My taking the Liberty to Direct these Lines to your Excell is the well grounded oppinion how much your Excell. has the welfare of America at heart, that an Artifi at present the Most Essential will be treated with the regard it deserves from a Partie who is a real welwisher to the hapiness of a free people.
I have by various reshearches in Natural Philosophy and Chemistry, discovred a Method of Making and refining the Comon Salt, to a degree Superior then Ever heretofore has been Known, and in preserving, or Curing, flesh, and fish, far Excelling the Method of the hollanders or any Nation whatsoever.
The reason must Strike your Excell. when you please to Consider that all productions, in the animalish, vegetablish, and Mineralish, in the diss are productive of a glutinous reasinous, Matter, by Some Caled the of the earth, which is an Nature Very Corrosive, and occasions in the Salting of flesh, or fish, that hard, or dryness, as also the great decreas of the Quantity, and yet does not preserve the Meat.
Whereas Such as cured by the Salt, I have Mentioned of my Invention will preserve Meet, for years, and when dressed must eat Salt with it.
Before I errected a manufactory thereof in England, I, proposed the Same to the Court of France, to whom I send a Sample Through Monsieur Garnier the Charge D’afair from the frensh Court who Sent it to Paris, But the Ministry in Liew of trying the Experiment, on flesh, or fish, gave it to the Society of Chemistry who with aguafortis, and other Corosive Matters tried wrong Experiments, without knowing what they were about, and the affair droped.
I have likewise discovred a Method of Making Saltpeter in great Quantity, and perfectly answering all Expectations This I thought Necessary before I made any propos
And therefore take the Liberty in Case your Exelency is to furnish America with So Essential an aquisition, and your Excellency has a person in whom your Excel can Confide in Sending him here, to whom I undertake to instruct him, in the Mistary, of Making, and refining Salt, and Salt Peter, for the Smal premium of 2000 Louis dor, worth to any Nation 100000 a year, and more which premium however, Shall not fully be paid, untill the party Shall Sign acknowledment, that he is fully Mastre therof then shall deposit money be paid imediatly, the Bearer the of his Excelency the Count de Noaille can further Explain Matters to your Excelency, I hope your Excelen[cy] will understand the Intention, as the want of Being better acquainted with the English Languish, will make this in Some Measure defective, the Swiss will let me, or conv[ey] to Me an Answer, if your Excellency approves of the propo and am with the greatest Regard to your Excellency Your Excellencys Most Obedient and Most Hble Servant