I have this day recd. the letter you did me the honor to write me on the 27th. of July, and, as I had recd. but a few days ago an instruction from Congress, relative to some other’s of our fellow-Citizens in the same unhappy predicament with Mr: Low, I shall present to the Ministry a requisition for him & all the rest at the same, & will endeavor to make enquiries concerning the ballance of £3000. due to the State of Rhode-Island.—1

I agree entirely with you, Sir, in your opinion that we Americans must be frugal, & bend our force to promote Arts & manufactures among ourselves—and the first manufacture I would encourage should be that of Ships, by making a Navigation-Act— I would next lay on duties upon the importation of all things which we can make ourselves, which shd. give a decisive encouragement to our own manufactures, & make those, who will purchace foreign ones, especially British, pay all our public debts. But I would not stop here: We should seek a market for our oyl in every City of Europe. Sperma-Ceti Oyl, which neither freezes or stiffens with the cold, which burns so long, & gives so pure, clear, & glorious a flame, far exceeds the vegetable oils with which those Cities are illuminated in the night, & might be afforded by us cheaper than that costs them. I am sure that an advantageous market might be found for all our oyl in France. The English know it; but they depend upon our indolence & weak attachment to them— Mr: Dickason here had lately a quantity of Oyl from America, which the British Oyl-Merchants contrived to prevent his selling. He wrote to France & found an immediate market & a good price— He sent a part of his Oyl; but the moment those very Oyl-Merchants discovered it they came to him & bought up all he had, to prevent the French from getting a taste of our Oyl, & to prevent the Americans from discovering that a market was to be found in France.—

The death of my old friend Governor Hopkins was, in the course of things, to be expected; but the news of it revives in my mind that affection & veneration I conceived for him in a course of arduous service with him in trying times— I am much obliged to you for your letter, & hope to be considered, Sir, as your friend / & humle: Servt: / &c: &c.—

I recd. soon after my arrival in London the letter you did me the honor to write me on the 29th. of April, with the enclosed copy of a letter from Mr: Chace to the Minister—1 Your Excellency & the Council may depend upon every assistance I can give to the Cause. The Agent & Solicitor of Maryland have been with me several times, & the last time to request that I would speak to the Minister that the Attorney Genl: might be pressed to give into Chancery his answer, for which the Cause waited— I waited on Lord Carmarthen accordingly, who expressed himself, as he had done before to me, much in favr: of Maryland.2 But, according to appearances, the Cabinet are not yet prepared in any thing respecting America. It is hitherto impossible to get any answer to any Question— The Cabinet are taking time probably to digest their whole system, & will give answers to all things at once. So plain a matter as this could never be perplexed but upon a principle which this Court will not easily admit, vizt: that all Contracts & Debts were extinguished or suspended, betwn: American Citizens & British Subjects, by the late Revolution. Even upon this principle the right of Maryland was restored by the Treaty as much as any other bonâ fide debt— I 418conjecture that the delay has been studied with some view to the general question concerning debts—

I had hopes of having something more satisfactory to write to your Excellency concerning this Subject before this time; but, as it is still uncertain when any thing will be done, I ought not longer to delay my acknowledgement of your letter.

I have the honor to be, Sir, / Yrs: &c: &c.—