Bennett's of Ballinacurra Descriptive List (Ref. B609)

B609/

malt. A letter of 24 April to Samuel Crossthwait & Co, Bagnalstown, Co Carlow, concerns an order for 500 barrels of wheat. Among letters for July 1827 is one dated 7 October 1836 to AGS, regarding breeding of Chevalier type seed barley. A letter of 28 July 1827 to AGS anticipates ‘an early & luxuriant harvest of Wheat & Oats’ and ‘great promise of abundance and the quality never better of Barley’. A letter of 1 October 1827 to Beamish & Crawford states that the company has been ‘anxiously waiting your instructions to purchase Wheat’ (see also 5 November). A letter of the same date to AGS reports on a meeting of the principal purchasers of barley at which a price for barley in the Ballinacurra district was agreed. A letter of 26 October to AGS discusses the provisions of the late Malt Act, and a document, The Complaints of the English Maltsters. A letter of 19 November to J & G Whately informs them the quantity of prime red wheat they requested is presently on hand. A letter of 12 January 1829 to AGS expresses regret at the unlikelihood of further immediate orders, owing to the very low price of malt in Dublin (see also 26 December 1827). A letter of 15 April concerns ‘the unavoidable interruption to our connexion’, and to dealings with the Excise Board. A letter of 30 April to Lane & Co, Cork, relates to a delivery of malt. [Not marked ‘MS’ or ‘Gen’] B609/1/B/2 General Letters Letterbook, 12 February 1851 to 27 December 1855. A damp press letterbook containing the impressions of outgoing letters from McCall & Co for this period. Letters are signed by John Hallaran, his nephew William Hallaran Bennett, or simply on behalf of the company. The letters relate to purchase and delivery of malt and oats, shipping and insurance, coal purchases, and other dealings with customers, agents, and suppliers. The volume is indexed by addressee. AGS & Co are the most frequently occurring addressees. Others include Beamish and Crawford, JJ Murphy & Co, the Bank of Ireland, and Hobson Allfrey & Co (shipping insurers). In a letter of 23 September 1851 to Beamish and Crawford, the company rejects the ‘falsehoods… of our forcing up the price of Barley’, and discusses the present market. A letter of 19 January 1852 to AGS regards the failure of a customer, Mr Adams, and the resulting losses to the company (see also 21 January). A letter of 16 October to AGS speaks of the falling off in receipts of barley ‘caused principally by the high prices given by the Youghal merchants’. A raising of the price offered by McCall & Co is proposed (see subsequent letters, e.g., 6 November). A letter of 29 January 1853 regarding barley requirements discusses the continuing high prices, mentioning speculators in Youghal. It is noted that higher freight rates are also being paid, ‘good vessels being very scarce’. A letter of 25 March to Hobson Allfrey & Co concerns insuring of shipments of malt on the brigantine ‘Ellen Callanan’ of Cork. A letter of 12 May to John Ashlin & Sons agrees to a price for a delivery of oats. It is noted ‘this offer we also make for the purpose of keeping up the old feeling of friendship hitherto existing between us, as we do not wish to accept less than we can get at home’. In a letter of 11 October it is explained to AGS that it was not possible to lower prices ‘as our neighbours in the trade readily gave 17/- had we not followed we should have let all the prime corn pass our stores’. A letter of 27 January 1854 to G Atkins & Son relates to disposal of large stocks of grain malt still on hand. Letters of 1 and 3 March to J O’Shea & Son [agents] concerns attempts to sell oats and barley turned down at a late stage by a Mr