Sir,

Your several favours of the 2nd, 15th & 26th August have come duely to hand, the last by the Reprisal Capt. Wickes who arrived here Yesterday without having taken any more Prizes or met with any Remarkable occurrence. We shall reply to the Contents of your letters in the order they stand or at least to such parts as require an answerー

The observations you make on the different modes of Conducting a Commerce between Europe & this Continent through the Islands of Martinico & St Lucia are very proper, they are what have frequently occurred to us, but do not remove the only difficulty we have to encounter, which is the establishing proper Funds in Europe as a foundation to Trade on. Our Produce is bulky & little Value in it requires large Ships for the Transporta- tion, large Ships are much exposed to Capture and indeed we have not many of them left, so that, you see us encircled with difficultys in this respect, for this reason & for this reason chiefly we like the Idea of Your agreeing with some Good French House in the Island to Import certain quantitys of Goods as for his own Account to be delivered over to you on arrival at a Certain advance. You do not mention what advance wou'd be expected, which we are sorry for as that is a material point, however We advise that you immediately make such a bargain on the best terms in your power, with some House of Established good Reputation for honorable & punctual dealing, you may agree with them to import in this way the Value of Two Thousand pounds Sterling to be wrote for immediately and sent out with all possible expedition. If they can be shipped from France so as to be out with you in all the Month of Decr & January we wou'd wish nearly the whole Amount to Consist of Woolen Goods fit for Winter Wear, Blankets; Cloths chiefly Coarse, Coatings, Flannells, Worsted & Yarn Stockings some Good Silk Stockings, Threads, Pins, Needles, Sewing Silk, Mohair Twist & Buttons, but if they are to arrive later you must order an assortment of Sail Cloth, Coarse & fine linens, sheetings &ca We will keep shipping to you the Produce of this Country to enable Punctual payment, but we think you had best make it a part of your bargain that You shall have liberty to Ship from Martinico to old France any Tobacco or Indigo we send you on your own Account & they to Receive the Nt pceeds there in payment for the Goods & then if you dont like the prices offered you in Martinico you can ship your Goods to a second Market ー Monsr Begorrats Sloop is not yet arrived, when she comes in you may depend on a faithfull attention to his orders & interest² and that the same will be extended to every Concern put under our care and as you think it might facilitate or promote these Consignments to take a Concern with them occasionally We agree that you shou'd interest us jointly with yourself any part you may think proper & Prudent in such Vessells & Cargoes as come to our Address you holding one half we the other half of whatever share you thus adopt.

We observe you mention several Vessels at St Lucia that might be Chartered or bought upon Good Terms & we have no objection to your buying or Chartering some of them provided You can get Salt or Mollasses to load them with; Cargoes of those Articles Cost but little Money & will sell for a great deal therefore You may execute of this plan as much as You think proper for our joint Accounts or take in some more partners so as to reduce the risque to thirds or fourths just as you like best & use such precautions as you think most likely to bring them safe here, and as you will know from France whether Insurances can be made there or not, you can give orders for Insurance if you find it can be obtained on reasonable terms, but let it be made for the whole Voyage & not for so many Leagues clear of the Island & so many clear of this Coast as mentioned in your letter, which woud Subject us to many perplexing disputes, you woud pay the premm & never know whether you were Insured or not ー We (say R M the writer hereof) does not see any impropriety in your attending to Commercial matters as that will not prevent your attending carefully & assiduously to the more Important matters committed to your charge, but at the same time we dont think it will be much to your advantage to seek extensive Connections as most of the Trade from this Continent must be Carried on in Small Vessells and the Masters chiefly insist on the Consignments or they will not go the Voyages, and we shall make a point now that you are safe arrived & well established to keep you well supplyed with Goods both on Publick & Private Account, however do herein as you think proper We advise you to write to Mr John Dorsius at Charles Town, So Carolina, & to the Honble Archibald Bullock Esqr President of Georgia, informing them of your establishment at Martinico & offering them your assistance in the Sale of Rice, Indigo &c and in procuring for them Powder, Arms & such other Articles as they may want in Return. Mr Bullock is President of Georgia & not a Merchant but he may recommend You to their Merchts & I will get the Delegates to write him on the Subject. Mr Dorsius is well established at Charles Town & doing much business there. You may also write Messrs Smith & Hughes Merchts at Edenton No Carolina & to Colo. Benjn Harrison of Berkely, Charles City County Virginia. We like your plan of a Voyage to Dantzig but its too soon for the execution of it

We shall send the Maccaliao Snuff forward to Colo Harrison who will think himself much obliged to you for it We have letters from Mr Bealle who arrived at Bourdeaux the 6th June but finding it impracticable to transact his business there, he had gone for Holland where he expected to Succeed, but we dont yet know whether he will come out to St. Eustatia or your Island, it is most likely to the latter as we immagine he must land his Dutch Goods he will bring his whole in France & Reship them from thence value in the one single article therefore you must only Contrive to get it here in the best manner you can at present this place, Virginia & Occracock Inlet No Carolina are the safest places but theres no saying how long they may remain so, the best way will be to divide it amongst some good fast sailing small or armed Vessells but if he arrives whilst this Sloop Independence Capt [John] Young is with you, We think it so good a Conveyance that we shoud be for risquing the whole or greatest part by her You & Mr Bealle must lay your heads together and Contrive to send it safe one way or other & Remember that you shall have other Armed Vessells sent to your address besides this Sloop.

