My Lord ー

As the troubles which England has extended to your Colony and the interdiction of all correspondence and trade with her, must necessarily not only cause a general, but partly interruption, in hindering the exportation of her products. I hope your Excellency will agree to the respectous liberty I take to write her, in view that if you judge it convenient, you would make it communicated to the merchants of your Colony to whom it may be of any advantage.

Our town and our harbour are a port frank, in which all sorts of merchandises, from whatsoever strange or foreign places they are coming, may be imported by sea, stay in it any time pleases, be sold or imported by sea, without being liable to any duty whatsoever; she is the only one of all the ports of France that has such an extended privilege, and which by its situation is more fit to communicate in trade way with England, Holland, Hambro, Sweden, and all this part of the north. This port franks has provoked here a considerable trade, and has made of this town an enterport for all those countries, so as for France and all his other harbours, the trade that goes on in the leaf, sweet scent and orokono tobacco, which were brought here from London, Glasgow, Bristol, Liverpool &c. is very great. There are years that I sold for my share as far as 4000 hhds.; part of which I bought on my account in the above places, and part that my correspondents there sent me on sale for their accounts, mostly when the time of payment of the duty to the custom house was expiring, and that they had not fou.nd opportunity to sell them there; moreover, the quantity of leaf tobacco that sold here is immense, and it will more increase by the means of the French farmers which lately bought here 500 hhds; and who, finding no more to provide themselves in England, will make their purchases in this town, when the tobacco will been to be got here. It will be the same in regard to the Hollanders, and all the people of the part of the Northern sea.

The trouble for the Colony in the actual circumstances, will be the difficulty to transport here their merchandises, but I fancy to have found the means to do it, without any risk in regard of the English.

There is some years that the King of France, under whose domination is our town, has rendered the town and harbour of Mole St. Nicolas in French St. Domingo, a port frank; and it must not be uneasy to the Colony to transport there her tobacco and other productions in regard of their proximity notwithstanding the vigilance of the men of war of Great Britain.

This production being at the Mole St. Nicolas, I will have them loaded there for this town in one of my ships, or in any other French ship, as J?eing French and my own property, at the destination of this town, which is the only port of all France where the tobaccoes are admitted to be landed, kept and sold, paying, as all the other merchandises arriving from the French Colonies, but the usual duty of 3½ to 4 percent of the value.

The merchants of your Colony who should prefer to sell to me their York river, James river &c. tobacco rendered at their charges and risk, at the Mole St. Nicolas, (rather than to send them here for sale on their own account, and to get back the merchandises of Europe which they want,) I will agree with them at a price according to quality; and make pay to them the amount at Mole St. Nicolas when, and at same time my ship will load them. In which case whoever would prefer to sell to me their tobacco, it would be convenient that they should write to me the price in English money; they should ask to deliver me the tobacco at the said Mole, payable there or in any other place in Europe. Should they deliver their letters directed to me, and put in the post-office of Mole St. Nicolas, Port au Prince, or any other of French St. Domingo ports will be handed me.

As I never had occasion to correspond with any of the merchants of your Colony, and that I have not the advantage to be known by them, they may take information on my solidity and character in London, of Mr. Lewis Teesner, Messrs. Hudson & Worthington, Mr. Wm. Du Bois, Mr. John Campbell, Messrs. Pre Simond & Hankey, & Co. they will find that in all security my house may he trusted. Amongst the above mentioned trading houses, there are of them who should already have wrote, and have caused their friends there to write, in order to make me known to their correspondents in your Colony; if the fear of the danger they should run from the part of the Government, if their letters were intercepted, did not hinder them of doing it.

This is what I had to expose to your Excellency; if any of your merchants have enough confidence to favour me with their correspondence, and to enter into trading business with me, on my part I shall esteem myself happy at being of any service to them, and on their side they will meet with me both candour, probity and solidity in the transactions we may have together.

I remain, with the utmost respect of your Excellency [&c.]