To Mr. Moses Fontaine.
Louisa County, Fredericksville Parish, June 11, 1759.
Respected Sir:—Yours of the 14th September, 1758, with the glasses which you have been so kind as to procure for me, and also the pamphlets, came safe to hand some months ago. Accept of my sincere thanks for the trouble you have taken to oblige me herein.
I am glad the manuscript afforded you any satisfaction. My reason for not sending it to the press without consulting those gentlemen, was, that I had cause to believe their influence necessary to procure it a passage into the world, for want of which many useful things had been suppressed, and also a persuasion founded on their usual conduct and general character, that they would have readily undertaken and heartily engaged in the business. Had I not taken this for granted, I should at first have sent it to some other press, for at that time I imagined it might have some little tendency to open the eyes of such as wanted to see. But at present I know not of what service it could be.
Many persons who have had better opportunities of information in such matters than myself, and whose rank and station in life give more weight to what they recommend than any proposals of mine could be expected to have; have both here and with you, with invincible force of argument, recommended those, or such like measures for our mutual security against the French intrigues and encroachments in America, both at present and in time to come. And Providence has been pleased of late to give so favorable a turn to public affairs in almost every department of the war, that I am in hopes those salutary measures will be carried into execution,
