He asks Gurney to introduce him to Buxton, with whom he had lost contact since he had disagreed with him some years before over the best way to 'civilize and Christianise' Africa. He suggests that Rev. Williams of New York would provide information on Hughes's character. He proposes that Hughes be placed at the head of an agricultural station, possibly directed towards raising cotton in Africa. He himself had experience in directing the labour of 'uncivilized' men, and he hoped that agriculture would be encouraged and that men like Gurney would direct their attention to the effect of importing cotton from a country where stoppages could occur on British manufacturing areas. He encloses a letter from Hughes reminding him of his kindness in 1826, saying that he had left America in 1835 to trade on the River Nunez and then moved to Sierra Leone, where he wished to obtain government employment, and asking for his help to obtain a permanent post.