the old Ministry, when Mr Fox communicated to
this Court a new proposition relative to the mediation, the substance
of which was, "His Britannic Majesty says, that he does not prejudice,
nor will he prejudice, any question whatsoever, and that he does not
pretend to exclude any one from the negotiation, which is had in view,
who can be supposed to be interested in it, whether it may be a
question respecting the States-General or the American Colonies;" and
finally, when I had authentic intelligence, that a commission had
passed the great seal to authorise Mr Oswald to treat of peace with
the Commissioners of the United States. On all these occasions I
consulted him freely, but found him as I had expected, invariably
against the measure I proposed to his consideration, always assigning
the old reasons in support of his advice. My sentiments upon the last
most important change, you will have in my last letter, three copies
of which are forwarded to you.

Persuaded that the system of this Court, so far as it respects Great
Britain and the United States, is such as I have pointed out
heretofore, but more particularly in my last, I should not despair of
bringing them from that chosen ground by communicating our
propositions at this moment. The United States have acquired too much
consideration in Europe to be lightly offended by any Sovereign, and I
do not believe the illustrious Sovereign of this empire, has the least
disposition to offend them. If, therefore, the question was brought
before her, shall we admit or shall we reject their propositions? in
my opinion they would not be rejected. Upon what ground could a
rejection be founded at this time? When the Parliament of Great
Britain had long since declared in the face of the world their utter
inability to conquer any one of the United States, and have even made
the attempt itself criminal, by resolving, that the Minister who
should advise it, or the General who should obey an order to that
effect, should be deemed enemies of their King and country; when they
had passed an act to enable the King to make a peace or truce with
America, when their military commanders in America have published
under their hands from authority, that their Sovereign had commanded
his Ministers, to direct Mr Granville, that the independency of
America should be proposed by him in the first instance, unshackled
with conditions, and when another of his Ministers (Mr Oswald) is in
fact in treaty w