_wheat straw_. Of each kind of straw a
parcel of the _stoutest_ and a parcel of the _smallest_ were sent to be
platted; so that each parcel of the straw now sent, except that of the
wheat, refers to _two of the pieces of plat_. For instance, 2 and 3 of the
plat is of the sort of straw marked 2 and 3; 4 and 12 of the plat is of
the sort of straw marked 4 and 12; and so on. These parcels of straw are
sent in order that you may know the _kind_ of straw, or rather, of grass,
from which the several pieces of plat have been made. This is very
_material_; because it is by those parcels of straw that the _kinds of
grass_ are to be known.

The piece of plat No. 16 is _American_; all the rest are from my straw.
You will see, that 15 is the _finest plat of all_. No. 7 is from the
_stout_ straws of the same _kind_ as No. 15. By looking at the parcel of
straw Nos. 7 and 15, you will see what sort of grass this is. The next, in
point of beauty and fineness combined, are the pieces Nos. 13 and 8; and
by looking at the parcel of straw, Nos. 13 and 8, you will see what sort
of grass that is. Next comes 10 and 5, which are very beautiful too; and
the sort of grass, you will see, is the _common Bennet_. The wheat, you
see, is too coarse; and the rest of the sorts are either _too hard_ or
_too brittle_. I beg you to look at Nos. 10 and 5. Those appear to me to
be the thing to supplant the Leghorn. The colour is good, the straws _work
well_, they afford a great _variety of sizes_, and they come from the
common _Bennet grass_, which grows all over the kingdom, which is
cultivated in all our fields, which is in bloom in the fair month of June,
which may be grown as fine or as coarse as we please, and ten acres of
which would, I dare say, make ten thousand bonnets. However, 7 and 15, and
8 and 13, are very good; and they are to be got in every part of the
kingdom.

As to _platters_, it is to be too childish to believe that they are not to
be got, when I could send off these straws, and get back the plat, in the
course of five days. Far _better work_ than this would have been obtained
if I could have gone on the errand myself. What then will people not do,
who regularly undertake the business for their livelihood?

I will, as soon as possible, send you an account of the manner in which I
went to work with the grass. The card or plat, which I sent you some time
ago, you will be so good as to give me back again some time; because I
have now not