[Extract]
Sir You will receive herewith Copy of what I wrote you the 11th Ulto & by this Conveyance I remit the 2d bills of those setts mentioned in that letter. I have bought a considerable quantity of Tobacco but cannot get suitable Vessells to carry it, you cannot conceive the many disapointments we have met with in this Respect however I expect a Ship is now taking in about 400 hhds as I wrote two posts ago agreeing to the Owners terms and shall advi[s]e you more particularly in my next respecting this matter. I am sorry to tell you another Vessell bound from hence for Bourdeaux with a Cargo of flour &c has been taken and carried to N York with the Fleet. this was a fine New Brigt intended as a Packet between us. she had dispatches for You which were thrown over board & sunk by the Cap- tain as well the Invoices &c of the Cargo, these unlucky accidents retard the remittances exceedingly, which is vexatious but cannot be helped. I hope your Credit has been sufficient to procure the Indn Goods & that they are on their way out, for they will be much wanted and we shall not give over remitting untill you are fully enabled to pay for them; I expect a Cargo of Rice & Indigo is now Shipping on this Account as orders have been given to that Effect, but still the same difficulty about Vessells occurrs in that quarter also. So many of the American Ships have been taken, lost, sold & employ[ed] abroad, that they are now very Scarce in every part of the Continent which I consider as a great misfortune for Ship building does not go on as formerly and this Want can only be supply'd by the arrival of Ships from Europe and by the Captures, in which all the American Cruizers have been remarkably Successful those who have engaged in Privateering are making Large Fortunes in a most Rapid manner, I have not meddled in this bussiness which I confess does not square with my Principles for I have long had extensive Connections & dealings with many Worthy Men in England & Coud not consent to take any part of their property because the Government have Seized mine, which is the case in several instances.
The Trading plan recommended in my last is farr more eligible and if we have but luck in getting the Goods safe to America the Proffits will be sufficient to Content us all, I do therefore continue my recommendation of that plan and sincerely hope You & Tom will be able to do something considerable therein for you may depend it will reward you beyond any other pursuit. If you can procure Insurance at any reasonable prem[iu]m even at 50 pCt (altho I dont think the Risque is really worth 15 pCt) I think you had best to Charter two or three good Double Deck'd fast Sailing Vessells, ballast or Load them with Salt in the Holds and put onboard of each as many Dry Goods, say Woolens, Linens, Tin, Copper, Hosiery &c &c, as you can Conveniently obtain & let them proceed immediately for this place, Insuring the Value of the Cargoes on the best terms you can against the Risque of Capture by our Enemies as well as against all other Risques & dangers, I mean that you shou'd Charter French Vessells & by clearing them out for the Island of St Piers & Miquelon they may sail along this Coast without being Subject to Capture untill they come within three Leagues of the Land, you must take care that the Ships are sound, strong & staunch and that they are well fitted & Manned, two suits of Sails and good Anchors & Cables they ought to have. tell the Masters when they come on this Coast to venture in Close with the Land as our N Westers in the Winter will keep them out a long time if they keep without Or in the Gulph Stream whereas if they come within it, nothing but an Easterly Wind can hurt them & those Winds do not prevail much in Winter, when they come in sight of our Light House they must hoist an Ensign at the Foretop Gallt Mast head and stand in for the Mouth of the Bay with it flying. If there is any Enemy or danger in the way, a Signal will be made at the Light House by shewing Colours there. If no danger they will not answer the Signal and the Vessells may come boldly in to the Mouth of the Bay or into Whore Kiln Road & send a Boat onshoar at Lewis Town for a Pilot ー inshort I think there is very little danger in all this matter for the Men of Warr cannot keep the Coast & we will not let them Harbour here in the Winter Season. You Shou'd Charter the Vessells out here & back again, so that You may afford them a good Freight & we will load them back with Wheat, flour, Tobacco, Rice & Indigo, Bees Wax &c, to pay for the Cost of the Cargoes You Ship by them, besides these Vessells I wou'd have you keep sending out Goods Constantly to Martinico, St Eustatia & Cape Francois but the first and last are safest for the present & I suppose will continue so, unless the French become parties in our Warr which I think very likely and then the Dutch Islands must engross our Attention, at St Eustatia Mr Cornelius Stevenson and at Curracoa Mr Isaac Governeur will receive & forward Goods for us, at Cape Francois Mr Stephen Ceronia, at St Nicholas Mole Mr John Dupuy, at Martinico Wm Bingham Esqr who has already written you some Letters & with whom I expect you will support a Constant Correspondence both Political & Commercial, he is a Young Gentl[eman] of good Education, Family & Fortune, his Correspondence has yet a good deal of the Fancifull Young Man in it, but experience will cure him of this and upon the whole I think he had abilitys of Merit both in the Political & Commercial Line, you will inform him soon as You can whether Insurance can be effected on Goods & Vessells from the French Islands to this Continent, and on what terms, indeed we expect to hear from You pretty regularly through that Channell
Since my last Genl Howe & his Army have taken possession of Long Island leaving about 4 or 5000 Men on Staten Island where they first landed We had some Works & about 5000 Men on Long Isld when the Enemy landed with 20 m a Skirmish very soon followed the landing there about 3000 of our Men went out of the Lines to take possession of some Hills & high Lands, but the Enemy out General'd us and surrounded our People with four times their Number however they purchased the honor of the day at a very dear rate for our Folks drew up, gave them Battle & two different times broke & routed double their Number in fair Manouvering & Platoon firing in the open Field, but in the end Superiour Numbers & Superiour Generalship prevailed, We lost about 7 to 800 Men in Killed, Wounded & Prisoners, the Enemies loss was farr greater as they acknowledge in Killed & Wounded, but not so in Prisoners for we only took one party a Lieutt & 30 Men. Sullivan commanded in this affair & was well seconded by Ld Stirling who behaved Nobly indeed, they are both Prisoners as are several Cls Lt Cols & other officers, in short such Victorys as these alarm our Enemies & will be their ruin. We have evacuated Long Island & must do the same by N York which is not tenable against their Ships, for my part I wish our Men & Stores were all removed to Kingsbridge where we must sooner or later take Post & make the great stand. We are no ways dismayed at the Force of the Enemy but have full hopes of getting the better of them in the long run altho they seem very formidable at present Our Army on the Lakes is now very Strong and we seem perfectly Secure in that quarter for the present...