I congratulate with your Country men on Your safe return to it, and rejoice to hear that your most painful disorder does not prevent your attending the meetings of your Rulers. I think it was a pity you did not go home on the Conclusion of the war; for your Moderation and sound Judgment might have prevented the expulsion of so many useful hands out of your Provinces as the Wild Madness of your intoxicated Enthusiasts drove from among you. The effects of your good policy seem now to appear. Had you visited the Metropolis when at Southampton you must have felt one of the misfortunes of old Age, in the loss of several of your Friends and Fellow Labourers in promoting Arts and Sciences.

I have ever admired you as a Philosopher, but our esteemed friend Mrs. Baldwin lately put into my hands an instance of your attention to the highest Character among Men, that of promoting the due performance of the public worship and thanksgiving due to God, in Your improvement of the Book of Common Prayer. Have you introduced that judicious form of Prayer in Your Country. You know we are so wrong headed a people that we cannot admit of any Amendment even of our errors but Mule like, must continue to follow the path we have been taught to tread in.

I believe you expected, and I feared that the loss of our exports to your Country would be sensibly felt in the loss of employment to many of our Manufacturing hands, and in the diminution of our Revenue. Neither has happened. Business is slack in Spittlefields, perhaps owing to the want of your Consumption: but that being a forced Manufacture, we might perhaps do better without it. We enjoy some advantage beyond any other Nation in Europe, Fire Water, and the Means of employing them, now found to be inexhaustable. We have a Mountain of Copper, Iron Ore almost every where, plenty of Lead, and we boast of Tin for time immemorial. Our having lost the use of your Forests has put us on the improvement of our own, in which we have succeeded beyond expectation, is a good Measure owing to their being free from Tyth for some Years. Thus we are able to keep open ship.

I think there is great Commendation due to our Young Minister. His determined Suppression of Smugling has been attended with happy consequences, which, I hope, will go on and prosper. His laying taxes on our domestic     instead of taxing our trade and Manufactures is not less commendable   by what hitherto appears, he seems to study Oeconomy as much as unbounded Corruption, and Auri Sacra Homo can admit of.

The papers inform you that we endeavour at a great Commercial Improvement, by proposing a more free exchange of Manufacture with

When shall we be persuaded that an uninterrupted Competition between nations is the true Source of Improvement and of mutual benefit, laying taxes on Consumption only. I was much surprized to see at Genoa large Storehouses for Articles imported, where they remained at a trifling expense, to be sold either for consumption or exportation.

I fear you will not live to see such tranquility and happiness diffuse over that Continent as you have seen. May you however be happy in the Reflection of your Contributing to what you was in hopes would have greatly contributed to these happy purposes Prays Dear Sir Your faithful and affectionate Servant