Philadelphia March 6th 1776
Sir Upon the recommendation given o(you by the Virginia Delegates, and in consequence of the Agreement made by Mr J.H.Norton Mr C.M.Thruston & yourself with the Committee of Safety of Virginia for Importing Gun Powder, we have agreed to join you in the said Importation by adding an equal Sum to what those Gentlemen & yourself advance for the Execution of this Adventure, you inform us you are possessed of good bills of Exchange to the Amount of Nine hundred & one pounds 8/5 Sterling to be applyed by you in the purchase of Powder to answer the Contract you have made, we therefore deiiver you herewith bills of Exchange amounting to Nineteen hundred & one Pounds 17/11 Sterling to be joined to your said Stock and employed by you for the same purpose, consequently Mr Norton, Mr Thruston & yourself are one half concerned in this Undertaking, and we hold the other half, unless it shall so happen that any of the said bills delivered you by them or us may be protested, and in that case the party who furnished such protested bills must be so much less interested in this Adventure, this point being clearly understood & agreed between us, you are now to take your passage on board the Brigt Rachael Capt. Francis Pilgrim Isherwood for Bourdeaux in France and we deliver you herewith a Letter of Recommendation to Messrs Sam: & J H Delap an eminent Mercantile House in that place; before you mention to them what is your business, it may be best to know their political Sentiments respecting the American Dispute, if they are friendly to our Cause you may trust them safely, if they are not it may be best to find out some good House that is, in this Matter you had best consult with and be advised by Mr Silas Deane who has promised me to afford you any Assistance he can
Your first business must be to discover if the Quantity of Powder you want can be had reasonably at Bourdeaux, if it can the next thing is to obtain freight for it to Martinico, and if that can also be obtained we think your best Method will be to purchase directly the whole Quantity that can be obtained for the Money or bills you have, if you have an Oppertunity ship to the Arnot of one or two to three hundred barrells by such Vessells as may be coming hither direct, taking bills of Loading for the same Consigned to us, one of which Bills of Loading with an Invoice & letter of Advice send us by each Vessell and if we are fortunate enough to receive the whole or any part of what you ship it shall be sent down to Mr Norton immediatelyー
The remainder of your purchase if made in France we advise you to ship immediately on bd some good French Vessell at the lowest freight you can obtain for the Island of Martinico and take your passage with it but in this case Messrs Delap or whoever transacts your business must recommend you to a good House in Martinico, and the Powder by bill of Loading Invoice & suitable letter must go consigned to such House, another letter to be kept by you must explain the design and recommend you to their Assistance you must also write a letter to us informing that you have taken your passage for Martinico (not mentioning Powder) and desire we should write to you under Cover of that House mentioning their Firmー
If you cannot effect this business at Bourdeaux but can do it at any other port in France, Messrs Delap will give or procure you letters to proper persons at such port or ports as may be needful, or shoud it be best to ship part of the Powder from one Port & part from another, they will procure that to be done and you can take your passage in one of the Vessells ー Shaud you find that this business cannot be well transacted in France, you had best proceed for Holland, we give you herewith a letter of Introduction to Messrs Geo: Clifford & Teysett of Amsterdam,
but we don't know their political Creed respecting America, therefore you had best proceed cautiously with them also, and for fear of disappointment obtain letters from Messrs Delap to some good Dutch Houses in Amsterdam & Rotterdam, and we think you will certainly have it in your power to prevail with some of them to ship your whole quantity of Powder by one or more Vessells for St Eustatia Consigned to a good Dutch House in that Island you going with it or with some of it and giving us Advice as before, but to prevent Mistakes in case you go for St Eustatia call on Messrs Robert & Corns Stevenson Merchants there for any letters we may have lodged there for you and we think this Powder may as well go for their Address ー Shoud you fail of obtaining the business to be done in Holland, you must obtain proper letters to good Houses in Hamburgh Dantzig or any other suitable place in Europe and from some of them you certainly will obtain the Powder and proper Newtral or foreign Ships to carry it to Martinico or St Eustatia, therefore we shall take it for granted that you will succeed, and expect you will be in one of those Islands in five or six Months from this time, and we will send one or two small Vessells to St Eustatia about that time to wait your Orders, therefore if you go to Martinico or any other Island you must immediately after your Arrival give Notice to Messrs Robert & Corns Stevenson to send the Vessells over to you from St Eustatia -
We think it best you shoud Invest the whole Amount of your Money in Powder rather than in any of the other Articles mentioned in your Agreement with the Committee of Safety, because the price of this is fixed and those are not, but if you cannot get Powder we agree that you shoud Invest this Money in Arms, Salt Petre & a proportion of Sulphur say ¼th as much Sulphur as Salt Petre and some Jesuit's Bark or if you cannot Invest the whole Money in the Articles already mentioned, you may invest the rest in such coarse linens & woollen Goods as you judge will best answer in America and bring them in the Mode pointed out for the Powderー
If any difficulty arises about negotiating your bills we think you had best indorse them to Mr Delap let him negotiate them & wait untill they are accepted after which he may establish you a Credit in Holland for the Amount if you are obliged to go there or further ー We are Sir [&c.]
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