Last evening Monsr: de le Tombe called upon me with your letter of 3d. July, inclosing the Massachusetts’ Act of Navigation. As you do me the honor to ask my Sentiments of this law, you shall have them without disguise. If the legislature passed it from a sanguine expectation that it will soon force or intimidate the British Ministry into such a treaty of Commerce as we desire, or can agree to, they will be disappointed. If it was adopted upon mature deliberation, as the beginning of a great System, which must be long & steadily pursued in order to produce its effect, I think it is a wise & manly regulation, which by the impolicy of Great-Britain & France had become necessary. I hope it will be followed by similar laws in all the other States. It may be adopted by every State from New-Hampshire to Pensylvania inclusively without inconvenience; but Maryland, Virginia, the Carolinas, & Georgia, for want of ships at first for their exportations, might meet with a temporary difficulty: It would not however be long, I think, before the other States would build Ships enough for their purposes. Such measures are not probably calculated to make my residence here very delightfull to me; but, as I did not come here upon a party of pleasure, this consideration weighs very little in my scales. As the prejudices of this nation, in favor of their Navigation-Act appear to be so strong, that the Ministry would not have dared to relax it further in our favor, an American Navigation-Act is the only thing wh: will ever stimulate them, or indeed which can ennable them to make a reasonable Adjustment with us— Let us not be too sanguine that even this will do it soon. Our states must unite in it to make it sensibly felt. This will be a work of time 338& a trial of patience, & it may take a turn to hostility. We should be prepared in our own minds for whatever may happen— Our Countrymen have too light ideas of their foreign Affairs.—

I am, Sir, with great esteem, / Yrs: &c: &c

Yesterday I received your favor of June. 7th. and the day before I received from Boston the Navigation-Act of Massachusetts.1 It is probable that our People flatter themselves that this act, and other measures tending to the same end in other States will intimidate the English Nation & force them into an advantageous treaty of Commerce. If such are their views they will be disappointed, as far as I can hitherto judge. The Ministry are very reserved. I can get no answer to any thing. Nevertherless, I think the Massa: Act of Navigation a wise & necessary measure, and I hope it imitated imme: in every other State. But if no other State will adopt it, I hope the Massachusetts will persist in it: it will lay a deep foundation of Prosperity for that People: it will render the multiplication of Ships & Seamen inevitable, and in that way benefit that State beyond their present conceptions. I wish they would go farther, & lay on heavy duties upon all kinds of fripperies fm. Europe. I would not confine it to English ones; but make it general to all: Yet I wd. carefully insert in the list every article of luxury from any part of the British Dominions. My reason for not making a distinction betwn: British & other European manufactures is, the extreme difficulty—the total impossibility of distinguishing British manufactures from others. I observed so many frauds of this kind in the last war that I have long since given it up as impossible to prohibit or to tax British Commodities, unless you tax or prohibit all others of the same kind fm. Europe. They affix false leads, stamps & marks—Dutch Leads & Stamps and French ones are without difficulty annexed to English Goods. But after all, Massachusetts has fixed upon the best objects, wh: are Ships. There can be no impenetrable deception in them, and there is nothing wh: strikes deeper into the springs & motives of Commerce, Politics & War.— If this system is steadily & 339unanimously pursued it will infallibly, in a cours of time, obtain all we desire fm. G: B: or it will serve us still more essentially by introducing & establishing all necessary manufactures, erecting a bulwark of defence round abt: us, & making us truly an independant People— I think the other States will be necessitated to follow the example: they will soon see such effects of it, in the Massa: as will persuade them.—

I am, dear, Sir, with great esteem, / Yrs: &c: &c