Your kind Letter of SeptrSeptember
17th. I gladly received, &and would
have writ you a Return before
this Time, but that I don’t chusechoose
to correspond with any oneanyone by
Post, as a Practice prevails of
opening Letters in Post-Offices;
&and therefore I beg not to receive
Letters by Post. Mr Carmichael’s
Gowns were all sold off before
your Letter came to hand, &and the
Season being gone, he had not
Time to answer your Commission,
which he is sorry for. However,
if the Ladies will wait have
Patience till next Summer he
will provide them. He desires
to know if the Ladies will have
them next Season. — Pray, let
us have the History of your Per-
secution. — It is not in my power
to gratifiegratify you in your Request;
for some Time before Receipt of
yours I was obliged to secret my Collection 1359 (1359)
Collection, having been threat-
ended with a Search for papers.
I have therefore put my Collecti
-on out of my own Custody into
the keeping of a Friend,1 where I
cannot have Access to it without
some Difficulty, &and I resolve to
keep it so, that so I may defiedefy
the Devil &and the Dutch. However,
I am still collecting in Scrapes2
as fast as ever. Being in haste
I am obliged to have done
sooner than I incline. All here
remember you &and yours kindly.

The Copper-plates you men-
tion were all sold off long be-
fore you writ me. One cannot
be had for any price.