1853 - A British exporter explains to the treasurer of the first major textile mill in Lowell, Massachusetts, that shipments of madder have been affected by a lack of available vessels but are unlikely to harmed by the "Russian affair" which should be quickly resolved

Manchester, England to Boston, 1853. Envelope or Cover. Very good. This one-page stampless folded letter measuring 15" x 9 ½" unfolded is dated August 12th, 1853. It was sent by J. C. [James Collier] Harter & Company of Manchester, England to Ebnr [Ebenezer] Chadwick, treasurer of the Merrimack Manufacturing Company, in Boston. It bears a Manchester postmark dated August 12th on the front and a date mark, "L / Au 13" on the reverse that was applied in Liverpool on the 13th. There is also a "Br Packet / Boston" marking on the front that was over- stamped by "19 / cents" rocker hand stamp indicating that the 19 cents (3-cents for inland postage and (truncated) 16-cents for ship mail) paid by Chadwick at the Boston and transferred to the British post office. An annotation indicates the letter was carried by the "Arabia / Mail Steamer" the last wooden-hulled luxury Cunard steam ship. The letter is in nice shape.

In the letter, the Harter Company (a 'dry-salters' chemical company that specialized in producing dyes for the textile company) informs Chadwick of the Merrimack textile company that

"Mr. King continues to find it impossible to get either English or American Ships for your Madder, and has asked our consent to his availing himself of French or other Foreign Bottoms. We have given that consent, limiting him to vessels of high class."

He then attempts to allay any fears that Chadwick might have about the supply chain being interrupted.

"The public confidence in a speedy settlement of the Russian affair increases." . The "Russian affair" was a dispute between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches as to which would represent Christians in the Ottoman Empire. When the Turks granted that boon to the Catholics, the Crimean War broke out just two months after this letter between the Russians and an alliance of the Turks, British, French, and Italians on the other.

Madder is an herbaceous dye made from the rubia tinctorum plant that produces a bright red color; think the redcoats of enlisted British soldiers. This "Turkey Red" dye was imported by the British from the Ottoman Empire. The Merrimack Manufacturing Company (Merrimack Mills) was the first large textile complex to open in Lowell, Massachusetts and bought its red dye from Harter & Co.

(For more information, see "The Whittalls of Turkey, 1809-1973" at the Levantine Heritage Foundation website, "James Collier Harter and Company Warehouse" at the Architects of Greater Manchester website, and "Colors Used In Turkish Textiles" at the Black Tent Project website.)

A testament to the importation of dyes, an often-overlooked aspect of the Massachusetts textile industry as well as the blossoming of the Crimean War. At the time of listing, nothing similar is for sale in the trade or has appeared at auction per the Rare Book Hub, however domestic correspondence regarding Chadwick and the Merrimack Mill occasionally appears at philatelic auctions. OCLC shows no first-hand references to the importation of madder are held by libraries, although twenty institutions hold recipes for using it to create scarlet dye or samples of madder-red scarlet cloth. . (Inventory #: 010270)