Colonial Williamsburg Digital Library

The last ltt^r., I rec^d. from you, was dated
Sep^t. 9^th., wherein you may remember, you communicated
your resolution to have Dicky, & Patty, inoculated.~I ans:
wered it, I think in Nov^r., but as I keep no copies, I cannot
be certain of ye exact time~however I am possitive
I wrote you, that Jan^ry. & Febr^y. were the best months in the
year for that purpose_ yet Sally's importunity, upon the
smallpox's getting into your Brother Tommy's family,
prevailed on me to do it in Decem^r. ~ I treated them in ye
simple, cool, way. recommended by Dimsdale, & Watson, and
w^ch. I have been gradually approaching to for 5 or 6 years
~ Dicky did not take from the first inoculation, but it su:
cceeded with him, as well as Moll's bratt, from Patty's Pock.
~ All of them had it as well as you coud wish, being not
one day confined to the Chamber, nor giving Sally or any
body else, any trouble but what indulgence, on such occa:
sions, generally creates. ~ all this I intended to have wr:
ote you by the first Irish Vessel, after the breaking up of
the river, but inevitable occasions prevented then; ^if your
Broth^r. Joe, ^having availed himself of the opportunity, rendered it
almost unnecessary for me ^afterwards ~ Had Tommy, detr:
:mined seasonably, as you did, he might probably ^Have saved
a fine boy ~ Patty had like to have shared the same fate,
escaping with great difficulty, after loosing every hair
on her head, eyebrows, & eyelashes. the two youngest
were then inoculated, & had it as kindly as yours ~
Tommy suffered severely at first, but he seems to have a
^happy knack of getting over, or forgetting irretreivable occur:
:ences ~ It hung heavily on Rachel ~ she feels it sorely
still ~ & I think it had a bad effect on her health ~ Jakey's
miscarriage determined your Father & Mother, to have their
three inoculated ~ There was little occassion for me to att:
end thro the whole, yet it coud not be dispensed with; and
I think the old Duke, & myself, got three or four times, preety Grog'd, with his milk drink, while my other Patients
were cursing me for neglecting them. ~ He had a very
severe fit of the Cholic last week, & nothing but the most
excruciating torture, coud have prevailed on him to take
any Physick ~ he took two anodines, some Castor oil, [illegible]
& Manna & was bled ~ but as soon as he coud talk of Land
sobbing, the D.v.l a grain of Medicine ~ They have been
greatly distressed lately, by Prime's getting most infernally
Pox'd ~ The smell of his rotten backside first betrayed
him, & then his master brought him up to me, where we
both of us, overhaulded him ~ you wou'd have laugh'd
heartily at the scene. ~He was instantly banished from ye
house, to the Hospital, & consigned to my care. ~

I wrote to D^r. Franklin by the Packet, & inclosed him
a pamphlet, published to encourage the Culture of Silk.
~ As you may learn from him what we have done, it is
needless to repeat it here; or ado further on the subject,
than that it is a commodity better adapted, to the situa
:tion & climate of the Ohio, & will increase the value of
the Lands more, than any other produce~ because it
can be brought to Market, at a trifling expence. ~

Many of the Merch^ts. from your side of the water, write
that the manufacturers are fully employed, & they do not
feel the least effect from our agreement of nonimportation
~ Be that as it may, you may be assured, we are much
the better for it, & suffer no real hardship ~ The most is for
want of Nails & Indian goods ~ the manufacture of the
former is increasing daily, not only from our own people
learning, but from workmen coming over in almost
every Ship ~ Tradesmen in all branches are increasing
fast, & I had it aver'd to me yesterday that there is 30000
weight of Wool Now for sale in this Town ~ As an Instance
Ned Pennington has a Winter Coat, I think they call it
Viersy Coating ~ spun in Chester County, fulled & dress'd
in Derby, & sold to him for a Dollar a yard ~I have one
of the same kind of stuff, made in England w^ch. cost me q/ P yard ~ M^r. James knows the Coat ~ We compared both
together, & I am confident his was handsomer, more comf:
ortable, & will wear longer than mine ~ All the Whisah;
:icon Millers, are handsomely clad in their own manuf:
:actures, & indeed it is not reputable in the Country to
wear a broad cloth coat ~ Somebody invented a button
a button turned out of the root of a speceis of Laurel that
bears an excellent polish ~ many in both town ^{& country} have
learnt to make them ~ & I believe I may safely say,
that half the cloaths made in Pennsylvania, & the Jersey,
the last 6 month, have them on ~ Ben: Humphr:
:eys makes steel fit for the best edge tools, as has
testified in the Newspapers, by all least 20 of our best wo:
rkmen ~ several have already engaged in this last br:
anch ~Jos: Monis's son, & Benin, are erecting a China
work near the fort ~ Their workman, whom they got from
England, has distributed several specimens, w^ch. he made
In the small way, w^ch. shew the materials are good ~ they
also make the yellow ware, that is Jonathan Durell
not much inferior to what is imported ~ Steigle has
made as good double flint glass, in Lancaster County as
coud wish ~ but what indisputabley proves we are richer
for not importing is, that any person may buy a bill
of exch in Philad^ia. w^th. Half Joes, send it to London,
sell it for half Joes there, & he will clear Cory H Ct -.

~ Indeed there are a few who want to be importing again,
such as Jerry, Josh: Fisher, W; West~& but as is Avarice not
necessity prompts them ~ I must refer you to M^r. James for
more of this ~ You know I wish a perpetual union bet:
ween the Mother Country & the Colonies ^{or equal & equitable terms}, & therefore do
not write this with any other view, than for your satisfaction
& to shew that as we have the materials & workmen in
Almost all trades, disseminated among us, we cannot
suffer so much by being drove into manufacturing, as
Great Britain will from driving of us into them. ~

Your Daughter Patty, has been a little unwell about 10 days agoe, but is bra: vely now
all the rest are well. ~ Adeiu, & believe I am Your Affectionate fr^d. Just as I have got into a humour of writing I must leave off; ~

New York 4 May 1770
Rec'd & forwarded by thy Friend
Thomas Pearsalls

To Samuel Wharton Esq^r.
In St. James's Square
Packet London

May [illegible] 1770 Dr. Evans
answered July 6 1776 M