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168 not so easily be brought to understand the conduct of others. But those with whom you have particularly to treat, know too much of the parties incident to our Constitution, and of the violence and inveteracy occasioned by personal disappointment, to be easily misled by false assertions or newspaper comments. I need only appeal to your own knowledge. However, as you may not wish it to rest entirely upon that, I have obtained His Majesty's leave to send you my dispatch to Sir Guy Carleton and Vice-Admiral Digby dated so long ago as the 5th June, and Mr. Fox's letter to M. Simolin of the 28th June, and you are at liberty to communicate to Dr. Franklin such parts of both, as may be sufficient to satisfy his mind, that there never have been two opinions since you were sent to Paris, upon the most unequivocal acknowledgment of American independence to the full extent of the resolutions of the province of Maryland enclosed to you by Dr. Franklin. But to put this matter out of all possibility of doubt, a commission will be immediately forwarded to you, containing full powers to treat and to conclude, with instructions from the Minister who has succeeded to the department which I lately held, to make the independency of the colonies the basis and preliminary of the treaty now depending and so far advanced, that hoping, as I do with you, that the articles called advisable will be dropped and those called necessary alone retained as the ground of discussion, it may be speedily concluded.

"I have only to add on this subject, that these powers which have been prepared since the 21st June, were begun upon within twenty-four hours of the passing of the Act, and completely finished in four days following, and have been since delayed owing to its being asserted that your continuance at Paris prejudiced everything that was depending, which required that they should be entrusted exclusively to Mr. Grenville. You know best the truth of this assertion.

"You very well know I have never made a secret of