The Ophelia of this port, bound to New yorke, having foundered near Nantucket, and no account of her Cargoe being saved induces me to think, that the small parcell I sent you of Irish News and Magazines, with our respected friend the Marquiss La Fayette’s Letter may have been lost; this I am Concerned for, as I had made the best five Months Collection I could get in this Country for your Amusement.

Our Political Campaign opened, and continues with unanimity; the whole Nation seems to place unbounded Confidence in the Marquiss of Buckingham administration. I only gave a Negative to the fulsome flatterys that were so absurdly and disgracefully prostituted to the Memory of the Late Vice-roy, who was, of all Viceroys, since the Glorious Revolution of 1688, the most abandoned, Profligate, and Corrupted that ever held the Reigns of Viceroyalty in this or any other Country; the Pension list from 1781 will shew a most Unexampled List of Useless and unmerited distribution of the National Treasure. In vain we complained of it; no Excuse was attempted to be given; the Treasury Bench never replied to Mr. Forbes, who was strong in Argument and severe in Censure. The Intimates of the Present Vice-roy declare, that he will not grant any pensions, unless on the Address of Parliament, or for some public service; He has undoubtedly called many Defaulters to Account, and made some pay, but there remains much to do in that Line, at Least £190000, which would help to reduce the National Debt, which is reapidly increasing; in 1756 we had a redundancy in our Treasury and now we owe 2 Million. This session we are not to have any new Taxes; no Extra    to Government except     which (though fortified by many penal Clauses) occasion a deal of distructive Gambling; Apprentices and Servants rob their Masters to get money to Lay out in Insurances; and Manufactures desert their Looms to attend their good or bad Luck at the wheel of fortune.

These six weeks we have had the finest weather dayly sun shine, Clear Air, neither snow, rain or frost, though the Latter would be agreable, as more consonant to the season of the year; our peas and Beans are getting too forward, and some trees are Budding, the Corn is more Closely come up, than it has these twenty years; yet with all these prognosticks of a good year, and a tolerable harvest last year, Meat is rizing and so is Corn, in Expectation of a great Exportation next Month from an Idea of more than two powers being engaged in War, and that there is not a Sufficiency on the Continent to Supply the Armies; In the present Contest, I am a Tarter, I would Volunteer in their Service against the boundless Ambition of Catherine; She wants to Command the whole of the North of Europe, and render herself Mistress of the Black Sea and the Archipelago. In the Latter, she would dictate Naval Laws to the rest of Europe. It is unwise in the Emperor to make her too great. He is a very unsteading Soveriegn; he has made, but a poor figure in Brabant; as yet Lovain resists every royal order, and Brussels will not Lay aside its Volunteers; the Assembly, by   Last Letters, was Surrounded by a body of Troops; we are anxious for the next Mail to give us the result of that Last resource. There are many English and Irish among those Volunteers, and if taken will instantly Executed.

The English East India Company are alarmed at the Sending out of these new raised 4000 men, in four Regiments; it is imagined, that Government mean to refuse a renewal of their Charter, and take all the Territorial acquisitions into their own hands; if so, there will be Blood spilled. For a Letter I received from William Augustus Miles (who wrote a Volume in favor of American Liberty) the Brabanters are determined to oppose force to force. Their Sovereign is now in Hungary with all his best troops and most experienced Generals, and likely to Continue there for some time; at least his Troops must, unless Imperious Catherine gives up the Crimea &c &c, and that the Bounds between the Emperor and Turks shall be settled on the Danube. The Port would suffer much before it would give the whole of that River to the Sovereign of Hungary; many desperate Battles were fought in 1444 and 1500, for that single point, and the King of Hungary was often defeated there; at Varna in 1440, at Nicovoli in 1396, at Tutracan in 1500, at Semedria in 1409. I allow that Martial Spirit and discipline are not now prevalent in Turkey, but a few Battles under their Prophets Banner, may revive them and the Idea of Pro Aris et Focis may animate them; Another Franklin may arize to Direct their Councils, and another Washington to head their      and Suplies;

I am in great fear, that the fine Ship, which made so many prosperous Voyages to and from your Country (the Dublin Pacquet Captain Alcorn) is lost as she has not been heard of, these 4 Months; he was a most faithfull Guardian of my Letters and Commissions.

Lady Newenham joins me, My son and Eliza in the Most affectionate and Sincere Love, and Respect; the same attends your Grandson in the Warmest Manner. I remain my Dear and respected friend with Respect and Esteem your most obliged and Sincere Humble Servant