agreeable; among them she named lord Cholmondely, who, she said, had promised to call on his return to England, and drink tea with us at Passy.

He left Nice sooner than she supposed, and came to Paris long before her. On the 21st of March I received the following note (No. 1.)

(RECEIVED MARCH 21, 1782.)

"Lord Cholmondely's compliments to Doctor Franklin; he sets out for London to-morrow evening, and should be glad to see him for five minutes before he went: lord Cholmondely will call on him at any time in the morning, he shall please to appoint.

Thursday evening, Hotel de Chartres."

I wrote for answer, that I should be at home all the next morning, and glad to see his lordship, if he did me the honor of calling upon me. He came accordingly. I had before no personal knowlege of this nobleman. We talked of our friends whom he left at Nice; then of affairs in England; and the late resolutions of the commons, on Mr. Conway's motion.

He told me that he knew lord Shelburne had a great regard for me, that he was sure his lordship would be pleased to hear from me, and that if I would write a line he should have a pleasure in carrying it. On which I wrote the following:

Passy, March 22, 1782.

Lord Cholmondely having kindly offered to take a letter from me to your lordship, I embrace the opportunity of assuring the continuance of my ancient respect for your talents and virtues, and of congratulating you on the returning good disposition of your country in favor of America, which appears in the late resolutions of the commons; I am persuaded it will have good effects. I hope it will tend to produce a general peace, which I am sure your lordship, with all good men, desires, which I wish to see before I die, and to which I shall with infinite pleasure, Contribute every thing in my power. Your friends the

Abbé Morellet and Madame Helvetius are well. You have made the latter very happy by your present of gooseberry bushes, which arrived in five days and in excellent order.

With great and sincere esteem,

I have the honor to be, &c.

B. FRANKLIN.

Soon after this we heard from England, that a total change had taken place in the ministry, and that lord Shelburne was come in as secretary of state. But I thought no more of my letter, till an old friend and neighbor of mine many years in London, appeared at Passy, and introduced a Mr. Oswald, whom he said had a great desire to see me; and Mr. Oswald after some little conversation, gave me the following letters from lord Shelburne and Mr. Laurens : (No. 3, and 4.)

DEAR SIR,

Lord Shelburne to Dr. Franklin.

London, April 6, 1782,

I HAVE been favored with your letter, and am much obliged by your remembrance. I find myself returned nearly to the same situation which you remember me to have occupied nineteen years ago, and should be very glad to talk to you as I did then, and afterwards in 1767, upon the means of promoting the happiness of mankind; a subject much more agreeable to my nature, than the best concerted plans for spreading misery and devastation. I have had a high opinion of the congress, of your mind, and of your foresight. I have often been beholden to both, and shall be glad to be so again, as far as is compatible with your situation. Your letter discovering the same disposition, has made me send you Mr. Oswald. I have had a longer acquaintance with him, than even I have had the pleasure to have with you. I believe him an honest man, and after consulting some of our common friends, I have thought him fittest for the purpose. He is a pacifical man, and conversant in those negociations which are most inter

esting to mankind. This has made me prefer him to any of our speculative friends, or to any person of higher rank: he is fully apprized of my mind, and you may give full credit to every thing he assures you of. At the same time any channel occurs to you, I am ready to embrace it. I wish to retain the same simplicity and good faith which subsisted between us in transactions of less importance.

if

I have the honor to be, &c.

SHELBURNE.

Henry Laurens to Dr. Franklin.

DEAR SIR,

London, April 7, 1782.

Richard Oswald, Esquire, who will do me the honor of delivering this, is a gentleman of the strictest candor and integrity. I dare give such assurance, from an experience little short of thirty years, and to add, you will be perfectly safe in conversing freely with him on the business which he will introduce, a business which Mr. Oswald has disinterestedly engaged in from motives of benevolence, and from the choice of the man, a persuasion follows that the electors mean to be in earnest. Some people in this country, who have too long indulged themselves in abusing every thing American, have been pleased to circulate an opinion that Doctor Franklin is a very cunning man, in answer to which, I have remarked to Mr. Oswald, Doctor Franklin knows very well how to manage a cunning man; but when the doctor converses and treats with a man of candour, there is no man more candid than himself. I do not know whether you will ultimately agree in political sketches; but I am sure as gentlemen, you will part very well pleased with each other.

