Having been detained in the lower Country longer than I expected, Your letter of the 24. June was not receivd until this day.

     The resolves of the Company¹ render it absolutely necessary that your agent should sign the receipt before any payment or deposit can be made to your Credit— but no difficulty can exist as Mr Williamson will (I have no doubt) act as your agent, for he can always have an opportunity of seeing the President, who must necessarily visit Norfolk & in fact the Virgini<a> Bank after the adjournment of each² Nov: meeting. <mutilated> If Mr Williamson be appointed your Agent to receive Your Dividends, I will hardly be necessary to Aponit another person as your proxey for voting, in as much as he will cheerfully attend our meetings as your agent. He was at our last meeting as the attorney for some absent member, and I imagine will be a regular attendant, but by giving him the power of appointing a sub agent to vote for you, we should always be certain of a representation your Interes<t> as his proximity to Suffolk would always enable in the event of his inability to attend, to send <mutilated> representative— It is of great impor[tance] to us to be sure of your Vote’s at our meetings for without them, we would frequently be unable to make a Board.

     Mr Francis Page is a very respectable man & an Intelligent gentleman, but he is not a regular attendant of our Meetings— otherwise you could not make a better selection.

     Mr Lewis (the Prest) & myself have taken a deep interest in the concerns of the Company. Our object is to improve the property, by canaling &c & by preventing a waste of Timber for which purpose, we would be satisfied w<ith> smaller dividends for a few years— but I fear our object will not be obtained, Our partners seem to prefer present profit to any advantages in futuro— Could your convenience authorise a visit next November I am satisfied you would join us in our views— which have no other difficulty in them, than the application of a little Cash.

     The farming and Milling Operation<mutilated> which were favourite schemes of Mr Hender<mutilated> have been abandoned since Mr Lewis became Presd. the Company sustained great loss, from both projects— Our Attention is now exclusively applied to the Shingle-getting, and I have no doubt (with the promise of Honesty & Industry which an present agent has given)that you and each of us will find reason to be better pleased hereafter with the resul<t> of each years operations. Very respy yrs: