become general. Parliament having declared their sentiments by their public proceedings; a general bill will soon pass to enable administration to treat with America, and to conclude. As to the sincerity of ministry, that will be judged of by their conduct in any treaty. The first object is to procure a meeting of qualified and authorised persons. You have told me that four persons are empowered by a special commission to treat of peace. Are we to understand that each separately has power to conclude, or in what manner? The four persons whom you have mentioned are in four different parts of the world, viz. three of them in hostile states, and the fourth under circumstances very peculiar for a negotiator. When I told Mr. Laurens that his name was in the commission, I found him entirely ignorant of every circumstance relating to it. I understand that the ministry will be ready to proceed towards opening a negotiation as soon as the bill shall pass, and therefore it is necessary to consult of time, and place, and manner, and persons, on each side. The negotiation itself will speak the rest. I have been informed that some gentlemen in this country (not in administration) have lately entered into a correspondence with Mr. Adams, relating to his commission of treating for peace, and that their previous inquiries having been spoken of in public; the ministry have been induced to make some inquiry themselves from Mr. Adams, on that subject. In whatever way a fair treaty may be opened, by whomsoever or with whomsoever, I shall heartily wish good success to it for the common good and peace of mankind. I know these to be your sentiments, and I am confident that they will ever remain so, and hope that you will believe the same of me.

I am ever, your most affectionate,

D. HARTLEY.

Copy from the printed Votes of the Commons, 27th Feb. 1782.

Resolved, That it is the opinion of this house, that the farther prosecution of offensive war on the continent of North America, for the purpose of reducing the revolted colonies to obedience by force, will be the

means of weakening the efforts of this country against her European enemies, tends, under the present circumstances, dangerously to increase the mutual enmity, so fatal to the interests, both of Great Britain and America; and by preventing an happy reconciliation with that country, to frustrate the earnest desire, graciously expressed by his majesty, to restore the blessings of public tranquillity.

Resolved, That an humble address be presented to his majesty, that the further prosecution of offensive war on the continent of North America, tends, &c. &c.

March 4. Mr. Speaker reported to the house, that the house attended his majesty on Friday last with their address; to which his majesty was pleased to give his most gracious answer:

Gentlemen of the House of Commons,

There are no objects nearer my heart than the ease, happiness, and prosperity of my people.

You may be assured that, in pursuance of your advice, I shall take such measures as shall appear to me most conducive to the restoration of harmony between Great Britain, and the revolted colonies, so essential to the prosperity of both; and that my efforts shall be directed in the most effectual manner against our European enemies, until such a peace can be obtained, as shall consist with the interests and permanent welfare of my kingdoms.

Resolved, nemine contradicente,

That an humble address be presented to his majesty, to return his majesty the thanks of this house, for his most gracious answer to their address, presented to his majesty on Friday last, and for the assurances his majesty has most graciously been pleased to give them, of his intention in pursuance of the advice of this house, to take such measures as shall appear most conducive to the restoration of harmony between Great Britain and the revolted colonies; and that his efforts shall be directed in the most effectual manner against our European enemies, until such a peace can be obtained as shall consist with the permanent welfare and prosperity of his kingdoms: this house being convinced that nothing can, in the present circumstances of this country, so essentially promote those great objects of his majesty's paternal care for his people, as the measures which his faithful commons have most humbly recommended to his majesty.

Ordered, That the said address be presented &c.

Resolved, That, after the solemn declaration of the opinion of this house, in their humble address, presented to his majesty on Friday last, and his majesty's assurance of his gracious intention in pursuance of their advice, to take such measures as shall appear to his majesty to be most conducive to the restoration of harmony between Great Britain and the revolted colomes, so essential to the prosperity of both, this house

will consider as enemies to his majesty and this country, all those who shall endeavor to frustrate his majesty's paternal care, for the ease and happiness of his heople, by advising, or by any means attempting, the farther prosecution of offensive war on the continent of North America, for the purpose of reducing the revolted colonies to obedience by force.

From the same to same.

MY DEAR FRIEND,

London, March 21, 1782.

