e dispute, they agreed to this proposal, and contracted
with him for fifteen thousand hogsheads a year, for which they obliged
themselves to pay ready money, on its arrival in any one or more
convenient ports in the south or western coasts of Great Britain that he
should please to fix upon for that purpose. M-- no sooner obtained this
contract, than he immediately set out for America, in order to put it
in execution; and, by way of companion, carried with him a little French
abbe, a man of humour, wit, and learning, with whom he had been long
acquainted, and for whom he had done many good offices.

"On his arrival in Virginia, which opportunely happened at a time when
all the gentlemen were assembled in the capital of that province, he
published a memorial, representing the disadvantages under which their
trade was carried on, the true method of redressing their own grievances
in that respect, and proposing to contract with them for the yearly
quantity of fifteen thousand hogsheads of such tobacco as was fit for
the French market, at the price which he demonstrated to be considerably
greater than that which they had formerly received. This remonstrance
met with all the success and encouragement he could expect. The
principal planters, seeing their own interest concerned, readily
assented to the proposal, which, through their influence, was also
relished by the rest; and the only difficulty that remained, related to
the security for payment of the bills on the arrival of the tobacco in
England, and to the time stipulated for the continuance of the contract.

"In order to remove these objections, Mr. M-- returned to Europe, and
found the French company of farmers disposed to agree to everything he
desired for facilitating the execution of the contract, and perfectly
well pleased with the sample which he had already sent; but his
good friend the abbe, whom he had left behind him in America, by an
unparalleled piece of treachery, found means to overturn the whole
project. He secretly wrote a memorial to the company, importing, that he
found, by experience, M-- could afford to furnish them at a much lower
price than that which they had agreed to give; and that, by being in
possession of the contract for five years, as was intended according to
the proposal, he would have the company so much in his power, that they
must afterwards submit to any price he should please to impose; and
that, if they thought him worth of such a tr