Should you, sir, think proper to communicate to me your sentiments and advice on our affairs, the more amply the more acceptable, and probably the more serviceable. Mr. Oswald will take charge of your dispatches, and afford a secure means of conveyance. To this gentleman I refer you for general information of a journey which I am imme

diately to make, partly in his company, at Ostend to file off for the Hague. I feel a willingness, infirm as I am, to attempt doing as much good as can be expected from such a prisoner upon parole. As general Burgoyne is certainly exchanged, a circumstance by the bye, which possibly might have embarrassed us, had your late proposition been accepted. May I presume at my return to offer another lieutenant general now in England, a prisoner upon parole, in exchange, or what shall I offer in exchange for myself, a thing in my own estimation, of no great value.

I have the honor to be, with great respect, and permit me to add, great reverence, sir, &c.

HENRY LAURENS.

I entered into conversation with Mr. Oswald. He was represented in the letter as fully apprized of lord Shelburne's mind, and I was desirous of knowing it. All I could learn was, that the ministry sincerely wished for peace, that they considered the object of the war to France and America as obtained. That if the independence of the United States was agreed to, there was no other point in dispute, and therefore nothing left to hinder a pacification; that they were ready to treat of peace; but he intimated that if France should insist upon terms too humiliating to England, they could still continue the war, having yet great strength and many resources left. I let him know that America would not treat but in concert with France; and that my colleagues not being here, I could do nothing of importance in the affair, but that if he pleased, I would present him to the count de Vergennes, secretary of state for foreign affairs. He consenting, I wrote and sent the following letter:

SIR,

Passy, April 15, 1782.

AN English nobleman, lord Cholmondely, lately return. ing from Italy, called on me at a time when we received the news of the first resolutions of the house of commons relating to America. On conversation he said, that he knew

his friend, lord Shelburne, had a great regard for me: that
it would be pleasing to him to hear of my welfare, and to
receive a line from me, of which he, lord Cholmondely,
should like to be the bearer; adding, that if there should be
a change of ministry, he believed lord Shelburne would be
employed. I thereupon wrote a few lines, of which I also
enclose a copy. This day I received an answer, which I also
enclose, together with another letter from Mr. Laurens.
They both, as your excellency will see, recommend the bearer,
Mr. Oswald, as a very honest sensible man. I have had a
little conversation with him. He tells me there has been a
desire of making a separate peace with America, and con-
tinuing the war with France and Spain; but that now all
wise people give up that idea as impracticable; and it is
his private opinion, that the ministry do sincerely desire a
general peace, and that they will readily come into it, pro-
vided France does not insist upon conditions too humiliating
for England; in such case, she will make great and violent ́
efforts rather than submit to them, and that much is still in
her power, &c. I told the gentleman, that I could not en-
ter into particulars with him, but in concert with the minis-
ters of this court. And I proposed introducing him to
your excellency, after communicating to you the letters he
had brought me, in case you should think fit to see him,
with which he appeared to be pleased. I intend waiting
on you to-morrow, when you will please to acquaint me
with your intentions, and favor me with your counsels.
He had heard nothing of Forth's mission, and the old mi-
nistry had not acquainted the new with that transaction.
Mr. Laurens came over with him in the same vessel, and
went from Ostend to Holland.

With great respect, I am, &c.
B. FRANKLIN.”

The next day being at court with the foreign ministers, as usual on Tuesdays. I saw M. de Vergennes, who acquainted me, that he had caused the letter to be translated, had considered the contents, and should like to see Mr.

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