The Earle family : Ralph Earle and his descendants

j Correspondence
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APPENDIX.
A.
showing that Pliny Earle [355-1] had
MANUFACTURED MACHINE CARDS BEFORE HE MADE THOSE FOR
Samuel Slater. See page 106.
Respected Friend
Providence 11 th M° 4 th 1789
Pliny Earl We having pretty much concluded to alter
and to cover our Carding Machine, and Joseph Congdon informing
us that he expected to go to Leicester soon, we thought we would
inclose & send thee the Number & diameters of our Cylinders and
thy covering them with Cards. We have confered with our
Card makers in Town about doing the jobb who appear desirous to
\ do it, and are willing to take their pay all excepting the cost of the
I wire in our way, but it being our object to have it well done and
thinking we could rely upon thy performance have prefer'd thy doing
1 it. We have also had it in contemplation to write to Boston but
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being desirous of having it done soon, and that being likely to pro-
tract the time of having it done, have waved that also.
We are not desirous of beating thee down in thy price, or that
thou should do it below what thou I could reasonably afford, but we
I have thought considering thou has thy machinery now prepared
j which was not when thou did that for the Company at Worcester,
ij tho
that if we gave thee the same for covering ours as thou had for theirs,
a little larger, it would be equivalent to what thou charged them
I considering the preparations aforesaid, which the first employers or
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il make
rather those on whose account it is especially made in all such cases
must expect to pay, as we have had abundant experience. If that
price will answer we should be glad thou would take the pains to go
view the machine at Woixester and if their can be any improvement
made upon the manner of covering that, should like thou would
it either in the Length of the Teeth, or in any other particular.
57