Your intercourse with America being less frequent than ours, from this place, I will state to you, generally, such new occurrences there, as may be interesting; some of which, perhaps, you will not have been informed of.  It was doubtful, at the date of my last letters, whether Congress would adjourn this summer.  They were too thin, however, to undertake important business.  They had begun arrangements for the establishment of a mint.  The Dollar was decided on as the money unit of America.  I believe, they proposed to have gold, silver, and copper coins, descending and ascending decimally; viz. a gold coin of ten dollars, a silver coin of one tenth of a dollar (equal to a Spanish bit), and a copper, of one hundredth of a dollar.  These parts of the plan, however, were not ultimately decided on.  They have adopted the late improvement in the British post-office, of sending their mails by the stages.  I am told, this is done from New Hampshire to Georgia, and from New York to Albany.  Their treasury is administered by a board, of which Mr. Walter Livingston, Mr. Osgood, and Dr. Arthur Lee, are members.  Governor Rutledge who had been appointed minister to the Hague, on the refusal of Governor Livingston, declines coming.  We are uncertain whether the States will generally come into the proposition of investing.  Congress with the regulation of their commerce.  Massachusetts has passed an act, the first object of which seemed to be, to retaliate on the British commercial measures, but in the close of it, they impose double duties on all goods imported in bottoms not wholly owned by citizens of our States.  New Hampshire has followed the example.  This is much complained of here, and will probably draw retaliating measures from the States of Europe, if generally adopted in America, or not corrected by the States which have adopted it.  It must be our endeavor to keep them quiet on this side the water, under the hope that our countrymen will correct this step; as I trust they will do.  It is no ways akin to their general system.  I am trying here to get contracts for the supplying the cities of France with whale-oil, by the Boston merchants.  It would be the greatest relief possible to that State, whose commerce is in agonies, in consequence of being subjected to alien duties on their oil in Great Britain, which has been heretofore their only market.  Can any thing be done, in this way, in Spain?  Or do they there light their streets in the night?

A fracas, which has lately happened in Boston, becoming a serious matter, I will give you the details of it, as transmitted to Mr. Adams in depositions.  A Captain Stanhope, commanding the frigate Mercury, was sent with a convoy of vessels from Nova Scotia to Boston, to get a supply of provisions for that colony.  It had happened, that two persons living near Boston, of the names of Dunbar and Lowthorp, had been taken prisoners during the war, and transferred from one vessel to another, till they were placed