sure.

I am glad my JOURNAL* afforded you any pleaI will, as you desire, endeavor to continue it. I am sorry to find that you have thoughts of quitting the service. I do not think your place can be easily well supplied. You mention that an entire new arrangement, with respect to foreign affairs, is under consideration: I wish to know whether any notice is likely to be taken in it of my grandson. He has now gone through an apprenticeship of near seven years in the ministerial business, and is very capable of serving the States in that line, as possessing all the requisites of knowledge, zeal, activity, language, and address. He is liked here; and Count de Vergennes has expressed to me, in warm terms, his very good opinion of him. The late Swedish ambassador, Count de Creutz, who is gone home to be prime minister, desired I would endeavor to procure his being sent to Sweden with a public character, assuring me that he should be glad to receive him there as our minister, and that he knew it would be pleasing to the king. The present Swedish ambassador† has also proposed the same thing to me, as you will see by a letter of his which I enclose. One of the Danish ministers, M. Waltersdorff, (who will probably be sent in a public character to congress,) has also expressed his wish that my grandson should be sent to Denmark. But it is not my custom to solicit employments for myself of my family, and I shall not do it in this I only hope that if he is not to be employed in your new arrangement, I may be informed of it as soon as possible, that while I have strength left for it,

or any

case.

I may accompany him in a tour to Italy, returning through Germany, which I think he may make to more advantage with me than alone, and which I have long promised to afford him, as a reward for his faithful service, and his tender filial attachment to me.

Our people, who were prisoners in England, are now all discharged. During the whole war, those who were in Forton prison, near Portsmouth, were much befriended by the constant charitable care of Mr. Wren, a Presbyterian minister there; who spared no pains to assist them in their sickness and distress, by procuring and distributing among them the contributions of good Christians, and prudently dispensing the allowance I made them, which gave him a deal of trouble, but he went through it cheerfully. I think some particular notice should be taken of this good man. I wish the congress would enable me to make him a present, and that some of our universities would confer upon him the degree of doctor.

The Duke of Manchester, who has always been

Repeated inquiries having been made (since the first publication of this letter) relative to the result of this very natural and just request of Dr. Franklin, it may be excusable here to remark, that no notice was ever taken of it by congress; nor of a former application to the same effect, backed by the strong and affecting recommendation of another of its most able and respectable ministers, JOHN JAY, ESQ. Neither were the long, faithful, arduous, and eminent services of Dr. Franklin ⚫ ever publicly acknowledged, or adequately remunerated, by the government of the United States; except the empty (though honorable) testimony of its going into mourning on his decease, may be deemed such. But it is an adage, that republics are not famed for GRATITUDE. Hopes, however, are entertained that the American government consider there is a deferred debt due to the memory of Franklin, and that they will eventually liqui

date it.

our friend in the house of Lords, is now here ambassador from England. I dine with him to-day (26th), and if any thing of importance occurs, I will add it in a postscript.

Be pleased to present my dutiful respects to the congress, assure them of my most faithful services, and believe me to be, with great and sincere esteem, sir, &c. B. FRANKLIN.

COMMERCIAL PROCLAMATION REFERRED TO IN THE FOREGOING LETTER.

At the Court at St. James's, the 6th of June, 1783. Present the King's most Excellent Majesty in Council. Whereas by an Act of Parliament passed this Session, intituled, "An Act for preventing certain instruments from being required from ships belonging to the United States of America, and to give his Majesty, for a limited time, certain powers for the better carrying on trade and commerce between the subjects of his Majesty's dominions and the inhabitants of the said United States," it is, among other things, enacted, that during the continuance of the said Act, it shall and may be lawful for his Majesty in Council, by order or orders to be issued and published from time to time, to give such directions and to make such regulations with respect to duties, drawbacks, or otherwise, for carrying on the trade and commerce between the people and territories belonging to the crown of Great Britain, and the people and territories of the said United States, as to his Majesty in Council shall appear most expedient and salutary, any law, usage, or custom, to the contrary notwithstanding: His Majesty doth therefore, by and with the advice of his privy council, hereby order and direct, that pitch, tar, turpentine, indigo, masts, yards, and bowsprits, being the growth or production of any of the United States of America, may (until further order) be imported directly from thence into any ports of this kingdom, either in British or American ships, by British subjects, or by any of the people inhabiting in and belonging to the said United States, or any of them; and that the articles above recited shall and may be entered and landed in any port of this kingdom upon payment of the same duties, as the same are or may be subject and liable to, if imported

by British subjects in British ships from any British island or plantation in America, and no other, notwithstanding such pitch, tar, turpentine, indigo, masts, yards, and bowsprits, or the ships in which the same may be brought, may not be accompanied with the certificates or other documents heretofore required by law; and his Majesty is hereby further pleased, by and with the advice aforesaid, to order and direct that any tobacco, being the growth or production of any of the territories of the said United States of America, may likewise (until further order) be imported directly from thence, in manner above mentioned, and may be landed in this kingdom, and, upon the importer paying down in ready money the duty commonly called the Old Subsidy, such tobacco may be warehoused under his Majesty's locks, upon the importer's own bond, for payment of all the farther duties due for such tobacco, within the time limited by law, according to the net weight and quantity of such tobacco, at the time it shall be so landed, with the same allowances for the payment, or such farther duties, and under the like restrictions and regulations in all other respects, not altered by this order, as such tobacco is and may be warehoused by virtue of any act or acts of parliament in force.-And the right honorable the lords commissioners of his majesty's treasury, and the lords commissioners of the admiralty, are to give the necessary directions herein, as to them may respectively appertain. STEPH. Cottrel.

SIR,

TO R. R. LIVINGSTON, ESQ.

Passy, July 27, 1783. The definitive treaties between the late belligerent powers are none of them yet completed. Ours has gone on slowly, owing partly to the necessity Mr. Hartley (successor to Mr. Oswald) thinks himself under of sending every proposition, either his own or ours, to his court for their approbation, and their delay in answering, through negligence perhaps, since they have heard our ports are open, or through indecision occasioned by ignorance of the subject, or through want of union among the ministers. We send you herewith copies of several papers that have passed between us. Mr. Hartley has for

some time assured us that he is in hourly expectation of answers, but they do not arrive. The British proclamation respecting the commerce appears to vex him a good deal. We enclose a copy. And we are of opinion that finally we shall find it best to drop all commercial articles in our definitive treaty; and leave every thing of that kind to a future special treaty to be made either in America or in Europe, as congress shall think fit to order. Perhaps it may be best to give powers for that purpose to the minister that probably will be sent to London. The opinion here is, that it will be becoming in us to take the first step towards the mutual exchange of ministers; and we have been assured by the English minister who treats with us here, that ours will be well received.

The Dutch preliminaries are not yet agreed on; and it seems to be settled that we are to sign all together, in the presence of the ministers of the two Imperial courts, who are to be complimented with the opportunity of signing as mediators, though they have not yet, and perhaps will not be consulted in the negociations. Mr. Adams is gone to Holland for three weeks, but will return sooner if wanted. The propositions you mention as made to us from that state, we suppose he has given you an account of. Nothing was or is likely to be done upon them here, and therefore it was less necessary to say any thing concerning them. A minister from that country has been gone some time to congress, and if he has those propositions in charge, they will best be considered there. With great esteem we have the honor to be, sir, &c.

B. FRANKLIN.

J. JAY.

H. LAURENS.