disposed to enter into a negociation of peace upon fair and honourable terms. I have no doubt that there were some persons in the late ministry of that disposition.

f

ས

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 enquiries upon that subject with Mr. Adams, unknown to me. I had informed the ministry from in 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 occasion 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 so 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 an writing will bear full testimony from both sides of the impartiality of my conduct. And I will add once

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'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 sympathize 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 The Course

a

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.

FROM MR. T. DIGGES TO DR. FRANKLIN.

SIR,

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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 labour 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

こ

purpose to return immediately hence to England, and 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 ex

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plain 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. A About a fortnight ago ba 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.

4

!

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 B.'s statement of what the ministry, wanted to obtain, together with every other circumstance relative to the matter, I regularly consulted Mr. Laurens and Mr. D. Hartley upon; and the result was my, taking the journey hither, and to Paris, in order to put the questions (as they are before stated from Lord B. to Mr. Penn) and to bring an answer thereto. I am well convinced by Lord Beauchamp's pledge of his personal honour, as well as from Mr. Hartley's telling me he knew the matter to come directly from Lord North (for he visit ed him more than once to ascertain the fact) that it is a serious and sincere requisition from ministry, and that they will immediately take some steps to open a treaty, pro

vided I go back with assurances that there is a power vested in Americans in Europe to treat and conclude, and that they are willing to avail themselves of such power when properly applied to spend as men and dinedil

I have stated the whole transaction to Mr. Adams, read every memorandum I had made, informed him of every circumstance. I knew, and when I put the questions (as they are before stated from Lord B to Mr. Penn) he replied, "that there were certainly commissioners in Europe, of which body he was one, who had powers to treat and conclude upon peace; that he believed them willing to enter into such a treaty, provided as propers offer was made; but that no questions now or to be made in fature could be answered by him without previously consulting his colleagues, and afterwards acquainting the ministers of the belligerent powers thereof." Mr. Adams recommended that any future questions might be made directly to you, for that the present, as well as any subsequent propositions, would be immediately communicated to you and Mons. de Vergennes, mort we doty

1

His answers to my questions were nearly what I foretold and expected, and is substantially what Lord Beauchamp seemed so anxious to procure. When I relate this answer to his Lordship any business will be finished in that quarter. Dwills here explain to you my only motive for being a messenger from him whom I had never known or been in company with before. It will enable me to say, I have done one favour for you, and I claim of you another, viz. to obtain a restoration of my papers from Lord Hillsborough's office, which were in a most illegal and unjustifiable manner seized from me near a twelvemonth ago, and are yet withheld notwithstanding the personal ap

plications for them from Lord Coventry, Lord Nugent, and Mr. Jackson, each of whom have explained the injury and very extraordinary mischief the want of my papers for so long a time has and is now doing me.

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On my first conversation with Mr. Adams I had concluded to go to you, partly by his advice to do so; but as the expence of two journies where one may serve is of some import to me, and from supposing your answer would be substantially the same as that from Mr. Adams, I have thought it better to go back immediately to London, and then set out for Paris with the probability of being able to bear my papers.

I will take the liberty to trouble you with another letter if any thing occurs on my arrival in London. I am to leave this with Mr. Adams for forwardance; and for the present I have only to beg a line acknowledging the 'receipt of it. If your letter is put under a cover to Mr. Stockdale, Bookseller, Piccadilly, London, it will the more readily get to hand. I am, with great respect, Sir, your very obedient servant, "T. DIGGES.

ད་།།།་ག་

Ostend, 26th March.

**25 dan te 1On my last visit to Mr. Adams, Friday evening, to explain to him the substance of the foregoing letter, and ask his forwardance of it to you, we had some farther conversation on the matter, the ultimate conclusion of which was, that it was thought better I did not send the annexed letter to you, or mention my business with him until my going in person from England. Mr. Adams's reasons were these. That if I made the communication then he should be necessitated to state the matter in a long letter to you and others of his colleagues; that