When I made the agreement with Mr de Chaumont about the Ship I thought it was not possible to have any Difficulty; but he & his Correspondents make a strange demand of receiving the Freight before she Sails from Bordx because the words of the agreement are “frêt acquit avant le depart” & the Departure they fix to be from Bordeaux. I never considered that I had anything to do with the Ship before she came to L'orient, & the glaring absurdity of paying a full freight before the Ship is in the Port where she is to be loaded ought to be of itself sufficient to prove that the agreement could not be otherwise. The method in which they have measured the Ship is different from what I expected, but as the agreement was to freight as the King does I shall not object if it turns out that the King freights in that manner. Mr de Chaumont writes to me that whatever differences may arise must be settled by indifferent Persons. I have therefore chosen Messrs Val. & P French of Bordeaux and desired Messrs Jauge & Co, who fit the Ship, to choose others to join them & consider our Differences and decide for us, and I trust they will decide in my Favour; I hope you will approve of this, for Disputes being kept alive create Delays and I am already heartily tired of waiting; the Ship it was expected would be at L'orient 6 Weeks ago & now God knows when she will be there. I have written to Mr Chaumont on the subject & desired him to show my Letter to you, I hope I shall soon have an answer to my satisfaction. I am ever with the greatest Respect Dear & hond sir Your dutifull & affectionate Kinsman