Dr. Sir,

Yours of 16^th Nov. was rec'd in which you state you have ord. 80 tons of iron from Sackett's Harbour. We are quite satisfied with the efforts you have made for iron but we have about contended that we cannot get any iron that place this fall altho' we yet hope that there will be some way provided that we may get our iron yet we have not yet heard from our iron or from Capt. Zealand has arrived this afternoon from Rochester but has not brot [sic] anything & [?] [?] so we have been expecting our cupolas [& lathe?] &c but were again disappointed, he has not brot a particle of anything, he says that they would not attend to loading our goods when he was there.

But I have only one thing to console me at present, that is the good ol' saying that a bad beginning makes a good ending. Should this be the case we will now rejoice and not complain. I can now congratulate upon my health being good that is I am able to get about, my coff [sic] has left me and I am in [?] good health. It is now late in the evening and I am must retire. It is now [sic] now good [?] here we have our chimneys to make yet and many others things to do, you will now see that the old maid's calculations were not far out of the way.

I am Sir, your best

J[oseph] [J.?] Janes¹

[Written in the margin:]

You wrote concerning getting machines of B[ackus] & Co. You will do as you think best. Capt. Zealand will not go out this trip. We can make our machines here if you can get [?] [?] do as you know best. I have not collected any money for [?] &c. yet.

Good night,

Your friend, J.[Joseph] J.[Janes]

¹ Mr. [Joseph] Janes was a business partner in the foundry and he and co-founder John Knox Fisher had some difficulties working together. In 1838 Janes ran off, leaving his wife and numerous debts behind. For more details and links on Janes, see W-MCP4-6.237. For Fisher, see W-MCP5-6.240.