[Benjamin Hawkins was a member of the Continental Congress, and interpreter for Washington with the French officers. (Washington is said to have greatly regretted the necessity for an interpreter, as it failed to bring the French officers in proper touch with the commander.) The letter is dated at “Bath” presumably in North Carolina, as the writer refers to “this state.” It is addressed to Richard Caswell, the Governor of North Carolina. The writer was born in N. C. in 1754, and died in Georgia, 1816. A Princeton graduate, and proficient in modern languages, his knowledge of French made him very useful to Washington. In 1780 he was commissioned to buy arms abroad. These he shipped in a vessel belonging to John Stanly a merchant of New Berne. After the Revolution he became one of the Senators from N. C. In 1797 he was Indian Superintendent, over all the tribes south of the Ohio, and held this office through several administrations. Although rich he left home to establish a settlement and manufactory in the Creek Nation, near what is now Hawkinsville, Ga. (named in his honor).] BATH, —— 1780. DEAR SIR, I have the pleasure of informing your excellency of my arrival here with some muskets for this State; I ship’d eight hundred and seventy-eight stand from St. Eustatius, I shall land five hundred stand at Washington—the remainder which come in another bottom, will be at Edenton. I could not procure anything on the faith of the State, or by barter for provisions or tobacco as was expected, they were taught to believe in the West Indies that a bushel of salt would purchase one hundred weight of tobacco, and that two and one-half, a barrel of pork. While they entertain this idea (salt being of little value there) it will be impossible to barter for more valuable articles, the exchange to be in this State, as was suggested by some gentlemen in the assembly. The price of tobacco had fallen in the West Indies about the time of my arrival there, owing to the quantity just then imported from the continent—which with the advise of Mr. Governeur, the continental agent there determined me to reship the tobacco in Dutch bottoms to Europe, he undertook to do it, and advanced for six hundred of the arms—the remainder I purchased on my own credit on Interest for the State—the arms are very good and purchased at the reasonable price of five and five and a half pieces of eight per stand. Part of the tobacco I ship’d was damaged, which can only be accounted for either by the negligence of the inspector or the bad state of the warehouse where it was stored. We were apprised of the sailing of the fleet from New York, which made me assiduous in geting all the arms I could in St. Eustatia as I well knew our situation. A large supply of arms and cloathing may be had by this from the West Indies provided we can make remittances—three thousand stand I am offered and one thousand suits of cloathing.