Porter says he has carried out Tyrconnel's instructions regarding the acquisition of arms. He and his associates have hired a saltpetre master and two journeymen, who will be sent to Ireland as soon as possible. He discusses the sourcing of saltpetre in the rubbish of old castles and pigeon-houses etc.; the supplies he will be sending soon; the news from England about the unpopularity of the 'usurper'; and the dispatch of twenty frigates to Ireland. He gives some news of the war on the continent from the French viewpoint.