---

Sir:

Lest your Excellency should not yet have received the dispatches from the Delegates in Congress Respecting the sale of the Public Tobacco I take this opportunity of informing you that on Sunday last I received by the way of Wilmington a Copy of the agreement entered into by the Honorable Wm. Blount & Benj. Hawkins, Esquires, with Constable, Rucker & Co., of New York, for the Tobacco at the rate of Twenty-six Shillings & Eight Pence per hundred nett weight at the time of delivery, which delivering is to commence in thirty days from the 19th March, date of the Agreement, and only six days notice to be given to the Commissioners or Agent. I think the time very short as it is all to be delivered Re-inspected & Re-weighed & no doubt the person receiving will wish to see it done that he may judge himself of the Quality. So that what I have done here at a Considerable Expence will be to do over at Wilmington again. I never could procure freight till now of what remained here, as I informed your Excellency some time ago. Forty Hhds. goes off re-inspected and in Good Shipping order in the morning, but it has suffered so much damage in this warehouse that the putting it in proper order takes up a great deal of time. The merchants here think

it was sold too low as some of them are now giving three and a half hard dollars per Ct. for new Tobacco which is not so good and I am Confident what is here might have been sold at that price if not more. I shall be ready at Wilmington by the Time the delivery of the Tobacco is to Commence and what is here shall be hurried off as fast as it can be put in shipping order; the Inspectors never could attend to it till now the hurry of Country Tobacco has been so great. Should you wish to give me any Instructions I shall be at Wilmington on Sunday next.

---