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James Burness & Sons
London and 3, Bute Crescent, Cardiff

138, Leadenhall Street
London, 28th November 1916
Messrs Worms & C° - Paris

Dear Sirs,
P & O Company at Marseilles. With reference to our other letter of this date upon the subject of our yesterday's conversation with you when you desired us to intimate to the P & O Co. that in consequence of the operation of the Limitation Regulations having prevented you from obtaining tonnage for your Marseilles requirements for about a month, you were very much afraid you might be short of coal there about 10/25th proximo & that you would be very much obliged to them if they could see their way to relieve you under the circumstances by taking as much coal as possible for the homeward bound boats at Port Said & for the outward bound boats here or at Gibraltar or elsewhere, we thought we had better see the Head of the Coaling Department upon the subject today so that they might not later on reproach us for not having given us longer notice about the matter. This we have done & the announcement seemed to give him rather an unpleasant surprise as he said their Port Said depot was also short of coal, and he enquired whether you suggested their falling back upon Oran in case of need. We told him that you made no suggestion but that you felt it would not be right to keep them in the dark about the matter for fear of subsequent disappointment. He said he would make a schedule of their requirements as they did in their memorandum of the 14th September last (a copy of which you will remember we sent you at the time) and when we receive this we will submit it to you for your further consideration & instructions.
We are, dear Sirs,
Yours truly,

James Burness & Sons