I.

I beg leave to refer to my Letter of the 7th. Inst. by the hands of Mr. Bourdieu.

Mr. Hartley call’d upon me the 13th. at Bath & return’d a verbal answer. “The King had ordered him immediately to Paris for exchanging the Ratifications.” & he accordingly goes & will do me the honor of delivering this.

Nothing further done by Administration respecting American Intercourse & Commerce, but ’tis said they are doing. A judicios intelligent friend who has been much consulted call’d upon me last Night, & assured me “nothing liberal or to good effect would be done, or he very much fear’d so, that he was tired & would be done with them. Mr. Pitt is well disposed having been well advised but the weight of the Council is against him.” I feel no regret on this account, difficulties will have an excellent effect on our side, I think my Countrymen appear to most advantage when they have a Rub to encounter & they seem to be at this moment taking measures which should have been adopted upon the first appearance of the Proclama: of 2d July ’83. The West India Merchants & Planters, every sensible Man in Trade with whom I converse, every unemployed Manufacturer & many who dread loss of future orders are uneasy. & all will come right when we determine to act right.8 I am come to London tho’ in poor health to provide for embarkation & hope to get away about the 15 th. or 20 th. May. I have the honor to be With the highest Esteem & Respect Dear sir Your Obedient humble servant

This will be accompanied by two of the latest News Papers.

I see last Night’s Gazette contains a Proclamation or enlargement of the term for American intercourse to the 20th June.9 But this I count Nothing probably Parliament are to be consulted. If I can get one of the Gazettes in time it shall go with this but no doubt Mr. Hartley will have a Copy.

II.

In writing in haste this Morning fearing to lose the opportunity an Instance of egregious weakness & folly which I learn’d from my friend last evening escap’d my memory, but as Mr. Hartley stays an hour longer I will communicate it, although I hear you say this is nothing extraordinary in these people.

Some of them & from circumstances attending, there must be a Majority, meaning no Man Eastward of Charing Cross, still entertain an opinion that America, say, the United States must & will infallibly return to Great Britain & upon her own terms— What new Maggot has bitten them? See say they & assert it very possitively, there’s already a defection of four States, only Nine could be convened for Ratifying the definitive Treaty.1 I don’t think this is merely the effect of ignorance, or not in all of them, therefore to me it proves a determin’d resolution in such, not to return to America, but to urge a Commercial in hopes in time of provoking an hostile War & of improving upon late errors. Happy for us if this be the design, their horns are shortned, & their hands restrain’d by manyfold ties, we nevertheless may read the Heart & should be upon our Guard.

Mr. Hartley had not the Gazette, I have put one into his hands with your Name to it, the Proclamation is almost verbatim a Copy of the former.2 This really, considering they are inform’d of the resentment on our side, looks hardy.

God bless you Sir.