Mine to you unacknowledged, were of March the 8th, 12th, 15th, 19th,
April the 25th, and May the 10th. Your two last letters mention the
length of time you have been without intelligence, having then received
mine of January the 23rd only. You will perceive by the above, that six
letters of a later date were on their way to you. The receipt of
these, with the newspapers, journals, laws, and other printed papers
accompanying them, will have relieved your anxiety, by answering
several articles of your former letters, and opening to you some new
and important matters. I scarcely ever miss the opportunity of a private
vessel going from hence or New York to any port of France, without
writing to you and sending you the newspapers, &c. In the winter,
occasions are very rare, this port particularly being blocked up with
ice. The reason of so long an interval between the last and present
letter, has been the journey of a month, which that informed you I
was about to take. This is the first vessel which has offered since my
return: she is bound to Havre, and will carry the newspapers as usual.

The difference of sixty-two livres ten sols the hogshead, established by
the National Assembly on tobacco brought in their and our ships, is
such an act of hostility against our navigation, as was not to have been
expected from the friendship of that nation. It is as new in its nature
as extravagant in its degree; since it is unexampled, that any nation
has endeavored to wrest from another the carriage of its own produce,
except in the case of their colonies. The British navigation act, so
much and so justly complained of, leaves to all nations the carriage of
their own commodities free. This measure, too, is calculated expressly
to take our own carriage from us and give the equivalent to other
nations: for it is well known, that the shipping of France is not
equal to the carriage of their whole commerce; but the freight in other
branches of navigation being on an equal footing with only forty livres