Dear Sir

I am much obliged to you that you take notice of my Letter p Wilson, & doubt not he will answer yours & my expectation, I wish with all my soul that these, two vessells were dispatchd chiefly for the publick Service, & allso that I may have the pleasure of seeing my friends Mr Lynch & Col. Harrison, I want much to be introduced to Doctor Franklin, for whom I have many years a vast veneration, I think they will be off on thursday evening [October 26]  if they are, I will be with you on Friday

Col. [John] Glover showed me a Letter of yours which has mortified him much, I realy & sincerely believe he has the cause much at heart, & that he has don his best, (in the fitting out these four last vessells), for the publick Service you Cannot Conceive the difficulty the trouble & the delay there is in procureing the thousand things necessary for one of these vessels, I dare say one of them might be fitted in Philadelphia or New york in three days, because you would know where to apply for the different articles but here you must Search an over Salem Marblehead Danvers & Beverly for every Little thing that is wanting  I must add to these, the Jobbing of the Carpenters, who are to be sure the Idlest Scoundrels in nature, If I coud have procured others, I shoud have dismissd the whole Gang of them last Friday, & such religious rascalls are they, that we Goud not prevail on them to work on the Sabbath  I have stuck very close to them since, & what by Scolding & Crying Shame for their torylike disposition in retarding the work, I think they mend something ー

there is one reason, & I think a Substantial one, why a person born in the same town or neighbourhood shoud not be employed on publick affairs of this nature in that town or neighbourhood, it is that the Spirit of equality which reigns thro' this Country, will make him affraid of exerting that authority Necessary [for] the expediteing his business, he must shake eve[ry] Man by the hand, & desire, beg, & pray, do brother, do my freind, do such a thing, whereas a few hearty damns from a person who did not Care a damn for them woud have a much better effect, this I know by experience, for your future government indeed I coud give other reasons, but I think this sufficient ー

I hope the Field Depys will not depart before I have the pleasure to see them, my Compliments to those of them that I am acquainted with, & believe me with great esteem Dr Sir [&c.]

My best respects attend his Excellency pray order the articles wrote for yesterday to be forwarded without delay I shan't send my Sensible boy any more express, but as he goes to town on some business of my own, I desire he may Call on you & if you have any commands, I dare say he will wait for them