On receiving your letter I made the necessary inquiries respecting the lands for which taxes have not been paid. The money can no longer be received in the auditors office but must be paid in the county to the sheriff. If not paid before August they will then be sold. The sooner payment is made the better as the arrears accumulate very fast they carry an interest of ten percent & I am not sure that it is not compounded.

As peace will I hope restore commerce to the United States I have again turned my attention to the profession for which I originally intended my son James. He is now at Cambridge, but I should remove him without hesitation the instant it becomes proper to place him in a counting house. He was fifteen in february last & has made as great a proficiency in his studies as is usual with boys of that age.