February 2, 1769-Dated, Colonial Petersburg, James River Virginia, Manuscript Document of commerce requesting the payment for "Bushel of Indian Corn, the proceeds of which please to send me in good Wine." with Integral Transmittal Envelope sent from Norfolk (VA) to Madeira (Portugal), Very Good or better.
A rarely encountered colonial Virginia trade document from a Mr. Thomas Tabb of Petersburg, James River Virginia, sent to the firm of Newton & Gordon to secure a transaction of one "Bushel of Indian Corn, the proceeds of which please to send me in good Wine." The document measures about 10" x 7.75" written in deep brown ink on “Crown” watermarked period laid paper which show even age tone as shown. One of its folds has a 3” split with two others previously repaired on the verso and an irregular bottom edge. The firm of Newton & Gordon were a major wine exporters based in Madeira, Portugal, who did a great deal of business with the thirteen American Colonies and Britain's other holdings in the Caribbean. This letter of trade reads, in full:

“Petersburg James River Virginia --- Gent. -- By the ---- I have Consigned you Bush’l of Indian Corn - the proceeds of which please to send me in good Wine & Oblige - Gent. -- Your Very Humble Servt. - (Signed) Thomas Tabb Febr. 2, 1769” (some finacial notations present). -- “To -- Messurs Newton & Gordon - Madeira”.

Docket reads, in full: “Petersburg James River - 2d Feby 1769 - Thos. Tabb - Recd. 31 March 1769 - Ans.d 15 April 1769” Traces of a wax seal present as shown.
Newton & Gordon was founded by Francis Newton and Alexander Johnston in the late 1740s. Newton and Johnston had fled their native Scotland where they had fought for Charles Edward Stuart, known as "the Young Pretender" to detractors and "Bonnie Prince Charlie" to supporters, in the failed Jacobite rising of 1745.

Initially working as a bookkeeper in Johnston's London counting house, Newton would move to Madeira, Portugal in 1748 to establish the Madeira wine trading firm that would come to constitute the core of their growing business operations. Newton would be joined by his brother Thomas and Johnston's nephew Thomas Gordon in 1758.

The consortium Newton, Gordon, and Johnston, and its various successors, would become a dominant player in the international Madeira wine trade. The company persists to this day under the name of Cossart Gordon, which claims to be the oldest exporter of Madeira wine.