I have before me your three Favours of Feby. 26, April 4. and 29. the last delivered to me yesterday by Mr. Robertson to whom I shall show the Respect due to your Recommendation. I am asham’d of being so long in Arrear in my Correspondence with you, but I have too much Business. I will now endeavour to answer your Letters, and hope I may be able to do it without Interruption.

I never receiv’d the Letter you mention, wherein you ask’d my Leave to dedicate your Book to me. I should immediately have given my Consent, esteeming it a great honour to be so remembred by you, and handed down to Posterity as having your Friendship. The Cast of your Profile came safe to hand, and gives me Pleasure as I think it very like. Pray what is the Composition?

My Journey to Italy and thence to Vienna, is yet an Uncertainty, I thank you however for your kind Advice respecting the Conduct of it.

I have long since been tired of the Acquaintance and Correspondence of Mr. V. Having but a small Remnant left of Life, I cannot afford to attend to his endless Discourse and numerous long Letters, and Visionary Projects. He wants to be employ’d in our affairs, but he manages his own so badly that one can have but little Confidence in his Prudence. I pity him however, tho’ I see no possible means of serving him.

I thank you for your friendly Congratulations on the Peace and Cautions respecting our future Conduct; they are good and Wise.

Mr. Wharton’s Treatment of you gives me pain. He never writes to me. I forget whether I have already sent you the Extract of his Letter to Dr. Bancroft, so I enclose a Copy. I enclose also part of a Philadelphia Newspaper, by which you will see that your Name and Writings are already known in our Country. With regard to your Property in the Public Funds, I have no doubt of its being secure, according to the Value it had when it was plac’d there. But I can say nothing as to the Particulars of its Situation or Amount; Mr. Williams can better inform you. I have requested him to do it.

It is long since I have seen M. le Begue. He is much in the Country. I have heard nothing of the Printing of your Book.

Your Experiment of burning the Wire has been made here with the greatest Success. My Grandson had it try’d at Mr. Charles’s Lecture, where it gave great Satisfaction, and was much admired.

I have not yet found Leisure to explain the Fireplace but hope for it, when I am quit of my present Station.

I have been, as you know, so little in America for these last 25 Years, that I am unqualified to answer the Request of M. Veinbrenner concerning the Names and Solidity of Houses there. A new Set of Merchants have grown up into Business, of whom I know nothing; and the Circumstances of the old ones whom I formerly knew, may have been much altered by Time or by the War. It is besides an invidious and dangerous Thing for me, to give such a distinguishing List, if I were able to do it. My best advice to your commercial People, is to send over a discreet, intelligent Person with Instructions to travel thro’ the Country, observe the Nature of the Commerce, find out what of your Commodities are wanted there, and in what Quantities and Proportions; and what of the Produce of the Country can be purchased to make advantageous Returns. Such a Man on the Spot may obtain better Informations of Characters than I can possibly give, and may make the Connections desired with those that he finds to merit Confidence. If your People should think fit to take this Step, I will give Letters of Recommendation introductory of the Person, and which may be useful to their Design. Please to acquaint M. Veinbrenner of this, presenting my Respects. I have already given such Letters at the Ambassador’s Request, to a Person employ’d to make Collections of Natural History in America for the Emperor’s Museum and Botanic Garden. I have had a Number of Applications from Persons at Ostend, Trieste &c. solliciting to be appointed Consuls for America: But till the Trade is commenced, there can be no occasion for Consuls; and no such Magistrates can be nominated by either Government in the Dominions of the other, till such a Proceeding is authoriz’d by a Treaty of Commerce. I have receiv’d no Intimation except from you, that a Proposition for such a Treaty would be acceptable to his Imperial Majesty; I shall however venture to propose it to the Ambassador, when I request his forwarding to you this Letter. The Commodities you mention as Productions of the Emperor’s Dominions are all wanted in America, and will sell there to Advantage.

I will send you another Piece of the Soap you mention, when I can have a good Opportunity. I now send you one of the Medals I have caused to be struck here, which has the good Luck to be much approved.

I am glad you have made the Experiments you mention, and with Success. You will find that the holes are not made by the Impulse of the Fluid moving in certain Directions, but by Circumstances of Explosion of Parts of the matter; and I still think my Explanation of the Holes in the Vane probable, viz. that it was the Explosion of Tin against Parts of the Copper Plate, that were almost in a State of Fusion, and therefore easily burst thro’, either on one Side or the other as it happened. The Bursting of the 12 Bottles all at once, I take to be owing to small Bubbles in the Substance of the Glass, or Grains of Sand, into which a Quantity of the Electric Fluid had been forc’d and compress’d while the Bottles were charging; and when the Pressure was suddenly taken off by discharging the Bottles, that confin’d Portion by its elastic Force expanding caused the Breach. My Reasons for thinking that the Charge did not pass by those Holes you will find in a former Letter; and I think you will always find that the Coating within and without is forced both Ways by the Explosion of those Bubbles.

With regard to the Statuary you mention, I hardly think it can be worth his while at present to go to America in Expectation of being employ’d there. Private Persons are not rich enough to encourage sufficiently the fine Arts; and therefore, our Geniuses all go to Europe. In England at present the best History-Painter, West; the best Portrait-Painter, Copely; and the best Landscape-Painter, Taylor at Bath, are all Americans. And the Public being burthen’d by its War-Debts, will certainly think of paying them, before it goes into the Expence of Marble monuments. He might indeed as you hint be easily paid in Land, but Land will produce him nothing without Labour; and he and his Workmen must subsist while they fashion their Figures. After a few Years, such an Artist may find Employment; and possibly we may discover a white Marble a little easier to work than that we have at present, which tho’ it bears a fine Polish, is reckon’d too hard.

I have already spoke to Mr. Le Roy about taking Care of the Edition of your Work, which he very kindly and readily promis’d if you should have Occasion.

I will send your Note to Dr. Bancroft and engage him if I can to write to you. But he confesses himself extreamly indolent and averse to writing; and I am not sure I shall prevail with him. Mr. Williams writes a few Lines which I enclose.

I thank you for your good Counsel respecting Physic, I continue well, and live on without it; and while I do live I shall ever be with great and sincere Esteem, My dear Friend, Yours most affectionately