 Townsend did not like taking the additional risk and was beginning to doubt Hawkins's reliability and to regret the destroyed messages.Finally in September 1779, with Hawkins increasingly anxious, and more importantly, with Townsend refusing to deal with him any longer, Hawkins stopped his courier services for the Ring.Woodhull acted as courier on September 11 so he could explain to Townsend the loss of the earlier letters.