(seq. 43)

Boston 22'd Feb'y 1745

Mr. George Bethune

Sir
I rec'd yours dated from the Light House Bay, since
which have wrote you {per} Capt. Black & should have wrote {per} Mr. Guntur's sloop
but as she sailed the Saturday after you remitted it - . I hope this will find
you safely arrived & in good health at Antigua. Was much pleased that you
had such a fine wind after you. Hope you will be as lucky in avoiding the
enemy. {The} 18th ins. a sloop arrived at Piscataqua in six weeks from Plym-
=outh who bring advice that the Duke of Cumberland had routed the rebells at
Carlile, taken & destroyed nine hundred of them among whom they suppose is {the}
pretenders youngest son, whom they have secured in the Tower, as also that a
peace is established between the Queen of Hungary, King of Prussia & Elector of
Saxony, which if true tis to be hoped it will enable the nation to engage with
greater warmth in the further prosecution of the warr. Your friends are all well.
Please to present my best respects to all friends & let me hear from you {per} every oppor-
=tunity this way & am

Sir
{your} friend & very humb. serv't

P.S. yesterday Capt. Dumaresque in as now
of [Jonathan?] Gooch's arrived in six weeks from
London at Portsmouth {per} whom the
above news [in?] confirmed

{per} Capts. Allen, Fleming

Boston 8th March 1745

Messrs. Sitwell, Noyes & Comp'y

Gentl'n
Since my last to you have open'd the
goods you sent me & find them considerably damaged, especially the cutlary
ware. Thought it not worth while to trouble you about it as the nails
escaped undamaged. I have looked over the invoice & find everything well
charged excepting the cloth & the s[?]als. As to the cloth I have seen some
that came at the same time equally good charged at no more than 16/. {per} yard
sterling & held out half a yard above the measure, whereas mine wanted a
quarter of a yard of the measure it came for. & I have had severall cloths come
afore & they always held out half a yard at least above what it came for
which we call half measure, wherefore there must certainly be some mistake
about it which would be glad you would enquire into. You will please
to creditt my accompt for the return of 7 guineas {per} ct. for conv[?]y. Have
nothing further at present & am

Gentl'n
{your} very humb. serv't

{per} Capt. Sheppard
Oliver