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James Burness & Sons
London and 3, Bute Crescent, Cardiff
138, Leadenhall Street

London, 28th January 1916
Messrs Worms & C° - Paris

Dear Sirs,
In re Messrs Alfred Holt & Co.
We confirm what we told you over the telephone this morning namely, that our friend Mr. E. T. Delmege had shewn us in confidence a telegram from his Colombo firm the purport of which was that all the Blue Funnel Homeward bound boats were to coal up there for Durban. We felt that it would be of supreme importance to you to have this information for your guidance in your chartering operations and we asked Mr. Delmege for his permission to communicate it to you for your private guidance, which he gave us but upon the sole condition that you would keep the information private as otherwise it might get him into trouble with Messrs Alfred Holt & Co. whose Agents at Colombo his Firm are. When we gave you this information you enquired whether the new route would be adopted by the outward bound boats also, to which we could merely reply that we were ignorant as to this but that we might possibly be able to say something further upon the subject, when our friend who is in Liverpool will have returned to Town.
We are, dear Sirs,
Yours truly,

James Burness & Sons