
much. 

Not a step further contractually with Gottfried.* The lawyers are 
protracting the matter excessively; my lawyer advises me not to 
hurry, since Gottfried has more interest in coming to a conclusion 
than I have, which I believe too, because as soon as I have my 
money I can, if the worst came to the worst, always start up a 
business again and compete with him; to do this J don’t need to 
start by collecting lots of samples and notes; I’ve got all that in my 
head. In the meantime, I have already taken the greater part of 
my money out of the business and invested in shares, and this in 
such a way that he himself is now short of money, and I have 
purchased shares from him for about £2,400; at first he 
encouraged me to draw funds liberally, but he got out of his 
depth when I drew about £7,500, and so he had to sell me these 
shares himself, as he held just the sort I needed. 

I am very sorry that I was so deceived by the business with the 
reform of weights** at your end. I thought that such a measure 
would not be introduced if it were not to be carried out absolutely 
and be made valid for all This, however, would have meant 
completely excluding yourselves from the market outside Ger- 
many, and I concluded that you were not very interested in 
business outside Germany. Had this not been the case, I would, as 
I mentioned to Adolf> 2 years ago, and to mother last year, have 

a Gottfried Ermen - » Adolf von Griesheim 

first asked you whether you would like to go into business outside 
Germany, and if so, to what extent we could come to an 
arrangement. But I had to assume the contrary, and therefore 
arranged my business with G. Ermen, and now, after this was 
arranged, mother writes to me that you have made this weight 
reform for Germany only. In this case I, in your place, would not 
have done it at all, since in Holland, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, 
etc., they want anything except dutiable weight, and when you 
expand your business outside Germany you will have just as much 
trouble and entanglement as before. 

Mother writes to me that 4,000 thalers were credited to me 
there on 1 April. This will have reduced my account to about 
17,000 thalers, which will be further reduced by the cops, which 
have been bought cheap and will soon be ready. This I shall remit 
to you in thalers at the beginning of July, since it is high time that 
I also finally profited from the rate of exchange. If you would 
prefer srer.inc, that’s all right too, providing we share equally, you 
half and I half, the whole rate-of-exchange profit you have made 
since 1860 on my remittances, and also the 35-38% discount you 
stuck on me then. 

Regarding the cops, there can be no question of obtaining them 
directly from the spinners, since these people don’t know 
anything, and don’t want to know anything, about forwarding and 
advices. You will have to pay the 1'/.% brokerage of some 
commission house, which will be well worth while, as differences 
of quality arise at the spinners, of which you know nothing, etc. 
For instance, for years I purchased the 45 from Samuel Taylor & 
Son in Oldham, but now suddenly the same yarn from John 
Wagstaffe & Co. in Stalybridge, which you and we used to utilise, 
has suddenly become much cheaper, so I am buying it again. The 
55s and finer yarns are all from John Knowles in Bolton (formerly 
J. & G. Knowles), and you will have to stick to this yarn, or to that 
of his brother G. Knowles & Son, Bolton. Will you select a 
commission agent or shall I suggest one? As soon as you have 
chosen one, I can explain everything to the man, face to face. 
Incidentally, I always had the name of the spinners placed on the 
invoices. 

Among my papers I found the original contract with Peter 
Ermen of 1862, and wanted to send it to you; but I discover that it 
is the one dealing only with the business here, so it would be of no 
use to you. So I shall keep it here, but if you should ever need it, 
you now know where it is. The arrangement about there you have 
there. 

G. Ermen said recently to his nephew Heinrich*: “There is really 
nothing to be done with Anton,” his head is completely worn out.’ 
I calculate that the fellow has damaged us here, directly and 
indirectly, to the tune of between £1,000 and £2,000 per year. 

Heartiest greetings to Emma and the little ones; the same to 
mother. 

Your 
Friedrich 
The cops cost a ee 
ere 163/,' 21 3/4d.