Philadelphia April 2d. 1776 My dear Sr.,

Ever since the receipt of your kind letter in Jany. I have been determined to write you in special refferrence to your scious paragraph on the dear Dulcinea, but innumerable intervening objects have suspended th execution of it till Time the destroyer of all earthly affairs has deprived me of my Subject. Alass the vestal Virgin is no more! The Nuptial Alter has received the Sacrifice & the being to whom it is offered I dare say, smells a sweet savour, the Keys are delivered up & the sweet Casket may not be opened but by him who possesses them. What you will do for a toast I dont know. I sincerely commisserate you. I believe it must be to her memory.

Salt petre, Sulphur, lead, cannon, musketts, like our dayly bread should never be out of our attention; the success in making Salt petre in Massachusetts & Connetticut is exceeding all expectation. We have likewise exceeding good amounts from Virginia. Other Colonies are also begginning. It is very clear, if we once induce farmers & private families to make 188it as they do in New England we shall have enough very soon to expend gun powder as freely as we please. I take the freedom to send you some newspapers which contain the successful Method of making it in New England. I doubt not you will distribute them with your authoritative injunctions to put it into immediate & vigourous excecution. Please to present my Compliments to Mr. Dewar1 & furnish him with I suppose a tea drawn from a mixture of Ashes & Stone Lime will answer the purpose mentioned in the discription. Some say that Lime water only will do, & some say that the stone lime may be put into the nitrous water & let settle. I mention these matters because I Suppose Lime stone is very plenty near Mr. Dewar’s & it may be easily tryed & in some places may be cheaper & more easily got than ashes.

We are like to suffer for want of Sulphur. If it lays in your way to have Brimstone Hill near Cherry Valley examined it might be serviceable.

I hope these will find you & your good family in health & happiness. Please to make my best Respects to them.

The evacuation of Boston will doubtless open a new scene, but where, as yet we don’t conjecture. Our business is to be armed at all points. No. Carolina has surprised us with their heroism.2 I believe every Colony will give a good account of their political Faith.

I hope in the revolution of human affairs we may at Sometime meet in peace & joy, but should so desired an event be denied me, when the trials of human affairs are ended, may we meet in the land of Heroes.

That felicity may Surround & never leave you is the wish of yr friend & hble. Servt.

R. T. Paine

RC (Philip Schuyler Papers, Manuscripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations).

1.

William Duer (1747–1799) went from his native England to serve in India as aide-de-camp to the governor general in 1765. Three years later he immigrated to America and settled at Fort Miller, N.Y. Duer was active in the revolutionary cause, served in the provincial congresses of 1776 and 1777, and in the Continental Congress in 1777 and 1778 ( ANB ).

2.

On Feb. 27 North Carolina troops won a victory over a loyalist force at Moore’s Creek Bridge (Boatner, Encyclopedia of the American Revolution, 731–734).