Gentlemen,

Agreable to my promise you will find inclosed herein a Manifest of all the Tobacco that has been bought by the Secret Committee shewing what has been exported what quantity arrived, how much taken & lost and what remains except that it is not in my power to ascertain the exact quantities in the hands of M^r J. H. Norton of Williamsburg, M^r. Benj^n. Harrison jun^r. Carter Braxton Esquire Mess^rs. James & Adam Hunter and Tho^s. Jett Esquire the latter I think did send me an Account of his purchase but if he did it is mislaid this Gentleman had not the Money sent him, time enough to lay the whole out before prices rose above his limits he therefore must account for the Balance in Money unless you choose to order him to Invest it now in Tobacco, the other Gentlemen have Tobacco to nearly the Amount of their balances as the deficiency only arises by the breach of bargains they made for it, several not delivering the full quantities they agreed for, I have employed myself a few days in entering up & adjusting a very long accot. between the Committee & my House W. Morris & C^o.1 which was employed to Conduct their purchases & find a balance in their favour of about £5000 Curr^y. several articles of account however are not included therein as I cannot at present ascertain them exactly but when the whole are included I believe the Committee will be still more indebted to them, besides £6000, they are to be paid for the ship Lord Camden taken on her Return from France & Insured by the Committee—

Enclosed herein you will receive a letter I have written to M^r. John Ross which I have signed agreable to your desire by which you will see I have directed 142 hhds Tobacco on board the Snow Speedwell Capt. Kent (indeed this was ordered to him last spring) 120 hhds ⅌ the Brig^t. Braxton, 476 hhds ⅌ the Brig^t. Governor Johnston, & 269 hhds by the Brig^t. Morris Capt. Gunnison, to be Consigned to him or his order on acco^t. of the United States Amounting to 1007 hhds in all & if it arrives safe will over pay his advances, but we cannot Count upon the whole to arrive, I have desired each Vessell to [blank] out the first opportunity. there Remains—

492 hhds on Board the Chase under care of Mess^rs. Purviance—
117 hhds on Board the Snow George
ditto on Board the Ship Virginia, under care of M^r. Braxton
ditto on Board the Brig^t. [blank] under care of Step^h. Steward
ditto in the hands of the Gentlemen mentioned in the general Manifest all unappropriated and of course I suppose will be applyed towards satisfying the demands or Claims of Mons^r. Francy,

You will also find herein a paper of Entries proper to be made in the Books of the Commercial Committee for the purpose of transferring the balances therein ascertained from the Books of the Secret Committee where in I have made Correspondent Entries and did intend to have continued this practice as fast as I settled any accounts therein, had I been left to pursue this business agreable to the offer made in Congress. I thought it essentially necessary to settle these as the foundation of your present operations & would now send you the Books but the Crossing of Susquehannah is yet too dangerous before they shall wait your orders which you may depend shall be instantly complyed with

The Charter Party for the Brig^t. Governor Johnson is amongst the Committees papers but as her voyage is transferred to your care had best be deposited with yours, the Brig^t. Morris belongs to the Continent she was bought by Jn^o Langdon Esquire in New Hampshire & her Cost & charges must be transferred to your Debit. The Snow Speedwell Capt Kent was valued at £2000 Virginia Curry by persons appointed for the purpose, she is my property & no Charter party has ever been made but the Committee must in this as in all other Cases Insure the value of said Vessell, in proportion as their part of the Cargo is to the whole, and the same with the Brig^t. Boston in which I am interested with M^r. Braxton & M^r. Ross, this Brig^t. might have been sold both before & since she loaded for £3000—which I deem her valuation and should be glad you would either order Charter parties to be made out for these Vessells or Enter on your Minutes that you are Insurers thereon against all Risques untill the Cargoes are landed, at the Valuations—I have mentioned in the proportions that your part of the Cargoes bears to the whole on board. The letting these Vessels take in Goods for the public has been of great prejudice to the Owners as they could long Since have sold them if disengaged to good profits but instead of that they have been long detained on heavy expenses; part whereof they think you should pay & respecting which I shall speak to you when I come to York.

I am now at the 19^th. febry & find myself disapointed by Mess^rs. Hunters, of Fredericksburgh² who promised our Acco^t. Curr^t. with them by the last post but it is not come therefore I will leave the Sum a blank for the present—

