(Duplicate)

Dear Sir, I wrote you a long letter from 6th to this Day, which DD Capt [Thomas] Palmer of Portsmouth & fearing Accidents recapitulate the Heads in this (Via New York). I arrived the 6th & sent forward your lettrs and the Bills for Acceptance. Messrs Ds² have done everything in their power to assist Me & have added the utmost personal kindness & hospitality. I could wish No American Vessels were sent to any other address in this port as theirs is a Capital House & may be relied on for secrecy & Dispatch ー have critically attended to such Occurrences as might point out the disposition of this kingdom & am of Opinion it is much in Our Favor ー Large Fleets are fitting out at Brest and Toulon ー Ammunition & other Stores are buying up by Order of Court, & Spain is arming Ostensibly against Portugal ー the Crop of Grain will be short in this Kingdom of Wheat one third, of Rye one half the usual supply, this may be relied on, ー Salt Provisions are scarce & Dear-Beef 56s/ Stg p Barrl see prices Currt enclosed have written into Spain, Portugal, & England to find if they are in the same situation, & as I wrote immediately on my Arrival expect an Answer in a few Days, Messrs Ds have wrote on the same subject ー I set out for Paris Tomorrow having obtaind Lettrs to Persons of Note there, particularly to Monsr Clugny, Compt[rolle]r of Finances, Monsr Vergennes, Ministre des Affaires Etrangeres & some others, also to the Farmers General on the subject of Tobacco from their Agent here, & a Memorial from some i[n] this City on the subject of American Commerce, which indeed is in part Already granted, it having been sent forward a few Days after my Arrival. ー My Letters are from persons of influence & Note here. ー my immediate address will be to Messr Germany Gerardot & Co Bankers in Paris on whom have Lettrs of Credit from hence ー I have had all the success I could have wishd for in this City, & have formed a Connection, (which may greatly promote my further Views, by shewing them how deeply they were Interested in obtaining the Chief Share of the American Commerce the Ministers were Changed the Week I arrived Count Maurepas is at the Head; Mons Clugny late intendt of this City & province is Comptroller of Finances, a Circumstance which has greatly helped my obtaining Lettrs of Introduction ー the Gentlemen who have Assisted Me are of Note and stand well with the Ministry but I may not mention them in my Lettrs. I leave the Sloop I came in, here for the present for I expect to meet Doctr [Edward] Bancroft at Paris & may send my first Dispatches from thence in her None of the articles of the Contract are to be purchased in this part of France on any reasonable Terms & but few at any rate I have wrote to all the Ports where remittances were expected, for tho I can obtain a Credit, the last Necessity only will induce Me to Use it, whilst remittg is so hazardous ー But I am hourly in hopes of receiving something from you ー I can add Nothing Material in this [illegible] ー My respectful Compliments to the Gentlemen of the Congress, to the Worthy Prest & the Committ[ee] with which I am more immediately connected in particular ー I am with respects to Mrs Morris Dear sir [&c.J

P.S. As my Lettrs will often refer to Matters concerning the Ind[ia]n Contract in [par]ticular, as well as to those of a General Nature, it will be at Times much easier for Me to direct my Lettrs & write them address'd individually to You, as in the present Case, than to write in the plural Stile of Addressー

To Robert Morris Esqr to be Communicated to the Honl the Committe for Secret Correspondence.