My last was of the 26th. Ulto. & I this Day receiv’d yours of the 28th.1 I assure you that I never had any suspicion of Mr G[ouverneur] Morris’s acting with Duplicity towards me, & am surprized that any thing in my Letters should give you such an Idea.—be assured that if ever I bring the Charge publicly against any one, I shall produce incontestable Evidence; at present the same reasons which forbid my publishing at all, stand in the way of my saying any thing on this subject except to my most intimate Friends.— I am glad to find that the motives for my silence have the same weight with you as they still have with me & I thank you for communicating to me your general sentiments on the part I ought to act.—they agree with my own.— As to the Objections to the Contract, I do not see how if I were present, they would be removed, as the prices agreed for are lower than what England has ever given, & precisely what France has contracted for in Peace. As nothing can be done under the present situation of America toward carrying the Contract into Execution a Journey on that Accot. would be as fruitless as it must be expensive.— You tell me that Mr. Carmichael has been inform’d by Letters from France of my using Expressions of a discouraging nature as to American Affairs & of my having spoken to their disadvantage &c.—& tell me that such Reports will be no less prejudicial to me in America than in Europe— I have no doubt whence this Intelligence came;— If you will believe what some Gentlemen lately here, have written, & probably will repeat, you must henceforth set me down as a Tory & an Enemy to my Country; but neither the ravings of Madmen, nor the misrepresentations of designing ones, can alter the nature of things, though they may for a time injure an Individual.— Too many of our Countrymen bring over with them to France all that spirit & violence of Party by which they were actuated in America & think, or at least pretend to think they can no way so well serve America as by representing every thing to be in the most flourishing State. To me it has ever appeared absurd to the last degree for Men who are solliciting in the most pressing manner for Assistance to represent their Circumstances to be such, that they can do very well without it, yet such has been the strange Conduct of too many of the Americans who have come over.— I arrived in Paris in Augst. last, I took a Resolution before I left America never more to engage in the public Affairs of my own, or of any other Country, & nothing has presented here, to induce me to alter my determination.— I had however a difficult part to act, as many Questions must be put to me which I knew not how to answer, whilst silence, or evasion would cause an unfavorable construction for my Country, or myself, or both, thus embarrass’d, I avoided going into Company, as far as I decently could, the Resolutions of the 18th. of March 1780. had raised a great ferment here, and every one was loud against them, from the prime Minister down to the Citizen; I was called on often to explain them, & though I have never had but one Opinion of that proceeding, which has ever been that it was unjust, & impolitic to the last degree, yet I did all in my power, to moderate the resentments of those who suffer’d by those resolutions, it is true I did not Justify them, &, like Mr. Adams & some others say that it was the wisest measure Congress ever took, & that none but Rogues & Speculators would find fault with it.— Mr Searle arrived at Paris a few Weeks after me, direct from Phila. &, it was reported, was charg’d with some public Commission.— I never knew nor inquired what it was. This Gentleman asserted on all occasions that the British Forces were actually shut up, & perishing by want & disease at Charlestown—that Genl. Washingtons Army consisted of more than twenty thousand ^effective^ Men, & that far from wanting Recruits, Men pressed to enroll themselves—that America did not wish for Peace until England should be entirely humbled, or ruined—untill (to use his own Words) “that old Lions Claws should be cut, & his teeth all drawn”.—when any one (Frenchman or American) doubted of these Assertions, he was sure to be answer’d with an Air of important contempt.—“You will pardon me good sir, I am a Member of Congress, the only Man that ever came to Europe in that Character I must know.— I have been Chairman of most of their Committees I think I ought at least to know”, &c— He asserted that America was alone able to carry on the war— That Commerce had injur’d us; that the Merchts of America were without exception such vile Rogues & Speculators that it would be happy for America if they were entirely extirpated, that those of France who complain’d of the Depreciation were meer Speculators, & Pedlars, & that the Goods sent out from France had done us more mischief than Forty Thousand Russians sent out to fight against us could have done—that he wished to God every American in France might be instantly hang’d, without exception even of himself, content he said (a second Curtius)2 to suffer among them, since better Men would succeed.—this is a faint sketch of this Mans Stile, & extravagant & Mad as it must appear to You, there were Americans at Paris, that went almost as far.3

I could not agree with such Men; I wished to remain silent, but being called upon to give my opinions, & that in such a Manner that neither Gratitude, or Duty would admit a refusal, I did what I think you & every honest American would have done, I told the truth, I did not scruple to say that our Circumstances were very different, & I gave my opinion as early as Novr last to the Minister, thro’ our mutual Friend, that nothing short of Money & supplies for our Army & a superior Fleet could save America, & that without these the American War would soon be brot. to a close, or to the most dangerous crisis, for that our finances were totally deranged, Our Credit lost, Our Commerce nearly ruined, our Naval Force next to nothing, & our Army suffer’d for want of pay & Cloathing, & that instant relief was absolutely Necessary.— This Language I acknowledge to have held, & if it is discouraging or disadvantageous I cannot help it, it is the truth, & in my opinion the Language of sound policy— You must Judge whither my stile of conversation or the other was best calculated to promote the Interests of our Country; certain I am however, that this & this only has given rise to the Reports propagated & spread in Europe, & I doubt not in America— You have now the whole Ground for this report transmitted to Mr Carmichael, I have been very particular for your satisfaction as I apprehend from the stile of your Letter that the report has made some impression on you & though very desirous of standing well in your opinion.— I would much sooner loose it, than sacrifice one Syllable of the truth to retain it.— You observed to me in a former Letter that you was the servt. not the Slave of Congress & therefore could bear to hear the truth—4 surely I who am not even their servt. may venture to tell the truth.— I do not desire Mr. Carmichael to undeceive his Correspondent, as you out of Friendship to me, propose, for I do not believe he wishes to be undeceiv’d himself.— But between ourselves & to go no farther, a Letter from the first Character in America, now before the Minister, justifies all, & more than I have ever said or hinted, & fixes the relief of America solely, on the Point upon which I declared it to depend on in Novr. last. (Viz) Money and supplies for the Army & a superior Naval Force, without which he says America must soon fall.5 Was it inimical for me to declare the same thing Five Months since, & to do every thing which a private individual could do to persuade the Minister of the real wants & dangerous situation of America? I freely submit to your Judgment.— I have perhaps already tired you, but must add that I have no personal pique against Mr Searle or Mr Dana, or any of those who have set me down as an Enemy; I am sensible that their Letters, or reports, or opinions only, as to Men & things though related by others, may have weight at a distance, & do me sensible injury, therefore it is, that I have given you a sample of the general tenor, as well as ground of them, & you must judge whether their stile or mine, was best calculated to serve America, there can be no Question which was the most conformable to the true state of our affairs.— As to Mr S[earle] I most sincerely pity him as a Man whose head is turned, or near madness— Dr F[rankli]n indeed thinks him far gone in it, & I should perhaps be of the same opinion, were it not that I am unwilling to give into the Idea that America has employed in its public Departments more Madmen than almost any other Country can produce, & therefore that Madness must be epidemical in our Country.— The long spell of Easterly Winds, has prevented any Arrivals for some time, so that we never have had a greater Dearth of News. God grant there may be good on the way, & such as will restore Peace; every one of the contending Powers wants it, & If I may venture to give my opinion, not one of them will gain any thing by a Continuance of the War— My Compts to Mrs. Jay & Col. Livingston & be assured that I am with great sincerity— Dr Sr, Yours &c