I have received your kind Favour of the 16 Inst. & am sorry you have been indisposed I hope you will in this be entirely recovered.—I believe the two Creditors who have written to M. de Cht. are the only ones who would oppose my Arrêt de Surseance: I am sure there are not two more. These Creditors are not [?] mine particularly, but those of the House at L’Orient for which I am become responsable. it would be hard indeed if I should be stopped by them. their Goods are principaly yet in L’Orient.—If I were sure of all my Creditors, Letters of Surséance would become useless, They are therefore necessary only as some oppose them, and as I have the direct and implied Consent of the greater part I trust they will be granted—pray deliver the inclosed Letter to the Count and support it my dear Friend—tell him that on the expectation of receiving them I have already settled with three of my Creditors, at long Terms & I shall go on daily with the rest, it would be cruel to these who have voluntarily put themselves at so great a distance, to see me interrupted now & what property I have in Europe seized to satisfy some angry Creditors.—Mr. Morice wrote me a very favourable Letter & [?] to coax me to give him a preference, promising me “de ne jamais faire aucun poursuitte” & assuring me “du plus profond secret” &ca.—which I of course refused, & were I menaced with all the Horrors of imprisonment I would never deviate a tittle from the principle of equal Justice. I send you Mr. Morices Letter inclosed if he makes any opposition show it to the Count de Vergennes, but if he does not, return it to me unseen by any one but yourself.—I believe M Morice as well as M Bernier have a right by Law to receive their Goods at L’Orient for the Dett, as they are not denaturated, but in fact they do not now belong to us, so I cannot consent to deliver them. The two sums of M Morice & M Bernier do not form part of my affairs, & therefore cannot be admitted as forming an obstacle. I beg you my dear Friend to use all these arguments with the Count.—You will find all the american merchants in the same Situation that I am, & I think it would be well one & all to lay themselfs open & make the Suspension a general affair at once as it shows a general Cause & saves each one from any particular Imputation.

I beg the Doctor will not listen to any proposal of Engagement for me, I will suffer anything rather than be a Burden on him.

I am my dear Billy most affectionately Yours.