Honoured and Worthey Docter Benjamin Franklin Counsil In Chief for the United States of America,

These Lines Comes from the Hands of A Poore Distressed prisoner. I Was Born In the North of Irsland of Honest Reputable parents and Went to Pensylvenia Very Young Where my 4 Unkles have Lived these 46 Years past In Picquia In Lancaster County viz Archibald       James and Andrew Douglass, And Lived there There Ever since Under A Reputable Caracter, But Misfortunately Left them parts Last April and Went to Boston Where I Came In A Brigg Under the Continental Imploy Mr Freasy and Miler, In May, Last Came to Cadiz. In Speane, Being    Inquiring for the Spanish Comosary of the Navil Ofice Who Ordred Me to Call on his person But I Was Treacherously Laid Into the Inglish Counsils Hous Don Joshua Hardy and Vice Counsil Archdeacken Who Seized on My Money Equal to 20 Dolars and Kept me 10 Days at A    English Lodg Where He Had A Scum of British Sealors Who he Incouradged to pick and plunder my Litle Efects from me and the Cursed Landlord Charged me 4 prices for Numbers of Diners and Supers I Never Teasted and Gave them Raskals Wine on My Scoare, I Aplyed to Two Irish Oficers viz Captain Okelly and Captain Oconer, and Tavernkeeper Lyons all Bigoted papists of Irsland Would Not Gow to the Governor of the City to Get my Money from the Counsil. The Counsil Comited me Under A Damed Portagal Boatmans Care to Portugale With A pass to Lisborn to Get Shiping Into England I Tryed In Lisborn all that Lay In My Power to Gow With to Gow to Bayoney With A Sloop and Ofered full pasage Money But to No No Purpose I Was forced to Gow to Falmouth In England, Soar and heavy Against my Will Was Reaving my Last With Grief In short they Distroyed my 20 Dollars for Not 3 Real Value. After My Arival In England I Was Most Hashlyly Used for Coming from America and Was Breathing My Last for feare they Would Know I Was Sworn to the Congress for feare of Been Hung, My pocket fell short and Was Oblidged to Gow Into Irsland Where I found Only One Cousin Who Helped me to 3 Crowns to Help Me to Get Into Holand to Secure A pasage to my Holm In America I Tryed Roterdam and found no Vesel. In that port I Aplyed In Midleburgh for A pass to Come To france Where I Expected Not to feal of meeting Some American Vesels I Was But 5 Days In Holand and Lived on My own Money and Was Coming to the City of paris to Secure A pass from Your Honour Being But 5 Days In france Untill I Was Comited Into prison 23 miles N by E   East of paris In the City of    Joal Where I Now Languish In Displace by the Bad Usuage I find, Altho I Did Not Get More As A Morsel of Bread Along the Road having Some pocket Mony of my own and Tea and Cofy and Sugar plenty and A Blanket to Cover me In the Barn at Night thus I Am Sufering Inocently By the Navish Sperit of the popery of Irsland Integrity, Honoured and Worthey Docter Franklin I Expected you Was Acquainted With Some of My Unckles In Pensylvenia viz Andrew Douglass Justice or Square for Lancaster County and his Son George Douglass of Potsgrove Square or Justice for Berks County or Mite Kno John Douglass Asembly Man for Lancaster County 7 Years With old Mister Webb, My Sisters Lives In that Land Numerous Wealthy Cousins have part of A Legasy Own Me by Thomas Douglass son to Archibald Douglass of 10 £ and 2 four years Servants, Honoured Sir I Was Sworn to the States or Congress by Wiliam Honry of Lancaster and has Numbers of Remarkable Writings from America But Misfortanatly I Canot See one to Reed them, If your Honour Would be so Good and Merciful as to Relieve me from the Jaws of Death as I Term this prison I would Gow On Board Any American Priveteer you thot proper to Send me to Or My friends Would pay Redemption Money for My pasage to America, I am sure the Merchants of Philadelphia Would Not Alow me to Languish Long In prison viz Mr William West Mr Keply or Dan Woster or Jacob Bardg, James Husting Mr Poter or Graham or Mr David Hall or John Spearehawk or Mr Andrew Coldwell or Mr Carson or Charles Thompson Secretary. Honoured and Worthy Sir if you Did Not Think proper to Grant me A pass to Look for A pasage at Haver dygrace or Bulon If your Honour Would be so Kind As to Get Me A pass to Return Back Into Holand Again I Would Expect to Recover my furlorn State as I Can speak the High Dutch Very Well, I Have Been Under A Burthen of Sickness these 5 years Last past by Geting the surface of my scull Melted Away With A Blazing Duth Stove In Winter Storm Untill I am Quite Spent or Weasted Away to A Skeleton, I am sure No Country Could be so Bigoted As to Imprison me for A Spy for Any person May see by me I am Not the Least fit for Any such suspisious persons, Honoured Sir If you Do But Get me out of prison to Gow to America Your Worthy Person Will be \so Charitable As to Alow me to Return Back Into Holand Holand Again In so so Dowing you    A poor forlorn Distressed Object Ready to put A Total End to this Dispeareful Life Which Canot Injoy the Least Comfort Ever Was but Racked to Death by An Inviterate Bread people In so Dooing I Shall be In Duty Bound to Serve the United States With the Greatest Integrity I Am yours