My Presedential year being ended I had left New York for this place (from which and from my family I had been thirteen months absent) before the Letters which you did me the honor to write me on the twenty six of August, the six and seventh of September came to hand; which has preventd me from shewing the Civilities to Mr Storer and Mr Wingrove that I should otherwise have taken pleasure in doing.1 The State of my health is so precarious (being at present prevented by the Gout in my right hand from writing my Self) that it is uncertain when I shall be permitted to return to Congress. But let me be where I will I shall always be happy to Correspond with you. My Brother Arthur Lee who now resides at New York a Commissioner of the treasurer of the U.S. will receive and forward to me such Letters as you are pleas’d to write. It gives me pleasure to know that Colo: Smith is so agreeable a secretary to you, indeed I had expect’d so from his Politeness, his good sense, and his Spirit. It is certainly a misfortune both to the United States and to great Britain that a Singular kind of after Wisdom in the Latter should so perpetually keep the two Country’s at variance with each other. To profit from experience so becometh Nations as well as individuals, that it denoteth much Ill to both when advice is not taken from that best source of knowledge. It is this kind of Wisdom that haveing already irrecoverably Lost to great Britain a great and valuable part of her dominions is now proceeding to deprive her of a great and valuable part of her commerce also. For I plainly perceive that the State errors and the Commercial mistakes of that Country are going to force these united States, Contrary to their inclination, into systems that will probably prevent our trade from ever again 35 flowing, as it probably would have done, into British Channels. It is true that we may be injured in the Commencement of these experiments, but it is certain that those who Compel them will be more hurt. A Similar experiment has been lately made and the issue recent, yet such is the curse attending Britain and British States-men that they will neither remember the one or profit from the other. I join with you in hopeing soon to see American Factories establish’d in the East and certainly it will be highly agreeable to me to find Mr Steptoe promoteing there his Country’s and his own good.2

I have the honor to be with every sentimet of affectionate Esteem and / regard your friend / and Servt:

It was but last Week that I received your Letter of the 14th. of July.—1 With regard to the Money borrowed by me, and applid to the discharge of Mr Morris’s Draughts, My Bankers in Amsterdam have as they inform me, transmitted their Accounts both to the Board of Treasury and Mr Barclay.— By them it will appear that Several Millions of Livres I mean were remitted to Le Couteulx at Paris, and by him to Mr Morris in Dollars by the Way of the Havannah. Several Millions more have been paid to Mr Grand upon Mr Morris’s Draughts, and several Millions more were paid at Amsterdam upon his Draughts in favour of Individuals Bills which he Sold at an handsome Exchange.2

The Spirit of the Mass. & N. Hamp. Navigation Acts are admired and applauded, and if they had been or would be followed by the other States would be practicable. But I pretend not to be able to judge at this distance. That every Thing may be taken into Consideration I enclose you an ordonnance of France, which is suspected to be a Retaliation for those Acts3

The Arret of 18. septr. gives a Bounty of ten Livres a Quintal upon 36 all French Fish imported into their Islands or into the Marketts of Spain, Portugal or Italy The Arret of the 25 of septr, increases the Duty upon foreign Fish imported into their Islands, to five Livres a Quintal. These two make a Difference of fifteen Livres a Quintal in favour of French Fish and against American and English. This is a serious Blow to the British Fishery, and if it were possible to make the Ministry understand it, they would see the necessity of opening the Trade of Newfoundland, that their Fishery might be Supplied from Us.— if it is not done, their Fishery will Suffer. As our Fishery appears to me, very deeply interrested in these Ordonnances, I think you are the fittest Person in the World to send them to. But I think you would do well to have them inserted in the News Papers.

It is questioned by many of our judicious Friends whether the Navigation Acts should not have been confined to Brittish Bottoms or at least to Bottoms not in Treaty with Us.

It is now generally agreed that the People in America have been extravagant, and that this fault has introduced a greater, an exorbitant unlawfull Usury, a sort of shylockism as detestible as it is destructive.— This accursed spirit must divert all the Money from Commerce, untill the sharks have eaten up all the feebler Fish. No Accounts I ever heard from America, mortified me so much as this, as it discovers a Depravity of Heart that I could scarcely have believed, of so many, to their disgrace.

M. De Calonne, the French Controller of Finances, has reduced the Duties upon American Oil, in French or American Bottoms to 7 Livres 10s. a Barrique weighing 520 Weight, that is to about 30 Livres a Ton.— one Louis D’or & a quarter is so much less than 18£ 3s. sterling the Duty in England that one would think it might do.— I am persuaded you may sell all the Oil you can make in France at a good rate. Mr Boylstone has sold his Cargo there very well.— The Marquis De la Fayette is very kind in assisting every body that goes upon that Business. it is a shame that our Whale Fishery should decline & Nantuckett be depopulated, when it is certain, there is a very good Markett in France. Mr Barrett is arrived, and I hope will be able to negotiate the Business.— But it should be a Capitalist, a Man who has Cash, and can give Credit. our Cash Men, are not all shy locks I hope, letting Money at 5 per Cent per Month.— if they are curse them for me as well as yourself.— a Man must have an heart harder than the paving stones, who can see so valuable a Trade as the sperma Cæti Business lost to his Country merely 37 because he will not employ that Money in Trade, which he letts out at such exorbitant Interest.

I pity the Merchants from my soul, they have suffered many Ways, and particularly by the Paper Money which is very unjustly suffered to perish in their Hands. Pray desire your Friend King to write to me.4

your sincere Friend & most / humble servant