[Extract]
No 30
My Lord

I take the first opportunity of letting Your Lordship know, that I have very good Reason to believe, that Mr Lee, one of the Rebel Emmissaries here, has succeeded in making an Agreement with the Farmers General, and that it is actually Signed. By this Agreement, (which to avoid the appearance of treating with the Rebels, or their Agents, is made with a Monsieur Boileau, Huissier du Parlement, who is a mere prete Nom) the Farmers General engage, to take Six hundred thousand Quintals of MaryLand, and Virginia Tobacco at thirty two Livres the Quintal, delivered to them in France. Your Lordship Sees, that the whole Amount of the Six hundred thousand Quintals, is more than Nineteen Millions of Livres, which is to be paid as the Tobacco arrives. . . . It would ill become me My Lord, in writing to your Lordship, to dwell upon the obvious importance, of frustrating this Agreement, and depriving the Rebels of this Supply, which I hope will be done, by our Cruizers intercepting the American Ships, that are to bring this Tobacco to France, and still more effectually, by an expedition against MaryLand, and Virginia. . . .