It gives me extreme pain not to have recd a single line in answer to my public or private Letters to you1 tho’ no vessel has sailed from this or any of the nieghbouring ports for any part of Europe France or Spain ^since Octr.^ without being charged with one or the other for you not because I infer therefrom the least neglect on your part I have too much confidence both in your punctuality & your friendship to entertain an idea so derogatory to both but because I argue from it the difficulty of conveying anything to you & the care with which the avenues to you are guarded I foresee notwithstanding the expence with which it will be attended we shall be under the necessity of using expresses of our own— My official Letters2 & the papers that accompany this will give you the little news & politicks which going here I must only add to it that we yesterday recd. advise from Baltimore by a vessel arrived there from the West Indies that the French Fleet had arrived with out loss at Martinico which is rendered probable from the time of their sailing this once more restore the superiority to the Ct De Grasse & will enable him to prosecute the great objects of the present campaign—3 Since my last of yesterday too we have recd advises from Charles town (tho’ not officially) that the enemy are preparing to embark their troops & most probably to evacuate it altogether— Whether Jamaica New York or Rhode Iland is their object I can not say—the first is almost defenceless—the second can not be preserved with a much greater body of troops than its is now ^present^ garrison and the third is absolutely necessary if they mean to have any fleet here this summer since in case of a defeat they woul could hardly fly to New York as an assilym where they must wait at the Door till high waters & even ^then^ disarm themselves perhaps in the presence of a victorious enemy before they can gain admittance—

I enclose a letter from your Brother which will give you some account of your Family which I had the pleasure of seeing ten days ago tho they were all in health except your father who I am sorry to say you have little prospect of seeing again in this world4 ^he will shortly increase that circle of friends whom we shall both join in a in a better & talk over with contempt the cares which distracted us in this.^ Your son is with him he is a charming boy & promises to be every thing you would have him— Your Brother James has spent two months at Elizabeth town & has paid ^is paying^ the price of his imprudence having been carryed off from Mr. Schuylers by the eni[my] three days ago I have not heard how he is treated—

You can hardly conceive the ^experience more^ pleasure Implied in the ^than I do in knowing^ ^the sa^tisfaction which Congress receive from ^express at^ your conduct your character stands extreamly high with them while Adams & Dana are proportionably low though they have a party which still support them daily losing ground they suppose the dignity of the United States to consist in differing with the minister of France, and the the whole of their measures may be induced by whole of their measures may be explained by that principle Every step that the first has taken has only served to disgrace the United States and the last has had the weakness to avow the principle in his last letters to Congress—5 Adieu my Dear Sir remember me affectionatly to your family tell Mrs. Jay her friends here are all well—tho a little dispersed her papa at Trenton her Mama at Elizabeth Caty on a Jaunt to Maryland Susan at Clermount & Mrs. Watkins at puramus ^she^ has had the misfortune to loose her Son who was a very fine boy this jumble of news politicks & family affair which they ^is^ would expose me to the censure of a critic will be received by you as marks of the confidence I place in your friendship & of the little restraint I impose upon my thoughts when I write to one from whom I am used to conceal nothing that passes in my mind tho’ I am some times at a loss to express all that passes there & never more than when I would declare the attatchment with which I feel Dear John for you your friend