Yesterday, arrived by the Post your Favours of the 2. 4. & 5. of May.

Every Day will furnish America with fresh Proofs, of the fallacious nature of all her hopes of Prosperity, Grandeur and Glory, from the friendly disposition of foreign Powers. Whatever Assistance she may ever derive from any of them, must be purchased at a greater Price than it will be worth. Reverence thyself, is a Prœcept of private Morality, but it is equally applicable And equally necessary to States & Individuals.— Know thyself is another of as much Importance to both. Our Country is yet more deficient in the latter than in the former.1

Credit, has been the Inlet to most of the Luxury and Folly which has yet infected our People. He who could devise a method to abolish it forever, would deserve a Statue, to his Memory.

Agriculture, manufactures, and Commerce with one another, would Soon make Us flourish.

The Want of Concert, and the Want of Confidence in each other, and the trifling with public Faith have emboldened our Rivals, which are all Europe, and have let loose the Barbarians, and alltogether have already not only ruined our Navigation and Commerce, but reduced the Price of our Produce. This last will be soon felt, 337 and will arouse the Planters & Farmers. But it will fall much lower, if our Navigation is not attended to, if We depend upon foreign ships, it will dwindle to almost nothing.

The most allarming Circumstance, that has happened is the Innattention to Congress.— that Seven states only should be represented, for so long a time, when the affairs of the Union, were in so embarrass’d and dangerous a situation is Proof of something so bad that I dare not name it.

The proposed Convention, it is to be hoped will do good: but I know not why Congress could not have done as well or better.

The Barbary Powers, will not be appeased for less than two or three hundred Thousand Pounds. Congress have Such Sums to pay in Europe in 1787, that I know not how they will obtain the Money. Lay on Duties to pay the Interest, and it may easily be obtained by Loans: but not otherwise. Mr Lamb was sent by Us to Affrica, because he was sent by Congress to Us. We could easily have found better Men. But it will be in vain to send any body, untill he is provided with Money Sufficient.— We must not call it Bribery. We should learn to talk of it as other nations do, as Gratuity Generosity, Magnificence, Friendship, Custom & all that.— if We fight them We shall only increase their demands and be obliged to pay them as much more as will make up all the Damage We do them.

All Nations are contriving to take Advantages of Us and make Profit and Power out of Us, and if Planters & Merchants North and south do not unite in measures of Defence We shall find ourselves a Prey. The Agriculture of the Country will feel the Ruin, when it comes to their Turn as severely as the Merchants.

immense Quantities of Grain have been sent from England to Bordeaux & Marseilles this Spring. This demand ought to have been supplied from America. Why was it not? because of the difficulty of freight.—

Mr Jay mentions a Letter of the 1. of May. This I have not recd. 2 it contains perhaps the sense of Congress, concerning the Exchange of Ministers.— I shall punctually obey my orders.— Untill every Law of the States is repealed, whether respecting Debts or Tories, which is inconsistent with the Treaty: Untill the frontier Posts shall be surrendered to Us & the Negroes paid for. Untill all the States shall have firmly establihed a system of national Revenue and taken a decided Resolution in favour of their own Navigation, by a Peace with the Barbary Powers as well as giving a clear Encouragement to 338 their own ships beyond all others, my situation here will be so unpleasant, that I shall constantly wish to be at home.

To be obliged to embark with my Family in any miserable Merchant ship, or accidental Packett, in the dead of Winter, would be very disagreable: but if orders should arrive So that I could embark in Season in the Fall, or if they should be delayed till Spring, they would relieve me from a heavy Load.

The Poor Prisoners at Algiers, the old Debtors in all the States, the suitors for Vessells captured after the Armistice, all the Merchants in America, and all the Farmers are now or will soon be looking to me for Relief from their Distresses, when I know I can do them no service, and all their hopes must depend upon the Measures taken by Congress and their own Legislatures.

I see that Pains are taken in the American Newspapers to hold up to the People hopes & Expectations of a Change of Councils here. nothing can be more impolitick, fallacious and abusive.— The Eyes of the People ought to be undeceived and opened, upon their true Situation and real Danger.

My affectionate Respects to Mr Alsop, and to your Lady if you please.

With great Esteem, your most / obedient humble servant

I had heard Sometime ago, of your Marriage with the amiable Daughter of my old Friend, Mr Alsop, as well as of that of Mr Gerry, and of both with the more Pleasure, probably as a good Work of the Same kind, for connecting Massachusetts and New York in the Bands of Love was going on here. Last Sunday under the Right Reverend Sanction of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of st 339 Asaph were married Mr Smith and Miss Adams.1 It will be unnatural if fœderal Purposes are not answered by all these Intermarriages.

In Answer to Mr Alsops Question, I have no difficulty in answering, that by Law, and Treaty, a Refugee, ought to be compellable by Proscess in the British Courts to pay a Debt due to an American Citizen, antecedent to the late War, and this without any Regard to or Enquiry concerning his Estate or his other Debts in America. a great Cry and Uproar, nevertheless would no doubt in such Case be excited, and the Courts would probably, Suspend and prolong the Proscess. There will never be an End of Questions and Chicane, untill the States repeal all the Laws which impede the Recovery of old Debts in America.

I perceive that according to the Ideas of some, I am Sent here to make a new Treaty of Peace, the old one not being agreable to some Gentlemen who were in debt before the War. This I shall never be able to do. The Treaty as it was was too generally condemned here as too beneficial to Us, and the least mention of it, Setts too great Multitudes in a flame for Ministers to touch it.— The Ablest Minister this nation has living, and the Man of the most Influence fell a Sacrifice to it,2 and it became immediately an Object of So much Delicacy, that the Utmost Exertions of your Ministers, as Mr Jay and Dr Franklin very well know, could not obtain in nine months the Alteration of a Word of it, in the definitive Treaty. It is not likely then that the present young Minister, will venture on so hazardous a Step.

The affair of Interest generally I Suppose depended upon the Usage and the Understanding of the Parties. But neither Custom nor the Understanding of the Parties, ever comprehended the Case that has happened. it never was Supposed that England would throw us out of their Protection, and make it not only criminal but impossible to trade with her subjects and pay their Demands. And therefore a Jury I think will not give the Interest, during the War. But a Jury is the only Tribunal to which an Appeal may be made, consistently with the Treaty.

We shall talk forever in vain, My Friend, about the Dignity of our Country, and Fœderal systems, if the Feelings of our Countrymen are not more Sensibly affected, at the sound of those Sacred Words “Public Faith.”— If the Faith of the Nation cannot be depended on, like the Laws of Nature it will never be respected nor confided in at home nor abroad. If the People cannot be convinced of the 340 indispensible Importance and Necessity of this Principle, all must be given up to the Guidance of Chance & Accident, factious rage, insidious selfishness and delirious Enthusiasm

With much Esteem, Dear sir, I have the Honour / to be, your most obedient & most / humble servant