onsideration must induce
them to wish to render Britain formidable in our neighborhood, and to
leave us as few resources of wealth and power as possible.

It is their interest to keep some point or other in contest between us
and Britain to the end of the war, to prevent the possibility of our
sooner agreeing, and thereby keep us employed in the war, and
dependent on them for supplies. Hence they have favored, and will
continue to favor, the British demands as to matters of boundary and
the tories.

The same views will render them desirous to continue the war in our
country as long as possible, nor do I believe they will take any
measures for our repossession of New York, unless the certainty of its
evacuation should render such an attempt advisable. The Count de
Vergennes lately said, that there could be no great use in expeditions
to take places, which must be given up to us at a peace.

Such being our situation, it appears to me advisable to keep up our
army to the end of the war, even if the enemy should evacuate our
country; nor does it appear to me prudent to listen to any overtures
for carrying a part of it to the West Indies, in case of such an
event.

I think we have no rational dependence except on God and ourselves,
nor can I yet be persuaded that Great Britain has either wisdom,
virtue, or magnanimity enough to adopt a perfect and liberal system of
conciliation. If they again thought they could conquer us, they would
again attempt it.

We are, nevertheless, thank God, in a better situation than we have
been. As our independence is acknowledged by Britain, every obstacle
to our forming treaties with neutral powers, and receiving their
merchant ships, is at an end, so that we may carry on the war with
greater advantage than before, in case our negotiations for peace
should be fruitless.

It is not my meaning, and therefore I hope I shall not be understood
to mean, that we should deviate in the least from our treaty with
France; our honor, and our interest are concerned in inviolably
adhering to it. I mean only to say, that if we lean on her love of
liberty, her affection for America, or her disinterested magnanimity,
we shall lean on a broken reed, that will sooner or later pierce our
hands, and Geneva as well as Corsica justifies this observation.

I have written many disagreeable things in this letter, but I thought
it my duty. I have also deviated from my instructions, which though
not to be justi