YOU will have heard, before this can reach you, that lord North declared yesterday in the house of commons, that his majesty intended to change his ministers. The house is adjourned for a few days, to give time for the formation of a new ministry. Upon this occasion therefore I must apply to you, to know whether you would wish me to transfer the late negotiation to the successors of the late ministry; in these terms; (vide yours to me of January 15, 1782), viz. “ that you are empowered by a special commission to treat of peace whenever a negotiation for that purpose shall be opened. That it must always be understood, that it is to be in conjunction with your allies, conformable to the solemn treaties made with them. That the formal acknowlegment of the Independence of America is not made necessary." And may, I add, that upon these terms you are disposed to enter into a negotiation. It is not known who will succeed the late ministry, but from the circumstances which preceded its dissolution, we are to hope that they will be disposed to enter into a negotiation of peace, upon fair and honorable terms. I have no doubt that there were some persons in the late ministry of that disposition.

I told you in my last letters to you, of the 11th and 12th instant, that I had received information, whilst I was in the course of correspondence with the ministry myself, on the subject of peace; that some part of the ministry were transmitting some communications or inquiries upon that subject with Mr. Adams, unknown to me. I had informed the ministry from you, the names of the four persons empowered to

treat. I saw the minister upon the occasion (I should now call him the late minister). I took the liberty of giving him my opinion upon the matter itself. So far as it related personally to me, I expressed myself fully to him, that there was no occassion that such a step should have been taken unknown to me, for that I was very free to confess, that if they thought my partiality towards peace was so strong that they could drive a better bargain through another channel, I could not have any right of exclusion upon them.. I relate this to, you, because I would wish to have you make a corresponding application to your own case. If you should think that my strong desire for peace, although most laudable and virtuous in itself, should mislead me, and that my being as you may suppose misled, may be of any prejudice to the cause committed to your trust, I desire by no means to embarrass your free conduct, by any considerations of private or personal regard to myself. Having said thus much, I will now add, that I am not unambitious of the office of a peace maker; that I flatter myself the very page which I now am writing will bear full testimony from both sides, of the impartiality of my conduct. And I will add once more, what I have often said and repeated to each side, viz. that no fallacy or deception, knowing, or suspecting it to be such, shall ever pass through my hands.

Believe me, I sympathise most cordially and sincerely with you, in every anxiety of yours for peace. I hope things are tending (although not without rubs) yet in the main, to that end-soon! as soon as the course of human life may be expected to operate on the great scale and course of national events, or rather in the creation and establishment of a new world. I am sometimes tempted to think myself in patient expectation, the elder sage of the two; I say the elder, not the better.

Yours, &c.

D. HARTLEY.

SIR.

From T. Digges, to Dr. Franklin.

Amsterdam, March 22, 1782.

I LEFT England a few days back, and until my conversation and some consultations with Mr. Adams, on a matter which will be mentioned to you by him, and more particularly explained in this letter, my determination was to have seen you, as well on that business as on a matter of much consequence to my private reputation. I feel the disadvantages under which I labor, when writing to you on a matter, which cannot be explained or cleared up but by personal conversation. I do not give up my intended purpose of personally speaking to you; but it being found better and more convenient to my purpose to return immediately hence to England, and from thence to Paris, in preference of going first to Paris, it must be unavoidably delayed for some days.

It would take up more than the length of a letter to explain the whole opening and progression of a matter, I am here upon, which was and is meant to be jointly communicated to you with Mr. Adams; I will therefore take the liberty to give you an abbreviation of it in as few words as I can.

About a fortnight ago a direct requisition from ministry, through lord Beauchamp, was made to Mr. R. Penn, to know if he could ascertain that any person or persons in Europe were commissioned by Congress to treat for peace, whether they were now willing to avail themselves of such commission, and of the present sincere disposition in ministry to treat, and whether they would receive an appointed commissioner to speak for a truce, and mention a place for the meeting, &c.

Mr. Penn's referring lord Beauchamp to me, as knowing the nature of Mr. Adams's former commission, was the sole cause of my being privy to or a party in the matter. I had various meetings with lord Beauchamp in company with Mr. Penn on the subject; the particular memorandums of which, and lord Beauchamp's statement of what the ministry wanted to obtain, together with every other circumstance relative