A Letter sent by I.B. gentleman was a promotional tract for the plantation scheme in the Ards Peninsula in County Down projected by Sir Thomas Smith, Secretary of State in Elizabeth's Privy Council, and his son, also called Thomas Smith. It was published in 1572 without official permission and was widely distributed reaching Paris as well as the Irish in Ulster whom it forewarned of the colonisers' intentions. The Letter provided an argument for the colonial scheme, was accompanied by a separate map of the territory being targetted and included at the end a document called ‘The Offer and Order’ explaining what each investor was obliged to contribute and what they were to receive if successful. This latter document had already been circulated as a broadside; the copy with the Letter carried a shortened version of its final paragraph urging prompt payment by each adventurer. In spite of the novelty of using the press for propaganda purposes, Smith's colonial venture failed with his only son dying in the attempt.
This edition has been created from the frequently-cited MacDonnells of Antrim version checked against an original copy in the Huntington Library.