S t. Petersburg Feb 14 th 1781

I have no more time than just to forward to you your brother's letter which he left with me at his setting out, and to tell you, Sir, that his business goes on very well, he has two excellent strings to his bow, in short I know not how he could be better off, but you must not be in a hurry, that is the worst in our country; It will be a twelvemonth, or let us say, for the most 18 months, before his affairs can be determined on. I must tell you that I am not a stranger to his pressing circumstances in other respects. He has been very uneasy, I could see, at his having drawn on his father for so much, I could have prevented him, taking away the necessity; this howwever he would not allow. But although my allowance is but scanty for the expences I am necessarily, from my situation drawn into, yet you may make his father, if you please, easy as to the apprehensions of more demands, I will save my friend from that and I shall have a bad opinion o fhim if he does not permit me to satisfy his further wants: I shall one day other have a sufficiency, and indeed as my wants are not very extensive, an affluency, and then I am sure my friend cannot want