e, from the tenor of the correspondence we
have hitherto had, that what little use I could be of to you
here, appeared to me to be in the communication that I had with
Franklin; I considered the rest of the negotiation as dependent
upon that, and the only possible immediate advantages which were
to be expected, seemed to me to rest in the jealousy which the
French Court would entertain of not being thoroughly supported
in everything by America. The degree of confidence which
Franklin seemed inclined to place in me, and which he expressed
to me more than once in the strongest terms, very much favoured
this idea, and encouraged me in wishing to learn from him what
might be in future ground for a partial connection between
England and America; I say in future, because I have hitherto
never much believed in any treaty of the year 1782; and my
expectation, even from the strongest of Franklin's expressions,
was not of an immediate turn in our favour, or any positive
advantage from the Commissioners in Europe, till the people in
America should cry out to them, from seeing that England was
meeting their wishes. It was in this light, too, that I saw room
to hope for some good effects from a voluntary offer of
unconditional independence to America, a chance which looked the
more tempting as I own I considered the sacrifice as but a small
one, and such as, had I been an American, I had thought myself
little obliged to Great Britain in this moment for granting,
except from an idea that if it was an article of treaty, it
would have been as much given by France as by England. I repeat
this only to remind you that, from these considerations, the
whole of my attention has been given to Franklin, and that I
should have considered myself as losing my time here, if it had
not been directed to that subject.

I believe I told you in my last, that I had very sanguine
expectations of Franklin's being inclined to speak out when I
should see him next; indeed, he expressly told me, that he would
think over all the points likely to establish a solid
reconciliation between England and America, and that he would
write his mind upon them, in order that we might examine them
together more in order; confiding, as he said, in me, that I
would not state them as propositions from him, but as being my
ow