[dateline] Leyden, 19 October 1780
[salute] Sir
Upon returning home, I found the letter that you honored me with of last Monday.
1 Please accept my apologies for thus far being unable to speed up the publication of the pamphlet. Unexpected family matters, particularly the death of a relative, have caused me to make frequent trips out of town and have deprived me of the leisure necessary to address myself to the task as promptly as I had intended. I hope to have more time now, and you can count on my full efforts to finish the publication in a few days. As soon as it is printed, I will have the honor to send you the desired number of copies. In the meantime, please accept my apologies and the assurances of respect, sir, with which I am your Excellency's most humble and most obedient servant,
I planned to write last night, when Mr. Searle's visit provided the opportunity to deliver this by his hand.