Gen [era] 1 Jonathan] Dayton,29 is personally acquainted with a number of the Gentlemen composing the Firm and will if neces- sary confirm the assurance that their entire competence to meet any engagement, which their partner Mr Sloo may make, will preclude the most distant probability, that your friendship will be misapplied. I have the satisfaction of informing you that my dear mother enjoys tolerable health, my own family and that of my sister Mrs Weeks are well. Remember me affectionately and respectfully to Aunt Ogden and your family and permit me to subscribe myself with senti- ments and esteem your affectionate relative & obt

IX.

NICHOLAS LONGWORTH30 TO JONATHAN DAYTON. [Box 14, No. 58.]

Cincinnati Sept 23d 1815 D[ea]r Sir Permit me to introduce to your acquaintance Mr Tho[ma]s Sloo Jr, one of the firm of Baum Sloo & Co. We have estab- lished a Company here for the purpose of importing goods from England, not so much from a view of profit, as an impression of the importance of such an Establishment to the Western Country. Mr Sloo is appointed as the Agent to make purchases in England. Confident that a desire to accommodate the per- sons concerned, and a desire to promote every thing beneficial to the western country, would induce you to give us such aid in the prosecution of the business, as may be in your power, I have been requested to address you on the subject, and request you to procure for Mr Sloo letters of recommendation from

29From a very early period Dayton's interest in Trans-Allegheny speculation had brought him into intimate contact with many western leaders and he was likewise concerned in Burr's land and filibustering projects. Cf. the following letter and McCaleb, W. F. The Aaron Burr Conspiracy, passim. 30For Nicholas Longworth cf. Greve, Cent. Hist. Cinn. passim, and Drake, Dict. Amer. Biog. p. 561. 15 such houses of high standing in New York, as you may be particularly acquainted with. Being personally acquainted with all the persons composing the concern, you can give the kind of information to your friends, that will be satisfactory. James Findlay Jesse Hunt John H. Piatt Riddle Bechtle & Co Martin Baum N[icholas] Longworth O[liver] M. Spencer, Yeatman and [William C] Anderson Jacob Burnet and Tho[ma]s Sloo Jr compose the firm.31 Mr Sloo will have letters from the first houses in Phil[adelphi]a and Baltimore, and we were desirous of letters from New York, if practicable. I am very respectfully yr obtser* Gen [era]l Jonathan Dayton Elizabeth Town New Jersey

X. WILLIAM C. ANDERSON32 TO THOMAS SLOO, JR. [Box II, No. 73.]

Cincinnati 27 Nov[embe]r 1815 Mr Thomas Sloo Junr [Care of Messrs Wm & James Brown, Merchants Liverpool] Sir Your two letters from New York have been duly received. The success you have met with in laying the founda- tion of our credit, is fully up to our wishes. This so far will do. But it was not our calculation to place a fund in England cotemporary with your purchases; on the contrary, to meet them with produce, if possible, at Orleans. And this was the object of establishing a good name, for with this we supposed the British merchants rather than keep their goods would readily take their pay at Orleans, and in a general way at par. That they will do, except when the balance of trade stands very much against us; and finding this the case at present, we think it best to confine your purchases to something like one hundred thou-

31See Note 26. 32A William Anderson is reported as a merchant in the Directory for 1819. 16