that they are accountable to you for, it is however above £9000 this Currency & soon as I receive their account the proper Entries shall be made in the Secret Committee Books for transferring that balance also to you I must observe however, that a part of this balance has come into their hands from the Sales of Goods saved from Ship Esther & Brig^t. Gen^l. Mercer since that price of Tobacco was above the purchasing limits consequently these Gentlemen will have some Money & some Tobacco to acco^t. for, they are Men of honour & good Merchants and will deliver every hogshead of the Tobacco they bought. I have ten Hogsheads of Tobacco on Board the ship Chase & ten Hogsheads on board the Snow George for which I was to pay Eighteen Guineas ⅌ Ton freight, but as it is probable the destination of these Vessells must be altered and that the Cargoes will be assigned to Mons^r. Francy, you may have these twenty hogsheads also at the first Cost & charges if you choose it. if not they may go forward on my account as first intended and you'l please to give me an answer to this offer. I have just received a letter from M^r. J Brown³ dated the 15^th. Ins^t. desiring me to return Mess^rs. Hewes & Smiths⁴ letter to the Committee, this I did by Mons^r. Francy he also says you wish for an extract of their letter to me on the subject of the Pattys Cargo of Salt & it shall be enclosed herein. I cannot help remarking that Col^o. Aylett⁵ seems fond of raising his own reputation at the expense of other peoples, he made last Summer several attacks on Col^o. Braxton by insinuation as he does now on M^r. Hewes & I believe both these Gentlemen to be Men of as much honor & honesty as Col^o. Aylett or any others upon Earth. I believe at the same time that Col^o. Aylet is an active Commissary but he seems too full of Suspicions & too free in writing them and Congress should guard against giving in too readily to the belief of such things or they will not get any Men who value their Characters to serve them, on the 13^th Novem^r last I wrote Mess^rs. Hewes & Smith if any Salt arrived there belonging to the Public not to Sell, but Store it untill they should receive the Committees orders as it would all be wanted for the use of the Army &ca they acknowledge the receipt of this letter in theirs to me of the 11^th. Decem^r. from which the enclosed extract is taken by which you'l find they had sold the Pattys Salt previous to the Receipt of my orders & that Col^o. Aylet himself was in some measure the cause of it

Soon after the Patty arrived in North Carolina with her Salt on Public Account, a Snow Nancy Capt Forster belonging to M^r. Ross & myself arrived there also with a Cargo of Salt on our Account & Mess^rs. Hewes & Smith with equal precipitation & without orders proceeded to make Sale of it for which theyjustify themselves in the Same manner as they do for the Sale of the public Salt, however this Cargo arriving latter than the Pattys they had not sold the whole of it when my orders respecting it reached them soon as I heard of this Snows arrival in N^o. Carolina I offered the Cargo of Salt to M^r. Buckanan⁶ (not suspecting Mess^rs. Hewes & C^o. would make any Sale untill they heard from me) and he told me M^r. Aylett being Depty Commissary of purchases in that Department he would buy it, but M^r. Aylet being distant from me & the price of Salt low in N^o Carolina Compared to what it was here I determined not to lay mine & my Friends property at his Mercy—

Therefore I wrote to Mess^rs. Hewes & Smith proposing that they should measure the Snow Nancys Cargo of Salt value it at the then Current price & then make a large purchase of Green Pork on the best terms in their power; Cure & Barrell it, ready for Sale to those that should want, and the concern in this Pork to be in thirds one of which their Acco^{t. 1}/₃^d. M^r. Ross & ¹/₃^d mine, by this mode M^r. Ross & myself gave up one third of our Salt at a low price for the sake of being ²/₃^ds interested in the Pork, this proposal reaching M^r. Hewes & Smith before all the Nancys Cargo of Salt was Sold but long after the Pattys was gone, they adopted the plan & executed it as far as the remains of the Nancys Cargo enabled. I have mentioned this matter in order to clear M^r. Hewes of any unworthy suspicion being confident he does not deserve them and I hope Congress will never countenance them by gratifying Col^o. Aylet with orders to make the enquiry he offers, what I have mentioned about the Nancys Cargo of Salt & the Pork scheme may probably be remembred by M^r. Brown, by M^r. Gerry M^r. Peters & some others in York as I told them last Winter the orders I had given and added that I expected the Pork to be put up in consequence would some day or other prove a Seasonable Supply to the Public the Price of £18. ⅌ Barrell is very high but I should have made more of the Salt if it had not been so applyed for I Sold another Cargo that arrived since for £7—this Curry ⅌ bushl. and the purchaser is gone down from Pennsylvania to receive it there & bring it up at his own risque & expense. whereas the Nancys Cargo Sold at 60s to 70s that Curry ⅌ bushel & the Green Pork Cost 100s to 120s ⅌ 100^lb besides Barrells, Salt Cooperage &ca &ca and you well know that all kinds of charges are raised to a most enonnous pitch, M^r. Hewes also writes me that if M^r. Aylet had not wanted that Pork for the Public Service he could & would have had above £20—Virg^a. Curry for every Barrel of it—

M^r. Brown says you have wished I would recommend M^r. Ross for one of the Commercial agents in Europe, I have told you Gentlemen his deserving Character but I am too sick of recommending agents ever to do it again, he says also that Col^o. Harrisons plan is approved except the Commissions of one ⅌ C^t. on return Cargoes in which I agree with you & think if instead of one ⅌ C^t. he were allowed one quarter ⅌ C^t. on a certain sum on every Cargo that returns to him for his care & trouble herewith it might do very well.

I think there is no points mentioned in any of your or M^r. Browns Letters that this and my preceeding Letters has not answered.

last Night I rec^d. A letter from M^r. Will^m. Wilkinson⁷ of Wilmington of which I take the Liberty to enclose you a Copy and if you were not previously informed the arrival of those Stores you will now give the necessary orders respecting them or rather let the Marine Committee do it as these articles are more properly in their department—With much Respect & Esteem I remain [&c.]

P.S. I am this moment informed by a Gentleman that saw a person lately from the City of Philadelphia that the report of a Riot in London is well founded as he heard Bill the Bookseller read an Account of it in an English paper—He says Gen^l. Howe offers (in hand Bills) free passages in the Transports to any persons or Families that desire to remove to England—