Westport 21 June 1802

Mr John M^cCracken

D^r Sir I posted a letter to you on fryday the 4^th of June requiring an immediate answer giving account of my progreſs in Castlebarr &·c· and requested that you should remit me 4 or 5 guineas and to direct to the care of the Rev Doctor Lynagh in Westport.  I have gotten no answer — I am uneasy — I suspect that my letter was suppreſsed or detained so that it had not come to y^r hand — I hope the moneyis not lost. I know not what to think of it, or how to proceed.     The Rev^d D^r Lynagh is a worthy gentleman, I have agreed with him that you shall write immediately to him and send the notes enclosed for me without having my name on the outside and they should be safe. But if you have received my letter, and have sent the notes, and that y^r letter is detained from me — in that case I must leave it to y^r own judgment how I shall be relieved out of this place — there is a M^r Datten a Merchant, in this town — perhaps you could find means to draw on him for a supply for me.  Doctor Lynagh advises me to procure as soon as poſsible some credentials in form declaring the design of my Miſsion and this formula to be approved and signed by some well known Military gentleman such as General Drommond &c

I am sorry I had not such with me from the beginning — for tho the times are peaceable the people here are still suspicious of strangers and it is with difficulty I can convince them that I have no design in traveling but merely to procure Irish songs to be set to Music.  I have had good succeſs till now, but the want of money impedes my progreſs.  I send you here a list of 150 songs with the names of the persons and places where I got them for M^r Bunting’s use.  I wd be glad he was here now — I wish you could let me know whether I may expect him or not

I am Sir with respect y^rs                                       

Patrick Lynch