Mr Storer arrived Yesterday with your kind Letter of 6 March, with its Inclosure. I know not what to Say to the Subject of this Inclosure. it is a Mystery which Time will unriddle and to time I leave it, So entirely that I dont think it necessary to Say any Thing to our Colleague about it.1

Appearances, on the Side where you are, dont please me more than you. But I hope the Weather will soon clear up, and that We shall soon have the Pleasure Of Seeing you and Mr. Oswald here, to put the last hand to the Peace.

It is not worth while for any noble Lord to “boast of his Art,” in obtaining the Provisional Treaty, without the Knowledge of our great and good Ally.— It was not owing to “his Art.”— But how does he know what Knowledge was communicated to our Ally? As to getting “John Adams and Co. hanged,” this would be no more than a Hillsborough, Germain or Sandwich would have done if they could. This would be no Feat for a Whig Minister to boast of.

This Same “Hanging” is however a grave Business, and perhaps the aforesaid Co. may have reflected upon the Nature of it, more seriously than his Lordship, unless it has struck him lately.— But I cannot think our Country will hang her Ministers merely for their Simplicity in being cheated into Independence, the Fisheries and half the great Lakes. Our Countrymen love Buck Skins Beaver Skins, Tom Cod & Pine Trees too well, to hang their Ministers for accepting them, or even for purchasing them by a little too much “Reciprocity” to the Tories.

Be it as it may, if a French Minister and an English Minister should form a Coalition as curious as that of the Fox and the Geese, to get J. A. hanged, he is pretty well prepared for this, or to be recalled, or censured or flattered or Slandered, just as they please.

I wish I could See more Serious Preparations for evacuating New York and Penobscot.— our People will not feel like freemen in friendship with G. Britain till this is done.— if any one Thinks that keeping Possn. of N. York will help the Refugees, he deceives himself. G. Britains Misfortunes have arisen, from the Ignorance in her Rulers of the American Character.— if Ministers are incapable of learning it, they never will Succeed in addressing themselves to it.— if They think that Fear will work for the Refugees, they will find it opperate against them.

But Why is the definitive Treaty, delayed! Congress will not take the Preliminaries into Consideration, till they have the definitive Treaty. There can be no Ratification, untill Congress have that.2 And in my Opinion the States after the Ratification and Recommendations will take none of them into Consideration, untill the U. States are evacuated by the Troops. in this I may be mistaken.

My Respects to your good Family, and believe me with great Esteem and Respect, Sir your most / obedient and most humble sert

Mr. Storer arrived yesterday with your favor of 25th. Ulto.— I thank You for the Pamphlets, which are an Amusement in this place, how little soever there is in them of Sense or Candor.

The Refugees however seem to judge right in their own Affair— Sensible that they have no Claim at all upon America for Compensation, they demand it of Great Britain, upon whom the pretensions of some of them may be very just.

But why has no Man dared to mention tens of thousands of Sufferers in America, as innocent, as meritorious at least, as any of the Refugees? Who is to make Restitution and Compensation to these?—

Inclosed are Letters for your Friend Mr. Joshua Grigby Junr.—1 329With five hundred a Year however a Man will not stand in need of Letters of Recommendation or Introduction in America.

Those who say you might have had a better Peace, speak from Conjecture, not from Knowledge— They reason from a false Comparison of the Forces of the belligerent Powers— Their Imaginations magnify the Finances and military Power of Great Britain, and diminish those of France, Spain, Holland & America, & then they reason from this delusive Comparison, that the Peace is inadequate to the relative Situations— I am afraid that the Vote to this purpose, will be unhappy one for Great Britain— Will it not nourish a continual discontent in your Nation, & a continual Jealousy in all the Powers that have been at War with You?2

I will answer You with great Sincerity, I do not believe you could possibly have obtained a better Treaty with America— On the contrary, the least delay would have lost You some Advantages which you now have.

What Conditions might have been obtained from France and Spain, I know not.— France appears in the Treaty with great Moderation in the Eyes of Europe, and her Aversion to continue the War could arise from no other Motive— Spain appears to have conquered her predeliction for Gibraltar— If therefore instead of wasting the Force of 40. or 50 Ships to guard that Rock, She had acted with France in the West Indies or against New York or both with 25. 20 or even only 15. Dutch Ships in the North Seas or the Channel, where would have been your Hopes? Surely only in the defensive— Admitting, what is very extravagantly improbable, that you could have defended all another year at an expence of 20. Millions, would you have been then able to demand better Terms, or your Adversaries disposed to grant them? I trow not— On the contrary, their Courage & Pretensions would have advanced.3

America did you a very kind Turn you may depend upon it, when She rapidly hastened on the Signature of the Provisional Treaty— Think of it as you will, you would have had no Peace at this hour, but for this able Seizure of the Moment of the Tide in the Affairs of Men, for which you are indebted to Mr. Oswald & his Principals— Without this, the Negotiations would have dreamed on, until D’Estaing had sailed from Cadiz, and then voila! une autre Campaigne.

I should be very glad to see the better sort of Pamphlets you mention, & particularly some to shew the Policy & the Necessity of an immediate Evacuation of New York & Penobscot.

I have the honor to very respectfully, / Sir &c