D^r Sir

The marine Com^ee of wh^ch. I am a member last Even^g. in conformity to a resolution of Congress,¹ met and determined to send Six Vessils to carry important despatches to France, the said Vessils to be under the directions of the Com^ee. of Foreign affairs. As the Letters for your Navy board is not yet written² and Capt. Collins is about to set out immediately, I take this opp^ty. to request you upon receipt hereof forthwith to send off an express to Bedford to Cap^t. Rathburn of the sloop Providence, w^ch. is one of the Vessils Pitched upon for this business, if he shou'd not have sail'd, directing him not to proceed to Sea untill he shall have rec^d. Orders from the Com^ee. of foreign affairs w^ch. will soon be transmitted to him, and he is most implicitly to obey.³ I most heartily congratulate you on the Treaties of Alliance Amity and Commerce w^ch. were executed the 6^th. day of Feb^ry. last at Paris, and unanimously ratified by Congress the 4^th. Inst^t. I have only Time to say that those Treaties are magnanimous and founded in our Independency, equality and reciprocity. Inclosed is a handbill published imprudently and without the knowledge of Congress, but wh^ch. contains some truths.⁴ 

A respectable Army in the Field this Campaign and the War will be our own Yours in haste 

P S dont let the occation of the sloop Provid^e. being detained be known to any one, no not even to the Capt. of her himself. you will let the Navy board in Boston know that you have stopped th^e Sloop Provid^e. otherwise upon the receipt of the Letter of the Commi^ee. m^r. Warren may send off an express to Bedford.⁵