Those attentions & civilities (for which I am so deeply indebted to you) during my stay at Paris entitle you to the earliest & warmest marks of my gratitude & esteem—My situation with you, fully owed you a letter from Amsterdam, but my stay was of so much shorter [crossed out: er] period than I expected & that period so constantly occupied in seeing the usefull curiosities of the City that those moments to write, for which I wished were not conveniently left me.

I have the honor to address to you this letter from Leipsic—where I arrived a few days since having past over many leagues of alternately low & montainous country—a soil poor in itself, uncultivated & uncovered by any vegetable except such as appear—constraind in their growth & existance—(looking as tho’ they were taxed without their Consent)—This face of the Conté of Bentheim, the Bishopric of Osnabrug with the Duchy of Brunswick & the Electorate of Hanover were the only resembling variety to amuse my attention & mitigate a most severe fatigue the consequence of my being placed upon a coach box, passing over roads the pareil of which would not be found on a journey to the Ilenois in N. Anerica, these roads were rendred worse than their usual bad condition & myself most severely endangered in my health by the constant falling of the heaviest rains enceased frequently in their violence by storms of hail & wind—against the whole of which day & night I had simply the shelter & protection of a great coat—A Continuance of this severity for a week has so racked & fatigued me as absolutely disabled me from finishing more than one letter to any of my friends at Paris & that only one I have the pleasure to address to you—You will oblige me by assuring of my most sincere gratitude & profound respects to his Excellency the Ministre, whose attention & highly essential services rendred me since my arrival in Europe impress me with a sense of an unpayable Debt of Obligations to that great Parent of Mankind—Father of his Country & Protector of Science—This conduct to me fully demanded a letter of gratitude & duty, & with his permission I will presume the addressing [crossed out: a letter] one.

The Politeness of the people of Leipsic is such as I am astonish’d & delighted with—Such particulars of my time as I may believe either entertaining or interesting to you—will fill some of my future letters to my American & Parisien Friends who I pray will accept a short assurance of my respects &c—& permit me the pleasure of writing them individually by other opportunities, a considerable Number of which with your permission, will be embraced to repeat to you assurances how sincerely I am Your obliged friend & very H O sert.