PBA Galleries

3pp. to an unnamed American correspondent. Marked "Copy" at top of first page.

“…the present state of this country in regard to other Continental Powers being highly interesting to America… Holland being now in the hands of the French and the great Naval preparations making here to resist their increased force by this conquest must be a means of considerably enhancing the price of all Naval Stores; and Lumber of all kinds must keep high from the increased difficulty of getting if from the Northern powers in the Baltic. Provisions of every kind are enormously high through the continental War which proves greatly advantageous to your States in the introduction of your abundant Harvests. At present a general embargo exists on all our Shipping to favor the Naval Armaments of Governments…” With a Price Current list of “American Produce” including tar, pitch, turpentine, oak and pine lumber, tobacco and Indian corn. Lake adds a postscript: “Give me leave to introduce to you my brother Mr. Richard Lake of Kingston, Jamaica, also in the House of Lindo & Lake as African Factors”. Apart from this British merchant’s business-as usual ethic, promoting Yankee profit at the expense of his own nation in its battle against the revolutionary French, Lake was pleased to send his message to America via his “African factor” brother, who, with Jewish partner Alexandre Lindo, was the largest Negro slave-trader in British Jamaica.