Dear General The bearer of this whose name is John Eustace is the Son of an unfortunate widow Gentlewoman in this Country, I have had the Care of Him for these three Years past, and have given him the best Education this Country could afford. He is a very good latin scholar, of exceeding good Spirit, & quick parts, of excellent temper, & good disposition, has conceived a great desire to go into the Army, I have therefore to intreat you when an opportunity offers to give him a Commission, & I think he will do me no discredit, & you much Service; if you are kind enough to employ him, I should be much obliged to you if you would recommend him to some prudent Officer who would take the trouble now and then to give him a little good advice for the only fault I know in him (if it can be called one in a Boy) is that he is a little Volatile; pray spare us some troops if you can possibly do it, consistant with your Orders, even the Recruits of the 14th Regt would be of service to us; those ordered from St Augustine are not yet arrived, tho' hourly expected, was the whole Regt here I think we should be able to do some good. I have sent you a Sloop² with some Indian Corn, Oats, & a few Irish potatoes, all of which he told me (I mean Major Connolly) were much wanted, I could have sent you any quantity of Oats (such as they are), if I could have got a larger vessel; I wish to God I had some of your Light Horse here, this is a fine Country for them to act in, and food of all kinds in great abundance for both men & Horses; a winter Campaign would reduce, without the smallest doubt the whole of this southern Continent to a perfect state of obedience, one esential service it would render you, which is that I could supply your Army & Navy with every necessary of life & that in the greatest abundance, which is more than any other Colony on the Continent could do. I ever am Dear General [&c.]

On board the Dunmore off Norfolk 10 ber [sic December] 2d 1775