1841 BALTIMORE MD QUAKER LETTER of Young Man Working in PHARMACY GREAT CONTENT!

Description

3 pg. letter, approx. 7-7/8" x 9", dated at
Baltimore, Md., "12th 12th, 1841"
(Quaker dating for Dec. 12th, 1841), from Richard Manning to his friend William Jenks in Philadelphia.
The stampless folded letter has a blue BALTIMORE/MD. cds postmark, dated Dec. 13, and manuscript "12-1/2" rate.
Great content
from this young Quaker man, from Philadelphia, who is working in a Pharmacy in Baltimore, writing  of how disappointed he is with it because the store makes very little money and does hardly any business, and he wouldn't have come there if he had known it.  He also writes concerning girls, noting that "I do not think Baltimore is any good place for pretty girls, at least I have not seen many as yet", but that "Today I intend going to meeting, and there perhaps I may see a good many". He writes in the Quaker style, using "thee" instead of "you".
The William Jenks to whom this letter is written, may be William J. Jenks, born in Phila. in 1822 and apprenticed to a druggist there until he graduated from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy in 1842, and set up for himself in the pharmacy business in 1845. The writer of this letter may have been in the Pharmacy College with him.
The letter includes:
"Dear Friend,
How is thee by this time. At any rate I do wish I was in Philada. again. I guess I should stay there. You cannot conceive how much I am disappointed in my place. I will just give you a little routine of business that we are doing. On an average he does not take more than per day the year round. You will perceive by this that it would amount only to 95 per year at most. Well has to pay for the store 0, my expenses per week, you perceive would more than take up the whole of the money. More than this, the expenses of a store which cannot possible be avoided (as thee well knows), would be in the neighborhood of 0 per year at least, which would make 00, and he does not take that in a year I really believe. And another thing, the business is carried on so differently from what it is in our city, that it would astonish you. For instance, he keeps nothing but drugs, no chemicals, but the real drugs which cannot be dispensed with, & any other article, if he has not got and it is called for, he will not get it, & you will perceive by this that as customer comes once for such an article and we have not got it, they will never come again. There was a person called for glue the other day and we had none, & more, he will not get it.
We put up about 2 prescriptions pr day on an average and we very seldom make things as Tinctures, really it seems to me as if they hardly knew was ought to be called for. I was telling how often we use to be called for Laudanum &c. &c... He seemed quite astonished. I do not wish thee to say anything about this, because a young man ought not to tell of his employer's, how much or how little he is a doing, but I thought I would tell thee as I knew there would be no harm in it.
Now by this thee can see how very much I am disappointed, because if I knew it, I should not have come. It as his intentions of taking me in partnership, but I can assure him such will not be the case, because I could set a store up in your City & take more in 3 months than he does here now.
There are 3 other stores with in stone's throw of us & all do more than we do. The young man says that he has done all he can to raise the standing of the store, but he cannot.
But enough.
How are the girls. Oh how I would like to be up there with them. Perhaps I may, because I do not think I will stay more than 3 months at most, and if so, I can have the pleasure of taking .... to the Lectures.
I do not think Baltimore is any great place for pretty girls, at least I have not seen many as yet. Today I intend going to meeting and there perhaps I may see a good many. What does thee think of Tyler's marriage. Real Sub-Treasury (is it not), but it is as much as we could have expected from him. It may answer, but I think not.
Well Bill, breakfast is just ready. I will conclude with saying remember me to all enquiring friends and especially to Jus & Albert. But thee need not tell them how very much I am mistaken in the situation, however, thee may if thee wants too, because it is the truth.
As every thy friend,
Richard Manning"
Very Fine.
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