Papers of John Adams, volume 16
I thank you, sir, for the clarifications that you were so kind as to give me relative to the materials that one can extract from North America and on the manner, etc., for procuring them. It will be eagerly that I will profit by your observations on this important subject.1
I have the honor of being quite perfectly, sir, your very humble and very obedient servant
al.de Castries
I communicated to you, sir, the path that I proposed to take to draw from independent America the wood that our navy will need. I will send in advance a man capable of identifying the woods that would suit our purposes, and after these trials we will negotiate agreements with the appropriate private parties.