your two Letters of May 21 & 26 were yesterday deliverd.1 captain Scot has not yet got up. I hope by him to receive Letters from my other Friends. I have been not a little anxious that Barnard and Davis should arrive without a Letter either from Braintree or weymouth as this is to go by the packet, I will confine myself wholy to buisness and as mr Adams has written you respecting mr Borlands place, I have only to second his request that you would purchase it without Delay.2 perhaps he may be induced to take less for the money in hand, but what can be done respecting the wood Land sold by mr Tyler to mr Webb & an other piece of Land to Deacon Bass, for which I presume he received the Money tho I do not imagine their deeds can be valid.3 Yet one would not like to get into a squable with ones Neighbours if mr Borland gives a deed he must warrentee us. Mr Tyler always told me that his agreement with mr Borland was, in case he could not give him a Title to the Estate. The money he had paid, was to be considerd as borrowed & he was to be allowed interest for it, if so I should presume the matter might be setled with him. I should be glad to be informd whether the frame he put up was ever coverd & whether he made any repairs upon the House, his creditors I presume cannot take off the frame. Who is now the Tennant & what repairs are necessary? if you purchase it as I hope you will, I should like to know the heights of the rooms & the paper they will take to paper them as well as the bigness of them, painting will be a necessary buisness both without and within. I fancy mr Tyler owes money to mr Cranch would it not be best for him to secure himself if he can by attaching the material for repairs? mr Adams will not hesitate even at the 600. What shall I 105say to you respecting veseys place? counteract my dears Frinds plan, by no means—it has always been his wish to Buy that place, and he would have done it long ago if I had not persuaded him to the contrary. 300 is certainly 50 pounds too much as money is so scarce & the place so poor. it will not neat 4 prcent do you think it worth more? Suppose you make him that offer but you see mr Adams is disposed to have it, even at the very high price, but I think more of the other place. an other House we must have if it was only to hold our Books. I should speak within Bounds if I was to say that the Books which mr Adams has purchased in order to qualify himself for a through investigation of the subjects he is persueing, cost him within these six months a hundred & fifty Guineys. Many of the Italian Works were very high priced & very scarce, he reads Italian as easily as French, and applies so constantly both to writing & reading that I fear he will injure his Health. Yet it is vastly mended since his residence in England, when I first came abroad he could not write even a single Letter without suffering. now he writes six or eight hours in a day—

With regard to my own Health I cannot say much in favour of it, a little fever still Lurks in my veins & I cannot get rid of it. perhaps a sea voyage may serve it, but I dread the ocean and yet more the turbulent spirit of my Countrymen. it is a damp to all the pleasureable Ideas of a return to it— God save the people is a prayer in which I can most sincerely join—but I said I would write only on Buisness—yet out of the abundanc of the Heart &C I will send by the first opportunity the Reviews you desire my trangression with respect to porter & cheese were those of Ignoranc I Submit to the chastisement & pray the cheese may be only used as a foil. I will remember in future & put all I send in a trunk with the articles enumerated & the price.—

Mrs Smith desires to be rememberd to you & all her Friend. Col Smith is not yet returnd from portugal I presume I must have Letters by Scot. as you have not mentiond my Friends I hope they are all well— a Letter came to hand by the penny post soon after Barnards arrival in which you mention Bills drawn in favour of mr Hill,4 but no such Bill has been yet presented— adieu my dear sir. I will not despair of the commonwealth whilst their is good sense enough to Elect my good Friend into the Senate. The Single virtue of Cato did much towards the preservation of Rome. may your Success be equal to your virtuous Efforts is the ardent wish / of your sincere Friend

A thousand thanks to you, my dear Madam, for your kind attention to my little daughter. her distresses I am sure must have been troublesome to you: but I know your goodness will forgive her, & forgive me too for having brought them on you. Petit now comes for her. by this time she will have learned again to love the hand that feeds & comforts her, and have formed an attachment to you. she will think I am made only to tear her from all her affections. I wish I could have come myself. the pleasure of a visit to yourself & mr̃ Adams would have been a great additional inducement. but, just returned from my journey, I have the arrearages of 3. or 4. months all crouded on me at once. I do not presume to write you news from America, because you have it so much fresher & frequenter than I have. I hope all the disturbances of your country are quieted & with little bloodshed. what think you of present appearances in Europe? the Emperor & his subjects? the Dutch & their half king, who would be a whole one? in fine the French & the English? these new friends & allies have hardly had time to sign that treaty which was to cement their love & union like man & wife, before they are shewing their teeth at each other. we are told a fleet of 6. or 12 ships is arming on your side the channel; here they talk of 12 or 20, and a camp of 15,000 men. but I do not think either party in earnest. both are more laudably intent on arranging their affairs.—1 should you have incurred any little expences on account of my daughter or her maid, Petit will be in a condition to repay them. if considerable, he will probably be obliged to refer you to me, and I shall make it my duty to send you a bill immediately for the money.— Count Sarsfeild sets out for London four days hence. at dinner the other day at M. de Malesherbe's he was sadly abusing an English dish called 107Gooseberry tart.2 I asked him if he had ever tasted the cranberry. he said, no. so I invited him to go & eat cranberries with you. he said that on his arrival in London he would send to you & demander á diner. I hope mrs̃ Smith and the little grandson are well. be so good as to present me respectfully to her. I have desired Colo. Smith to take a bed here on his return. I will take good care of him for her, & keep him out of all harm. I have the honour to be with sentiments of sincere esteem & respect Dear Madam / Your most obedient & / most humble servt