Capt Wickes has not yet landed the Goods but we doubt not they will answer very well we shall make the most of them & hope very soon to transmit You a pleasing account Sales ー It now Remains that we enable you to pay for them as speedily as possible and we shall also attend most Carefully to this Circumstance by shipping you Goods for that purpose We wou'd gladly have sent some by this Conveyance but the Sloop is full & the Goods belong to the Publick therefore we must wait another Opportunity, indeed we mean to seek out for a Sloop that will answer to the papers you have sent and if we can meet one will load her immediately but shou'd that not happen we shall get others and shall ship you some Tobacco as well as flour. we will also Contrive if we can to send You some Rice & Indigo from Carolina or Georgia

You will doubtless have learned that West India property is now liable to Confiscation as well as British Consequently your plan in that respect will not do, so long as the French remain in Peace it is probable that French Papers may prove the best Cover, especially in your Seas. You ask what Articles are most in demand here or what are likely to be most so, to which we may safely reply that every thing is wanted, it is hardly possible to go amiss. However Woolens will undoubtedly yield the greatest Proffit if they can possibly be got here before the Winter is over Linens also Continue in full demand notwithstanding a most glorious Crop of Flax was gathered the last Season, but we have not Weavers & Manufacturers to Work it up fast enough, We think Hosiery of every kind will be exceedingly wanted, Cotton & Wool Cards, Pins, Needles, Ravens Duck or other Cloth fit for Tents, Muskets & Powder must Continue in demand whilst the Warr lasts & so indeed must every kind of European Manufactures, Medicines are much called for, West India Produce is dear, Mallasses upwards of 4/ pGalln Sugars 60/ to 90/ p Ct Rum 6/ to 10/ pGalln In short you may keep Shipping us Goods as you meet with good Conveyances but not too much Value at a time especially in unarmed Vessells.

The Sloop Independence by which this goes We deem an exceeding good Conveyance & shou'd have no objection to your Shipping to the Value of fifteen hundred or Two Thousand pounds by her especially as you expect Goods to be plenty & Cheap by the time she will be with you, But as we have proposed a good deal of bussiness to you & pointed out Several purchases to be made you will naturally say where are the Funds & these we must try to establish for you and will do it with all possible expedition. We wish you wou'd immediately either Charter or buy a good fast sailing Sloop or Schooner and dispatch her for Edenton in North Carolina Consigned to Messrs Hewes & Smith Merchts there with some Salt, Mollasses, a few Sugars, alittle Rum, Dry Goods an assortment of any or all these Articles to the Value of five or Six hundred Pounds & they will immediately send her back to you with a Cargo of Fine Tobacco for we have bought a Considerable quantity which now lies there waiting for Vessells to carry it away Edenton is up Occracock Inlet. As We understand Monsr Begorrats Sloop is afine Vessel ready Armed and that he intends she shall be sold, we may probably buy her unless she goes too high which it is very likely may be the case as such Vessells are much wanted and we shall give her afair Chance at Public Vendue, but if we buy her our present View is to send her from hence to Carolina & thence to You with Rice & Indigo by which means we can make up a very valuable Cargo and, of Course lodge Funds for the several purposes we have pointed out to youー

We like your Idea of Importing Medicines from the Mediterranian and wish you wou'd immediately write to Mr Estevan Cathalan Mercht at Marseilles probably you know him he is a most Respectable Mercht inform him of your establishment at Martinique and tell him your Connection with us indeed we will if possible inclose you a letter for him p this Convey and request him to ship you soon as possible the Value five hundred pounds Sterling in an assortment of Medicines of which we will enclose a list if we can get it in time, Peruvian Bark is exceedingly wanted but Cadiz is the best place to get that Article from however you must Contrive in the best manner you can to procure it & always write for Medicines of the very best quality You will inform Mr Cathalan that you will be constantly receiving remittances from hence & that you will very speedily remit him the Cost of whatever you order from him ー Messrs Saml &. J. H. Delap of Bourdeaux have offered us Credit to the Extent of £4 or £5000 Stg or more if we engage they shall not be disapointed of remittances therefore We have requested them to Credit you to the Extent of Two Thousand Pounds Sterling. And you may immediately write to them for that Value in an assortment of such articles as you think from the Course of these & other advices will answer best to tranship from Martinico hither, press them to dispatch the Goods quick as possible and engage for the remittances being made within twelve Months probably they may go to hand in much less time, enclosed you have an open letter to them on this Subject We mean these Goods on your & our joint Account, but they will probably Send you others for us beside which you'l take proper Care off. We have lately recd a Cargo of Sail Cloth &c from Mr Andw Limozin of Havre deGrace who used us extreamly Well & is justly entitled to a preference of bussiness in that place write to him to Ship you the value of £ 1000 Stg in Woolens immediately he can readily get them and you will also find an open letter to him, with a Sealed one, these Goods also to be on your & our joint Account, but he may probably have others to send for us which you'l take care off.

Mr John Ross of this City is now in Europe and will ship out Goods by various ways for us, and our Thos Morris is with Mr Deane at Paris they may probably do the same. We depend on Your care in forwarding & Receiving any Goods that may come for us, and as this letter is now Spun out to a pretty good length we will close it altho we shall probably write You another by this Conveyance being Sir [&c.]