hasty measure
has embarrassed England, undesirous of war, if it can be avoided,
yet unwilling to separate from the power who is to render its success
probable. Still you may be assured, that that court is going on in
concurrence with this, to prevent extremities, if possible; always
understood, that if the war cannot be prevented, they will enter into
it as parties, and in opposition to one another. This event is, in my
opinion, to be deprecated by the friends of France. She never was equal
to such a war by land, and such a one by sea; and less so now, than in
any moment of the present reign. You remember that the nation was in a
delirium of joy on the convocation of the _Notables_, and on the various
reformations agreed on between them and the government. The picture of
the distress of their finances was indeed frightful, but the intentions
to reduce them to order seemed serious. The constitutional reformations
have gone on well, but those of expenses make little progress. Some
of the most obviously useless have indeed been lopped off, but the
remainder is a heavy mass, difficult to be reduced. Despair has seized
every mind, and they have passed from an extreme of joy to one of
discontent. The parliament, therefore, oppose the registering any new
tax, and insist on an Assembly of the States General. The object of
this is to limit expenses, and dictate a constitution. The edict for
the stamp tax has been the subject of reiterated orders and refusals to
register. At length, the King has summoned the parliament to Versailles
to hold a bed of justice, in which he will order them, in person,
to register the edict. At the moment of my writing, they are gone to
Versailles for this purpose. There will yet remain to them, to protest
against the register, as forced, and to issue orders against its
execution on pain of death. But as the King would have no peaceable mode
of opposition left, it remains to be seen, whether they will push the
matter to this extremity. It is evident, I think, that the spirit of
this country is advancing towards a revolution in their constitution.
There are not wanting persons at the helm, friends to the progress
of this spirit. The Provincial Assemblies will be the most probable
instrument of effecting it.

Since writing thus far, I have received an intimation, that it will be
agreeable not to press our commercial regulations at this moment, the
ministry being too much occupied with the difficulties s