"Sir,--I have your favour of the 10th inst., in which you do not state the time when you expect I shall have either of the engines that you are executing. As so much time has elapsed since the orders were given, the persons that ordered them are quite impotent. The ploughing engine that I sent you a drawing for, after being tried for that purpose, was to have been sent to Exeter for pumping water out of the foundations of a new bridge; but as they intend to begin their work at the bridge before the end of March, the engine must be there before that time, or they will erect horse machines and not use the engine. I have therefore been obliged to send the small boiler that I had for that purpose to Hayle Foundry, and get the castings made there for this engine to get it in time to prevent losing the order. I have also been obliged to take the small portable engine from Wheal Alfred Mine and have new apparatus fitted to it, to apply this engine for Plymouth Breakwater. A small engine, from the same patterns as Sir Charles Hawkins' thrashing engine, which I had at work in a mine, I have been obliged to send to one of the farmers at Padstow for thrashing, instead of one of those engines that I ordered from you. I expect that the people who ordered the engine for the West Indies are also tired of waiting. I have two other applications for engines for the West Indies, and the Messrs. Fox will want a great many engines of that size for the Plymouth Breakwater. They are to provide machinery, with every other expense, and I am to have a certain proportion of what I can save over what it now costs them to do it by manual labour. I think I have made a very good bargain, for if the plan succeeds I shall get a great deal of money, and if it fails I shall lose nothing. They have engaged with the Government to deliver 3,000,000 tons, for which they have a very good price, even if it was to be done by men's labour. I hope I shall get the engine soon on the spot, and will then let you know the result. As the boiler that was intended for the ploughing engine is to be sent to Exeter, I wish you to finish that engine with boiler, wheels, and everything complete for ploughing and thrashing, as shown in the drawing, unless you can improve on it. There is no doubt about the wheels turning around as you suppose, for when that engine in Wales travelled on the tramroad, which was very smooth, yet all the power of the engine could not slip around the wheels when the engine was chained to a post for that particular experiment.