N. Devereaux, Esq
Dr Sir
Your valued fav of the 31st ult is this moment recd & noticed & before I proceed to answer it let me beg to apologize for not answering you from N. Y. I have had a perfect throng of visitors on business since my return home. Having been so long absent business accumulated & I have had more than I am able to do up to this time. I hope you will pardon me for the delay.
Now in reference to yours of today. Allow me to say that I shd be pleased to see you here next week or any other time. I have just written to Buffalo saying that they may expect me there on the 16th inst & I now calculate to be in Utica abt the 24th inst a day or two either way from this date wd make no materials difference to me. I will arrange to be in Owego on Friday the 12th & in Ithaca on Saturday the 13th. Now if will suit you to meet me at either of the two above places or in Utica on the 24th, 25th or 26th better than to come here at any time previous to the 11th inst. Please so inform me & will arrange to conform to your wishes.
With reference to that [unclear] for Bordens I wd say that if we get the contract to supply the Erie R Rd with 6000 tons of rails between then & Sept or Oct we shd have our hands full to supply this order & cd not safely undertake to do more or take anything new until this is supplied.
We have closed a contract for 15000 tons coal for the
line of the Chenango canal reaching [unclear] Utica. The parties are confined to the canal between Binghamton & Utica & in no case to pass these limits except after all proper exertion is made to dispose of 15000. They find they cannot so dispense of it they are allowed to go to Rome but not to touch IUtica. Now I hope you will find it for your interest to take Utica & the country contiguous &c for your field of operation in the coal trade.
Hoping & expecting to hear from you by eary mail
I am very resp your obt svt
Geo W. Scranton
