1546. TO DAVID HARTLEY 1

MY DEAR FRIEND,

Passy, January 3, 1785.

I received your kind letter of December 1st, from Bath. I am glad to hear that your good sister is in a fair way towards recovery; my respects and best wishes attend her.

I communicated your letter to Mr. Jefferson, to remind him of his promise to communicate to you the intelligence he might receive from America on the subjects you mention; and now, having got back, I shall endeavour to answer the other parts of it.

What you propose to draw up of your opinions on American negociation, may be of great use, if laid, as you intend, before administration, in case they seriously intend to enter on it after the meeting of Parliament; for I know your ideas all tend to a good understanding between the two countries and their common advantage; and in my mind, too, all selfish projects of partial profit are the effects of short-sightedness, they never producing permanent benefits, and are at length the causes of discord and its consequences, wherein much more is spent than all the temporary gains amounted to.

I do not know that any one is yet appointed by your court to treat with us. We some time since acquainted your minister with our powers and disposition to treat, which he communicated to his court, and received for answer, that his Majesty's ministers were ready to receive any propositions we might have to make for the common benefit of both coun

1 From "The Private Correspondence of Benjamin Franklin," 1818, Vol. II, P. 423. — ED.

tries, but they thought it more for the honour of both, that the treaty should not be in a third place. We answered, that, though we did not see much inconvenience in treating here, we would, as soon as we had finished some affairs at present on our hands, wait upon them, if they pleased, in London. We have since heard nothing.

We have no late accounts from America of any importance. You know the Congress adjourned the beginning of June till the beginning of November. And since their meeting there has been no account of their proceedings. All the stories in your papers relating to their divisions are fiction as well as those of the people being discontented with Congressional government. Mr. Jay writes to me, that they were at no time more happy or more satisfied with their government, than at present, nor ever enjoyed more tranquillity or prosperity. In truth, the freedom of their ports to all nations has brought in a vast plenty of foreign goods, and occasioned a demand for their produce, the consequence of which is the double advantage of buying what they consume cheap, and selling what they can spare dear.

If we should come to London, I hope it may still be with you that we are to do business. Our already understanding one another may save, on many points, a good deal of time in discussion. But I doubt whether any treaty is intended on your part, and I fancy we shall not press it. It may perhaps be best to give both sides time to inquire, and to feel for the interests they cannot see. With sincere and great esteem, I am ever, my dear friend, yours most affectionately,

B. FRANKLIN.

1547. TO RICHARD PRICE 1 (M. H. S.) Passy, Feb. 1, 1785.

MY DEAR FRIEND, - I received duly your kind letter of Oct. 21,2 and another before with some of your excellent pamphlets of Advice to the United States. My last letters from America inform me that every thing goes on well there, that the new elected Congress is met, and consists of very respectable characters with excellent dispositions; and the people in general very happy under their new governments. The last year has been a prosperous one for the country; the crops plentiful and sold at high prices for exportation, while all imported goods, from the great plenty, sold low. This is the happy consequence of our commerce being open to all the world, and no longer a monopoly to Britain. Your papers are full of our divisions and distresses, which have no existence but in the imagination and wishes of English newswriters and their employers.

I sent you sometime since a little piece intitled, Testament de M. Fortuné Ricard, which exemplifies strongly and pleasantly your doctrine of the immense powers of compound interest. I hope you receiv'd it. If not, I will send you another. I send herewith a new work of Mr Necker's on the Finances of France. You will find good things in it, particularly his chapter on War. I imagine Abbé Morellet may have sent a copy to Lord Lansdowne. If not, please to communicate it. I think I sent you formerly his Conte rendu.

1 The original in the possession of Walter Ashburton in England. — ED. 2 In A. P. S.

ED.

3 By Mathon de la Cour. See letter to Vaughan, April 21, 1785. Ed.

This work makes more talk here than that, tho' that made abundance. I will not say that the writer thinks higher of himself and his abilities than they deserve, but I wish for his own sake that he had kept such sentiments more out of sight. With unalterable esteem and respect, I am ever, my dear Friend,

I received by the Marquis de la Fayette your kind Letter of the 13th of December. It gave me Pleasure on two Accounts; as it inform'd me of the public Welfare, and that of your, I may almost say our dear little Family; for, since I had the Pleasure of their being with me in the same House, I have ever felt a tender Affection for them, equal I believe to that of most Fathers.

I did hope to have heard by the last Packet of your having accepted the Secretaryship of Foreign Affairs, but was disappointed. I write to you now, therefore, only as a private Friend; yet I may mention respecting Public Affairs, that, as far as I can perceive, the good Disposition of this Court towards us continues. I wish I could say as much for the rest of the European Courts. I think that their desire of being connected with us by Treaties is of late much abated; and this I suppose occasioned by the Pains Britain takes to represent us everywhere as distracted with Divisions, discontented with our Governments, the People unwilling to pay Taxes, the

Congress unable to collect them, and many desiring the Restoration of the old Government, etc. The English Papers are full of this Stuff, and their Ministers get it copied into the foreign Papers. The moving about of the Congress from Place to Place has also a bad Effect, in giving Colour to the Reports of their being afraid of the People. I hope they will soon settle somewhere, and, by the Steadiness and Wisdom of their Measures, dissipate all those Mists of Misrepresentation raised by the remaining Malice of ancient Enemies, and establish our Reputation for national Justice and Prudence as they have done for Courage and Perseverance.

It grieves me that we have not been able to discharge our first Year's Payment of Interest to this Court, due the beginning of last Month. I hope it will be the only failure, and that effectual Measures will be taken to be exactly punctual hereafter. The good Paymaster, says the Proverb, is Lord of another man's Purse. The bad one, if he ever has again Occasion to borrow, must pay dearly for his Carelessness and Injustice.

You are happy in having got back safe to your Country. I should be less unhappy, if I could imagine the Delay of my Congé useful to the States, or in the least degree necessary. But they have many equally capable of doing all I have to do here. The new propos'd Treaties are the most important Things; but two can go thro' with them as well as three, if indeed any are likely to be compleated, which I begin to doubt, since the new ones make little Progress, and the old ones, which wanted only the Fiat of Congress, seem now to be going rather backward; I mean those I had projected with Denmark and Portugal.

My Grandsons are sensible of the honour of your remem