(Copy)
Sir,

(Private)

Tho I have not the honor of being known to you I trust that this letter will not be considered either officious or intrusive To give an account of oneself is certainly awkward; nor would I attempt it on any except the present occasion, I must therefore beg leave to inform you that I left London the place of my residence last June & there had the honour of being known to several high in Office ー Before I left England I took leave to mention to Lord George Germaine, that I was confident the Americans carried on Trade with the Danish Islands, & that I should endeavour to find out when here what Vessells had & were trading to those Islands, & that I would transmit any intelligence I might collect to such a quarter as I thought might produce good effects His Lordship did me the favor to approve of what I mentioned ー I have brought an introduction (thro Lord Suffolk) to the Governor of the Danish Islands, and shall reside some Months in them to dispose of, or to put two Plantations I have at St Thomas on a better footing ー These Circumstances I could wish to avoid mentioning, but I think every person is bound when he gives any intelligence to convey some Acct of himself ー I must confess however that whatever intelligence I may give arises in some degree from interested motives, for I have property both real & personal on the continent, which I am persuaded cannot be beneficial to me unless Great Britain reduces the American insurgents to a proper obedience to its Legislative Authority ー I hope that this will be presented to you by my Brother who belongs to the Regiment at Antigua; if not there he must be on duty in Americaー

It has given me pleasure to hear of the number of Captures made by His Majesty's Ships under your Command, but notwithstanding their vigilance several Vessells (generally small) have got in here. I have been but 16 days here, & six Schooners have arrived from the Provinces of North Carolina, Maryland, & Pennsylvania ー As to what they bring it is of no consequence, but they all return with a few Articles (& those much wanted by the deluded people on the continent [)] such as Oznabrigs a little powder, Sugar & Rum ー As to Powder it is fortunately very scarce, or they would not have met with so scanty a supply ー Two days since one of the above Schooners (Packer Master) sailed for America, & amongst other Articles, did with some difficulty procure ten small Casks of Powder; but my astonishment was great to find such a Commerce countenanced by Government here ー The Vessell went out under American Colours, saluted the Fort, & had the Complement returned the same as if She had been an English or a Danish Ship ー I take it for granted that a similar conduct is observed in the Islands of St Thomas & St John belonging to the Crown of Denmark ー This Island is now unquestionably well supplied with Provisions, so that the favourable reception of American Vessells cannot arise from necessity ー Two of the six Vessels I have mentioned, are at West-end harbour, the other three at [East]-end, & will all sail in the course of a fortnight. ー It is most probable that you have already received similar Accounts; if so, I have troubled you unnecessarily; I think however that I have discharged part of the duty a subject owes to Government: I shall therefore take leave to subscribe myself [(] without making any farther apology) with Respect, Sir [&c.]

[Unsigned]

I go over to St Thomas tomorrow where if I learn any thing shall take leave to trouble you again.

[Endorsed] No 3 Copy of a Letter of Intelligence (Private)