SW_WH1793_Page_042

ever had of acquiring a knowledge of commerce, and the course of mercantile dealing. I knew that it was out of my power to support myself with what I then possessed, and that I must soon come to want, unless I could succeed in business. The first thing to which my attention was turned, was daily to attend auctions at the Coffee House, and being sen-sible of my own ignorance, I endeavoured by every means in my power to acquire information—care-fully inquiring of others the names of articles ex-posed for public sale, as it often happened that I was not even acquainted with the names of many of them, I then inquired their value, and advised with some persons previous to purchasing; sometimes on noticing an article intended to be sold by auction, I would procure a sample, and call on some dealer in the article, and get them to offer me a fixed price on my furnishing it: in this way, by first ascertaining where I could dispose of the goods, I would purchase, provided the price would afford me a profit. On thisplan I have found a purchaser for goods, bought and delivered them, and received the money which ena-bled me to pay the auctioneer the cost of them, with-out my advancing one shilling. I was obliged tolive by my wits, and this necessity was of great use to me afterwards. Some months after my arrival at New York, my brother Charles arrived from Ireland, and brought with him, on account of merchants there, provisions, linens, &;c. shipped from Dublin, Cork, Belfast, and other ports. He returned to Europe in 1780, previous to which we formed a copartnership with Benjamin Sykes, under the firm of Eddy, Sykes, &; Co. This firm prosecuted business mostly in consign-ments from England and Ireland, and some shipping business. My partner was a good natured honest Englishman, but not possessed of a very intelligent, active mind; in consequence of this, the management and contrivance of the business fell to my lot, and,