Chiefly business letters, 1847-1848, from a factorage firm in Charleston, S.C., [presumably in the hand of William Ravenel (1806-1888)] to Isaac Peace Hazard, owner of a textile mill in Peace Dale (Rhode Island) re local cloth and cotton market in S.C., predictions on economy, and the local market among planters purchasing textiles for enslaved and free persons, along with comments of a more social and friendly nature. [Isaac Peace Hazard was the son of Rowland Hazard of Rhode Island, who during the later 18th century settled in Charleston, S.C., to operate his shipping business. While living in Charleston, Hazard married Mary Peace, for whom Peace Dale was later named. In 1799, Rowland Hazard and his wife returned to South Kingstown (R.I.)] Letter, 17 July 1847, to Issac P. Hazard, re damage to Sea Island cotton crop due to heavy rain and commenting upon the large number of local persons traveling to northern resorts to escape the heat, "Er hope the day is not very distant when the rail road facilities will be so great as to induce many of our northern bretheren to come south in the winter & thereby let us have back a portion of the large amount of money... spent at the north by our travelling community." Letter, 11 Dec. 1847, to R[owland] G[ibson] Hazard, mentioning types of cloth popular in the local market, requesting fabric with blue and white stripes, "made as near the weight of the osnaburghs of Georgia & our own State... as you can," and commenting on the small quantity of cotton offered for sale, "The planters being unwilling to take present prices..."; letter, 8 Apr. 1848, to Issac P. Hazard, advising him that Vaucluse goods [i.e. fabric made in one of William Gregg's textile mills in Aiken County, S.C.] were selling at lower prices than his imported textiles, "we feel much concern about your oznaburgs, as we did not anticipate that the Vacluse goods... would be sold very low"; letter, 22 Apr. 1848, to I.P. Hazard, lamenting the tightness of money and its impact upon the good market, "We feel much anxiety about your striped cotton oznaburgs, as the consumers of all negro goods are so depressed by the very low sale price of cotton and scarcity of money that many are not purchasing..."; letter, 8 July 1848, to Hazard, speculating re low prices for the fall season, "Our English goods are coming out at very reduced prices and our Georgia Factories are making an immense stock of their woolens, so it is not unreasonable to look forward to very low prices this season."
