Taunton May 12 1776 My Dear,

I have not received a Letter from you Since Some time in march for what reason I dont know without it is as Jos. Crocker Says that you have got a new w—f. Be that as it may I Should be glad to hear from you & when you desire to visit the old one. I wrote you the first of this month which I hope is Come to hand before this time. We have Sow:d our oats as you desired. Had I been master I Should have planted it to Corn. We Shall plant potatoes to morrow. We have had so much Cold weather this Spring that our Garden dont so well as I Could wish. I Should be glad to know if you have got any Linnen for your self or where I must buy Some for you. Every thing is so dear here that it would cost more here then at philada. Pins is not to be had under 8d a thousand & tea is not to be had sence the Congress Stated the price. I Should be glad of Some if you could send it & pins that I may be able to keep Charly a Live. When I was Sick I Lost all my milk & was affraid I Should be forst to wean him. Had it not been for some of my friends that has help me I must have wean’d him. Mr. & mrs. Greenleaf set out for Boston to morrow & nabby & polly are to Stay with me. Our family are all pretty well. I hope the docter has wrote you from Boston. He has been their this some time. He has bid us farewell for the present. I hope tis for his intrest though it hard parting with him. Bob & Sally Send their Duty & Long to See papa. Sally think 205hard that she hant a Book. I hope youll answer Some things I have wrote about. Your affectinate

Sally Paine

RC ; addressed: “To The Hone: Robt: T. Paine Esqr: Member of the Continental Congress at Philadelphia”; endorsed.

Philadelphia, May 11, 1776.

NOT having heard from you so long, nor seen your name mentioned in a gubernatorial capacity, I am led to think either that you are unwell, or on public business abroad. I have wrote you several long letters, particularly March 7th, 16th, and April 2d and 14th,1 some of which I fear you have not received, as they were on such practical subjects as I think you would have taken some notice of. I have laboured exceedingly to establish certain important manufactures, without which speculation would be a phantom. I think we shall not want cannon—four furnaces make them good, as large as 18 pounders; and 24 pounders have been made, but have not as yet stood proof; the manufacturers say they are sure of success. Exceeding good muskets are made here and I suppose with you, but what comes of them I can’t find out, for it is certain that a great many of our troops are unarmed, and we are not able to get arms for them. I have made great inquires about this matter, and have been always told that every man who could work at the business was employed. I wish to know if that be the case with you, and what the price of muskets is. Our musket committee have been able to make but two contracts for making muskets, but I hope our endeavours have set others a going. The congress was appointed to promote the good of the whole, but this can’t be done without knowing the circumstances of all the parts; but as I wish the salvation of my country, I know nothing of our colony but what I find out by accident. I write letters of inquiry in vain. I hope we shall be more regular in doing business for the future, or we shall need leading-strings again.2

Original not located; printed in the New-York Review and Atheneum Magazine 2(1826):447–448 .

206 1.

Only a portion of Paine’s Apr. 2 letter to Palmer, printed above, has been found. The letter he refers to on Mar. 7 was actually written the day before (see above).

2.

Later in the month, RTP set off with Clement Biddle for a tour of various manufactories in the area, including the Continental powder mill on French Creek, the Warwick Furnace, the Reading Furnace, saltpetre works run by John Mears in Reading, Colonel Grubb’s furnace, glassworks in Manheim, and a grinding-and-boring mill for gun barrels in Lancaster (RTP Diary, May 23–29).