Your Favour of October 6. I recd but Yesterday.— I had before written very fully to Mr Jay, a recommendation of your son to be Consull at Lisbon, and desired him to communicate it to the Members of Congress. I will write also to Mr Jefferson, and wish very heartily that he may be appointed.1 He is a modest and ingenious Man, and independently of the Merits of his Family, which are equal to any I know, his Pretensions personal are better than any one in Competition that I have heard of. There is a Probability of a Treaty with Portugal, but these Negotiations are so slow and capricious that I can never depend upon any Thing till it is signed and sealed. I will forward the Letter inclosed as I have before, to Winslow, in the Dispatches of the Chevalier De Pinto the Portuguese Minister, with whom I have the Pleasure of an agreable Acquaintance.2 He is a Man of Merit and offers me every civility in his Power. The Danger of the Letters being opened will be less in this Way than by the Post or any other Conveyance in my Power.

I admire the Spirit of the Massachusetts Navigation Act but cannot pretend to judge of the Ability of the State to Support it.— It is thought by many that it would be better to confine it to British ships and Goods, or to those Nations who have no Treaty of Commerce with Us.— The French Ordinance giving a Bounty of ten Livres a Quintal upon Fish of the French Fishery imported into their own Islands, or sold in the Marketts of Spain, Portugal or Italy, and laying a Duty of five Livres upon foreign Fish in their Islands is suspected to be in Retaliation, for our Navigation Act.3 I dont know whether it is good Policy to begin a commercial Conflict with commercial nations with whom We have Treaties, if it is possible to distinguish between their Goods & British as no doubt it is between their ships.

Mr Boylston, took Passage in his own ship for France and has there sold here Cargo. Mr Barrett is arrived there, and I hope they will be able to open the Trade in that Article.— What the British Ministry will do, I know not and cannot expect to know till the 31 session of Parliament. If they can Support their own Sperma Cæti Fishery and We cannot find a Markett in France, they will continue the high duty.—

The Agents are gone, to Madrid, in their Way to Algiers. I have a Letter from one of them at Bayonne.4

With great Regard your Friend & / sert

I am much obliged to you for your Letter and refer you to General Warren for what respects your son.—1

You suppose my present situation to be eligible and I confess it.— I have it in my Power here to enjoy the Society of Persons of great Worth, and if I please of high Rank, and if our publick Affairs here went well, I should not desire a better situation. but they do not.

A Lady, who was born at Gibraltar, came to England and Married a Man of Merit, Fortune and Rank. She had every Thing which this Country offords, to make Life agreable. Yet she used to say, it was true, & England was very clever, but it was nothing to be compared to Gib.—

If the Circumstance of Birth and Education could give Such an Attachment to that Barren Rock, it is not surprizing that I should be fond of my barren Mountain. Yet the World would laugh at me as well as the Lady of Gibraltar.

I have been so long agitated in the World, and puzzled with Business, that indeed I dont know, whether I should feel my Existence at Braintree, and My Eyes and my Health will not admit of Reading 32 or Writing by Candle Light, so that I should want Amuzement of Evenings, but the Care of a Farm, and Books and Papers in the Day, would Serve me very well. and as far as I can judge of my own Inclinations I had rather live in that Retirement, for my personal Enjoyment, upon one hundred a Year than at any Court in Europe upon five Thousand. It may be depended on then that I have no dread upon my Mind of being obliged to return and plant Cabbages at the foot of Penns hill.

The Dismall Accounts of the Misfortunes and Afflictions of our Friends in America, distress Us a good deal, but the Jewish Avarice in the Loan of Money, which We hear of much more. While Such Interest can be obtained, much Property will be diverted from Trade. But this must have an End— The great Fish will have eaten all the little ones, and then they must look out for other Prey. The Multiplicity of Law suits, is much like what I remember after the Peace of 1763. but when a certain Quantity of Property had shifted hands they diminished.— it is generally agreed that our People have been imprudent and extravagant, but I hope that Profligacy and Want of Principle have not taken any deep root. I wish it were in my Power to comfort them with any hopes of relief from this Country, but it is not. There is, instead of any Consideration of our Losses, Inconveniences, or Distresses, a visible and indecent Joy at all the Accounts of them.— If Revenge is sweet our People will have it, in a few Years, but that is no rational Consolation.

Captain Stanhopes Letters to the Governor, are by no means approved at this Court, as Congress will be informed Officially before this reaches you.

With the greatest Esteem and respect I have the / honour to be, Madam your sincere / Friend and humble servant