Abington Decr. 23d. 1759 Sr.,

This day I recd. yr. favr. & accordingly have Inclos'd an Ordr. on Witter1 favr. Capt. Ruggles2 'tis a Coppy of the Ordr. he formerly had & presented to Witter. Pray deliver it with such Instructions as you think best. You told me a power of Atourney wd. be needless as the Ordr. has been Verbally Accepted.

I have delivered the Execution vs. Snell to Hobart.3 Twenty five pounds has been offer'd an Acre for the Abington Land. Am Oblig'd to159you for your Service in the affair of Fulton. I tho't him not appeasable & was determined not to Offer Sacrifice to an Idol, therefore did not see him when in Town Last. I shall now Answer yr. Interogations about the distill-house.

1st. One good hand that understands the business will Easily do all the business of that small house. I hear Gunion4 has return'd.

2dly. There is plenty of good Water in the Sharpest droughth a Well 10 feet diameter & 2 of the best pumps in Boston.

3dly. You may distill Sixty Galls. Rum pr. day & Work four days in a Week & use only the New Cisterns Each of which will fill the Still three times.

4thly. Four days in a Week (I believe) is now Called good Work I us'd to Work near every day in my Old Distill house Mr. Z Johonott5 do's so now.

5thly. I used to give Gunion £400 old Tenor per annum he finding his own Maintainance I believe you may hire Cheaper now, but prefer him at lest at £10 LMy. per an.

If you expect to Improve a distill-house to Advantage you must be sure to keep a good Stock (tho' yr. money will turn often) and Look out for a Number good Retail Customers. I pay Mr. Johonott above £500 0 Tenr. per an. for Rum. You must also have a Licence which will be a great benefit Espescialy among boat men. I have been Rusticated so Long that I am not able to advise you in the affair so shall refer you to Mr. Peter Johonnot6 who I believe will give you an Impartial accot. of the proffitts & Losses & the State of the Business, please to Let him know I refer'd you to him. If you undertake it I heartily wish you Success.

I am now going to Enter upon a Subject that I'm Cautious in talking upon & if my Ink shd. Turn red you may Conclude my pen is blushing for me. In Short the Case is this The Governour7 has promis'd Brown8 a Comission as he tell's Mr. Dodge9 & he Expects it next Sessions don't for yr. Life betray the parson, he told me out of friendship. By what I can Learn this Gubernatorial promise was not obtain'd in a fair manner. I have been represented to the G—r as a Stranger in Town, one that has been Warn'd out, & that has no prospect of being a Free-holder but that I'm here to day & gone tomorrow these things have been set off wth. such an air as to give the G—r no favourable Idea of me. Intelectuals are out of the Question, Acquirements & Qualifications are nothing to the purpose. (You'll pardon these pretentions when you recolect that I Live in Abington)160Now what I would propose is this (as you are a kind of Guardian Angle to me) that you would undertake to set me in a better Light with his Exy. by means of Messrs. Wendell10, Ting11 & Flucker who have Inlisted in my Service you may add what forces you please and if you Ingage in the thing you may depend upon Success. I shall not fear it, for I have the same promise wth. this additional advantage Vizt. my Name is in the Book of Life as you were pleas'd to Call it the promise is absolute to Mr. Flucker, I Leave this grand affair up to you; only should be glad of some advice. I am &c.,

J GREENLEAF

P.S Yr. Sister has been Very much Troubled wth. the Rhumatism in her head, is a Little Better—this Comes by Ephraim.

RC ; addressed: "To Mr. Robert Treat Paine Attourney In Boston"; endorsed.

1.

Richard Thomas Witter, a merchant in Kingston, Jamaica.

2.

Capt. George Ruggles, mariner, who frequently traded between Boston and Kingston, Jamaica (Thwing Index).

3.

Probably Col. Aaron Hobart (1729–1808), of Abington, who served on various patriotic committees before and during the American Revolution and who cast the first cannon for use in it (Abington in the Revolution, 90).

4.

Not further identified.

5.

Zachariah Johonnot (1701–1783), of Boston, a distiller and merchant (Stark, Loyalists of Massachusetts, 409–411; NEHGR 7[1853]: 141).

6.

Peter Johonnot (1729–1809), son of the preceding and Elizabeth (Quincy) Johonnot, of Boston, followed his father's business as a distiller and merchant. He was a loyalist during the Revolution, left with the British in 1776; was proscribed and banished in 1778; and died in London (NEHGR 7[1853]: 142).

7.

Thomas Pownall (1722–1805).

8.

Woodbridge Brown (1714–1783).

9.

Ezekiel Dodge (1723–1770) classmate of RTP and minister of the First Church of Abington.

10.

Jacob Wendell (1691–1791), a wealthy Boston merchant held various public offices serving on the Council, 1734–1760 (Sibley's Harvard Graduates, 9:365–366; Whitmore, Mass. Civil List, 55–60).

11.

John Tyng (1705–1797), usually known as Colonel Tyng because of his rank in the Second Middlesex Regiment, became one of the largest landholders in Massachusetts. During his long lifetime he held many public offices and was especially close to Gov. Thomas Pownall who considered him one of his closest advisors (Sibley's Harvard Graduates, 7:595–601).