I seize with avidity the opportunity presented to me by the Bearer of recalling to your remembrance a man, who has been constantly nourishing, these nine years past, the pleasing feelings of esteem and attachment which accompany his daily remembrance of you and who will ever retain a deep and grateful impression of the kind marks of attention with which you honoured him during your residence at the Hague. Indeed, Sir, I think of you every day, both as a man and a statesman with the highest veneration,—and I peruse your learned labours with new pleasure in these calamitous times, which exhibit terrible and afflicting proofs of the truth of your doctrine.— But alass! what can doctrine or science do, when virtue and principle have, (astrea-like!) returned to heaven, and left, for a time, the 488 affairs of our continent (with the wise but awful permission of Providence) to the fury and frenzy of the greatest of all tyrants—the passions of men?

I do not pretend to inform you of the Situation of affairs here, as you must derive much better instruction, on that head, than I can give, from the worthy american Minister here, who cannot apply to his Diplomatick Situation the words of David, when he said the Lines are fallen to me in pleasant places.—1 I will only Say that the State of this Country for three years past cost me my health, and temporal happiness,—because I loved the country, received many marks of friendship and esteem from its inhabitants, and enjoyed, in their Society, during a long Series of years, great Satisfaction and comfort.— All that is now blasted,—and I have at last resolved to pass the Channel, please God, in the Course of this month and set myself down at Bath, for the few remaining days of my chequer’d life.2

Will you, honoured Sir, add to former marks of your goodness to me one more, in favour of the bearer of this letter, Mr. John Bikker, a young man of merit, of one of the best families in Amsterdam, whose father, was in the Government there and left a large fortune to his children.3 I don’t mean, that he should obtain from your goodness and condescension any thing farther than the honour of making you his bow and the precious advantage of your good advice, to enable him to travel with profit thro’ the American Provinces,—where he will see true liberty. He goes there to get out of the reach of its Counterfeit here, and its infernal antipode elsewhere.

I am Sure you will pardon the freedom I take of refreshing your remembrance of your old Parish Priest and asking an audience for Mr. Bikker.— I have a secret persuasion that I shall obtain your indulgence when I consider the Sentiments of veneration and affection which are constantly visiting you across the Atlantic and with which I shall be, dum spiritus hos reget artus 4 / Honoured Sir! / your most respectfully affectionate / and devoted Servant

Desirous of contributing efficaciously to the advancement of a Branch of Science which has long employed my Attention, and which appears to me to be of the highest Importance to Mankind, and wishing at the same time to leave a lasting Testimony of my respect for the American Academy of Arts and Sciences,—I take the liberty to Request that the Academy would do me the Honor to accept of Five Thousand Dollars Three per Cent Stock in the Funds of the United States of North America, which Stock I have actually purchased, and which I beg leave to transfer to the Fellows of the Academy, to the end that the Interest of the same may be by them, and by their Successors, Received from Time to Time, for ever, and the Amount of the same applied and given once every Second Year as a Premium to the Author of the most Important Discovery or useful Improvement which shall be made and Published by printing, or in any way made Known to the Public, in any Part of the Continent of America, or in any of the American Islands, during the preceeding two Years, on Heat or on Light, the preferance always being given to such Discoveries as shall in the Opinion of the Academy tend most to promote the good of Mankind.—1

With regard to the formallities to be observed by the Academy in their Decisions upon the Comparative Merits of those Discoveries which in the Opinion of the Academy may intitle their Authors to be Considered as Competitors for this biennial Premium, the Academy 490 will be pleased to adopt such Regulations as they in their Wisdom may Judge to be proper and necessary— But in Regard to the Form in which this Premium is conferred, I take the liberty to Request that it may always be given in two Medals, struck in the same dye, the one of Gold, and the other of Silver, and of such Dimensions that both of them together may be just equal in intrinsic Value to the Amount of the Interest of the aforesaid Five Thousand Dollars Stock during two Years;—that is to say, that they may together be of the Value of Three hundred Dollars.—

The Academy will be pleased to Order such Devise or Inscription to be Engraved on the Dye they shall cause to be prepared for Striking these Medals, as they may judge proper.—

If during any term of two Years, Reckoning from the last adjudication, or from the last period for the adjudication of this premium by the Academy, no new Discovery or Improvement should be made in any part of America, Relative to either of the Subjects in Question, (Heat or Light,) which, in the opinion of the Academy, shall be of sufficient Importance to deserve this premium, in that case, it is my desire that the Premium may not be given, but that the Value of it may be Reserved and being laid out in the Purchase of Additional Stock in the American Funds may be employed to Augment the Capital of this premium, and that the Interest of the Sums by which the Capital may from time to time be so augmented may Regularly be given in Money with the two Medals and as an Addition to the Original Premium, at each succeeding adjudication of it.— And it is farther my Particular Request that those Additions to the Value of the Premium arising from its occasional Non-adjudications may be suffered to increase without limitation—

With the highest Respect for the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the most Earnest Wishes for their Success in their labours for the good of Mankind—

I have the Honor to be, with much Esteem and Regard,— / Sir / Your Most Obedient / Humble Servant