Your amiable Son, has done me the favour of his Company, here, for a Day or two, and this Morning goes to Amsterdam, intending to return to England at the End of the Week. From London He embarks Soon for Lisbon. My Son returned with him from London where I sent him to meet his Mother and Sister. But He was dissappointed as well as I.— I Still expect Mrs Adams every day: but her last Letters, (those by your son) leave me Still room to doubt.—1 in short, every Thing public and private, in which I have been concerned has been so much in doubt, and suspence, ever Since the Peace, that if I have not learned to reconcile my Self to any Thing, it is because I am not a Philosopher. I now repent having written for my Family, and that I had not gone home. Yet I ought not to repent because, it was Bono publico, that induced me to resolve to stay in Europe, to try, if I could execute a Commission which Congress promised to me, F. and J. and have not performed “une Perfidie tres permise dans un Grand Roi,” as Voltaire Says of the King of Prussia.2

Jay is Minister of foreign Affairs. This is a great Point gained in favour of our Country. Wisdom and Virtue have tryumphed, for once.— And I hope and believe, he will give an entire new Cast, to the Complexion of our foreign Affairs. and you may depend upon it, that for Sometime to come as for a long time past, the Character and the System of our Country has been entirely decided by our foreign affairs.

If I had not been very sensible of this, you would never have heard of me a second time across the Atlantic. if I had not been very sensible of this, you would have seen me at Milton again or heard of me in a British Dungeon four Years ago. My kind Respects to Mrs Warren and all your Family. / Your Friend

I have just now received your Favour of Yesterday and am very Sorry to find by it that my Express is arrested at Brussells. This Express was Sent to Paris Solely upon Affairs of the United States of America and my private Affairs. In the three Trunks he has with him there is nothing but my Manuscript Books and Papers, Cloaths of myself, Son & servants and Ninety Six Spoons and Forks larger and Smaller made for the Use of my Family while at Paris on the Negotiation of the Peace. I cannot think that any of these can be Subject to any Duty or Impost, and I hope they will be released, with the Express, as Soon as the Circumstances Shall be known. There is nothing most certainly among the Papers which has any Relation to disputes of the present day. You may inclose this Letter. and it may be left, if necessary and where it may be necessary.