I have this moment received your favour of the 8th of this month, inclosed a Letter from your unkle Warren of the 30th of August which is returned to you here inclosed.1

I sent off your former Letter with my first dispatches to New York, there not being any Vessell at that time bound to Boston.—2 you ask my advice Madame, and I hold myself bound by every obligation to give it you according to the best of my judgment: and if there is any Way in which I can be of service to you I beg of you freely to command me— I owe every Civility and service in my power to the Daughter of a Gentleman whom I always Loved as one of my best Friends, esteemed as one of the best and admired as one of the greatest Men I ever knew. If it can consist with your Views to go to Boston, there is no doubt to be made, that it would be the surest Course you can take, to secure your Property in the most advantageous manner. you alone are the judge of this.

you ask my advice concerning a Lawyer. you have a Brother in Law Madame—Benjamin Lincoln Esqr, who although personally unknown to me has an undoubted Character as a Man of Honour & abilities in his Profession. But if his connections in the Family are an objection to him you will find either in the Honourable John Lowell Esqr or in William Tudor Esqr a Lawyer who will do your Business with all the Care and Fidelity you Can desire—3

If you go to America Madame—Mr Brown I presume will go with you— if you send a Letter of Attorney it must be executed by him as well as you—

The Failure of your Uncles is an Event as unexpected and unaccountable to me as any thing that could have happened, and the state of affairs in and about Boston is so precarious in Money matters, that if Mr Brown and you can go there, I should certainly advise it.— you may there secure your Interest and Principle in any manner you may find most agreeable to you,—but if you write, I will with pleasure inclose any Letters for you by the earliest opportunities I hear of— it would be well to send Duplicates & Triplicates that the Chances of a safe arrival may be multiplied

I am extreemly sensible Madame of your Politeness & Kindness in sending two Baskets of Game, yet I Confess to you they hert my feelings as I seemed to be accepting a reward for doing a very 25 inconsiderable service for a Lady whose Person and Family I hold in the highest estimation be so good as to present my Regards to Mr Brown—and / beleive me yrs &c—

On the arrival of mr̃ Boylston I carried him to the Marquis de la Fayette, and received from him communications of his object.1 this was to get a remission of the duties on his cargo of oil, & he was willing to propose a future contract. I proposed however to the Marquis, when we were alone, that instead of wasting our efforts on individual applications, we had better take it up on general ground, and, whatever could be obtained, let it be common to all. he concurred with me. as the jealousy of office between ministers does not permit me to apply immediately to the one in whose department this was, the Marquis’s agency was used. the result was to put us on the footing of the Hanseatic towns, as to whale oil, & to reduce the duties to 11 lt — 5s for 520lb. French, which is very nearly two livres on the English hundredweight, or about a guinea & a half the ton. but the oil must be brought in American or French ships, & the indulgence is limited to one year. however as to this I expressed to Ct. de Vergennes my hopes that it would be continued, & should a doubt arise, I should propose at the proper time to claim it under the treaty 26 on the footing gentis amicissimi.2 after all, I beleive mr̃ Boylston has failed of selling to Sangrain, and, from what I learn, through a little too much hastiness of temper. perhaps they may yet come together or he may sell to somebody else.

When the general matter was thus arranged, a mr̃ Barrett arrived here from Boston with letters of recommendation from Govr. Bowdoin, Cushing & others.3 his errand was to get the whale business here put on a general bottom, instead of the particular one which had been settled you know the last year for a special company. we told him what was done. he thinks it will answer, and proposes to settle at L’Orient for conducting the sales of the oil & the returns. I hope therefore that this matter is tolerably well fixed as far as the consumption of this country goes. I know not as yet to what amount that is; but shall endeavor to find out how much they consume, and how much they furnish themselves. I propose to mr̃ Barrett that he should induce either his state or individuals to send us a sufficient number of boxes of the Spermaceti candle, to give one to every leading house in Paris, I mean to those who lead the ton: and at the same time to deposit a quantity for sale here & advertize them in the Petites affiches.4 I have written to mr̃ Carmichael to know on what footing the use & introduction of the whale oil is there, or can be placed.5

I have the honour to be with very sincere esteem Dear Sir / Your most obedient humb. servt.