Some of my Letters to You have I find miscarried by the Capture of the Vessels that were carrying them, and there is Reason to suspect that two others were stopped here, as the Letters inclosing them did not reach the Persons at the Sea Ports, to whom they were directed.

I have heretofore mentioned the Reciept of the Picture you was so kind as to send me by Mr Ridley, and the arrival of Your Sons. I dont know the Fate of that Letter, and that Uncertainty induces me to repeat my Thanks for the one, and my Congratulations on the other.1 The Estimation in which I hold your Friendship, & the Marks I have recd. of it, interest me in every Thing which concerns You and Your’s, and be assured that no opportunity of giving higher Proofs of it, shall be omitted—

Caty’s late Letters have given us Reason to be anxious about her Health, and to be grateful for your & Mrs. Morris’s Attention to her. She is a valuable & affectionate Friend, and I am happy that in these unsettled Times, she has a pleasing Retreat in your friendly & hospitable Family—

Mrs. Jay’s Time is much employed in nursing, and amusing herself with her little Girl—she is writing to Mrs. Morris.2 We are chearful, and not unhappy, tho distant from our Friends and deprived of the Pleasures which result from that free and unreserved Conversation, which can only be endulged in the Company of safe Companions, or in a Country like ours—

We remove next Week to Aranjues, where I expect again to spend some agreable Weeks. It is a charming Place, containing a Tract of several Miles in Circumference, & divided into Gardens, Meadows, Parks, cultivated Grounds, & Wilds—full of fine Trees, fine Roads, and fine Walks, and watered by a slow winding River which if more clear, would be very beautiful—but still my Friend! it is not America—a Genius of a different Character from that which presides at your Hills and Gardens, reigns over these— Soldiers with fixed Bayonets present themselves at various Stations in these peaceful Retreats: and tho’ none but inoffensive Citizens are near, yet Horsmen with drawn swords guarding one or other of the royal Family in their little Excursions to take the air, daily renew and impress Ideas of Subjection. Power unlimited and Distrust misplaced, thus exacting Homage & imposing awe, occasion uneasy Reflections, and alloy the pleasing Sensations which nature, smiling in such delightful Scenes, never fails to excite. Were I a Spaniard, these decorated Seats would appear to me like the temporary Enchantments of some despotic Magician, who by re-extending his Wand, could at pleasure command them to vanish, and be succeeded by Presidios, Galleys and Prisons.

Nothing is more true than that all things figure by Comparison. This elegant Seat being near surrounded with extensive Wastes, appears like a blessed and fortunate Island, in a dreary Ocean. The Contrast heightens it’s Charms, and every Traveller arrives with a mind predisposed to admire and enjoy them—but as the first Impression wears away, and he begins to recollect the more happy tho’ less magnificent Abodes in his own Country, the Attractions and Allurements of this insensibly diminish. I have more than once experienced this, and tho’ not difficult to please or be contented, yet I confess that I find little here which resembles, and nothing that can fully compensate for, the free Air, the free Conversation, the equal Liberty, and the other numerous Blessings which God & Nature and Laws of our own making, have given and secured to our happier Country— I would not be understood to insinuate that good Society and agreable Companions are wanting here—they may perhaps abound more in some other parts of the World—but they are also to be found here, tho an unsocial kind of Policy requires unceasing Attention to the most austere Rules of Caution and Prudence. The little that I have seen and observed of this People induces me to think that, except the Generality of those who compose the highest & lowest orders, they possess many Qualities which are praise worthy; and that two or three long and wise Reigns would make them a very powerful, and ^an^ amiable Nation—but as I have not yet had sufficient opportunities of mixing with and personally knowing many of them, Time and further Information may either confirm or alter this opinion. The evident Suspense and Indicision of the Court respecting us, has kept many at a Distance, with whom I should otherwise have been on a very familiar Footing, and some of them have been so candid as to tell me so. This is a kind of Prudence which naturally grows out of a jealous and absolute Government, under which the People3 have, for many Generations been habituated to that Kind of Dependence, which constrains every Class to watch and respect the Opinions & Inclinations of their Superiors in Power. The prosperous Tide of our affairs however has for some Time past run so strong that I think many of our obstacles here must soon give Way. Shyness will then cease, and I shall not afterwards find it difficult to be recieved into more of their Houses, and that in the only Manner in which I ever wish to be recieved into any— I mean—at the Front Door, by direct Invitation from the Masters of them, and without the precursory good Offices of upper Servants or unimportant Favorites, whom I never can submit to court. When ^Until^ this Period arrives, I shall continue to cultivate the few acquaintances I have, and without giving offence to any, endeavour to encrease their Number whenever it may be done with Propriety and to advantage—but I shall as heretofore avoid embarrassing and intruding upon those who in the mean Time may think it necessary to be reserved. Self Respect joins with Prudence in pointing out this Line of Conduct, and as I have no Enemies of my own making, I am persuaded that instead of losing, I shall eventually be a Gainer by adhering to it; especially as those who may have been led to ascribe this Conduct to improper motives, will then immediately find themselves undecieved—

Be pleased to present our Compliments and best wishes to Mrs. Morris Mr. and Mrs. Meridith4 and our other Friends with You— I am Dear Sir with sincere Regard Your affectionate Friend and Servt,