Dear Sr The new York mail not in, expected momentarily. Your favors of 13th & 24th ulto recd. Inclosed you have an open leter to Mr. Gadsden, as I am told by Colo Dyer since writing it, he is gone to Carolina, I leave it open that you may learn some of our News Currant here, & no doubt much of it erroneus. seal & forward it to him.

Messrs Dyer [Nathaniel] Wales & S[amuel] Mott are here Comt from Govr & Council safety touchg Fort, reviewd the several places Wps Neck, Mamacock, Groton heigth, & Groton Rock, my conjecture from last evenings conference is that the Compy under my Command will be continued & when weather permits, finish a 10 Gun Battery in Front on Wps Neck say 24ft with proper Wings, & raise a Campy to build a Fort at Mamock like bigness, another Compy at Groton to finish Rock Battery, & build an Inclosed Fort on the Groton heighth, which heigh th is higher than any Hill for Miles, & 48 rod from Water & 120ft high as formerly adviced you. the Fort at Mamk probably inclosed, baracks at Mamk & at Groton Heighth Oh that Congress would order a number of 42 Pounds on Groton Eminence; its Common cause, as we expect this Port will be the Asylum for Contl Navey &c & one they must have of necessity. The Cannon at Fort here one half will be placed at Groton Rock in a few days when the Battery is ready, & to be replaced as soon as possible, the only present expectation is to have 24 pounders cast at Salisbury Furnace, my greatest fear is about getg a Skilful Founder. The things relative to above Forts lie at the hearts of Our Assembly men, they will be Frugal, but not limit the Sum to be disbursed. Friday last I left your Spouse & all at Weathersfd well. Your Bror Barny ² tells me the Ship he builds is to draw only 1½ ft more water aft then forward (which is an improvemt on former times,) and 10½ ft aft when launched; I want the improvement to be carried farther (on other Vessells) by calculg them to draw precisely the same water forward as aft. & thus when the fore end has broke the water, as there will be no more to break, the after end will follow. but on our old plan, namely a large Vessell to swim loaded 4 feet by the Stern, when the fore end has broke the water, where the resistance is proportionably strong to the perpendicular depth of Water to be removed. (example in some degree, where a Farmers loaded Sled to run 4 inches higher forward than behind, in the Snow 1 foot deep just falen, its easy to see, that the resistance will be vastly more than if Sled runs on horizontal line) The breadth of Yr Ships Beem 34 feet is well judged, & depth of Hole 16½ ft I am pleased with, understandg its design is to bring the upper deck low, so that all heavy Cannon may be on the upperdeck, & the Ship carry them without rolling, the Lower & upper deck Knees I suppose (tho I dont know) are to be bolted thro. thick Stuff, without regard to the Whales & the Whales laid at discretion, where it will serve to make a bottom calculated in best manner, to pass through the Water; which last method has been the Study of all our Carpenters, & when that is done, it has been the General Error (I think) of Merchants & Carpenters to give so much Masts & Canvass as to make the Vessell go, as the Sailors Phrase is on her upper leathers; consequently the Wisdom of forming a compleat botom is destroyed. were the Merchants Ships Masts smaler & not above 2 thirds so taut, & the same quantity Canvas spread, I quere, will not the Vessel go upright, & if the shape of botom is to the purpose, she'l then have the Advantage of it. If the bow of a Vessell is well formed to break the water, why would not the same form aft discharge it well. Consider Whale boats, the best rowing boats in America, they go on even keel, & both end's almost alike, perhaps Stem somewhat leanest, wch I atribute to dificulty of quiting the old Custom in formg Vessels leanest behind.

Your Ship has a fine breadth (& hope great length of Floor). I long to hear of a Warrlike Vessell that goes on even keel as within mentioned, & that carrys her mettle of a horizontal line when the Ship is goeing 6 or 8 knott, that is to say that the Ship shall not he'l in any considerable degree, when on a Chase; which to me appears practicable on some such plan as within mentd. & in addition such a Ship is in litle danger of loosing her Cannon, moreover can fight an Enemy in a Gale wind, nor are they in so much danger of looseing small Masts, & Short if well shrowded, as when they are lofty A Ship thus Riged will beyond all contradiction make better weather in a Storm, & in my simple Opinion be much better in all respects that the old mode.

What I have wrote is for your amusement, as to the Navigation Subject, sometime hence if it deserves a consideratn tell me Yr [&c.]

I recd Goddards plan safe.

T. Green will reprint the Pamphlet Common Sense in a few days.

My Love to Capt Saltonstall if near you, & tell him all are well here & Westerly. Colo. Harry has a Regt at the Island & is M;arched to the Camp in Caracter P M 9.Clock The western post just in, no leter from any person. Am pleased to hear Genl Clinton arrived last Sunday at New York, & is not I conclude destined to Virginia, expect Genl How & the rest at Boston will soon Folow Clinton, to York, Matters at home by your papers rise in favor of America fast.

Yrs [&c.]

N.B. The Ship on new Model as aforesd should have her Stem & Stern post perpendicular, which would make her Stronger above Water, suport her Bowsprit the better, & this would increase the length of straight Rabit, make the entrance below sharper forward, & cleaner abaft, (which removes an Objection some would be apt tomake, that She would not mind her helm) & as the length of Keel is increased, She will hold in proportion a better wind. I am a Friend to her haveing a large proportion of dead rising.