Inclosed is my Letter to Mr. Fox. I beg you would assure him, that my Expressions of Esteem for him are not mere Professions. I really think him a Great man, and I could not think so, if I did not beleive he was at bottom, and would prove himself, a good one (Guard him against mistaken notions of the American People. You have deceived yourselves too long with vain expectations of reaping advantage from our little Discontients. We are more thoroughly an enlightened People, with respect to our Political Interests than perhaps any other under Heaven.) Every man among us reads, and is so easy in his Circumstances as to have Leisure for Conversations of Improvement, and for acquiring Information. (Our domestic Misunderstandings, when we have them, are of small Extent, tho’ monstrously magnified by your microscopic Newspapers.) He who judges from them, that we are on the Point of falling into Anarchy, or returning to the Obedience of Britain, is like one being shewn some Spots on the Sun, should fancy that the whole Disk would soon be overspread by them, and that there would be an End of day light. The great Body of Intelligence among our People surround and overpowers our Petty Dissensions, as the Sun’s great Mass of Fire diminishes and destroys his Spots. Do not therefore any longer delay the Evacuation of New York, in the vain Hopes of a new Revolution in your Favour, if such a Hope has indeed had any effect in causing that delay. It is now nine months since that evacuation was promised. You expect with reason that the People of NewYork should do your Merchants Justice in the Payment of their old Debts; consider the injustice you do them in keeping them so long out of their Habitation, and out of their Business, by which they might have been enabled to make Payment.

There is no Truth more clear to one than this, that the great Interest of our two Countries is a thorough Reconciliation. Restraints on the freedom of Commerce and Intercourse between us can afford no advantage equivalent to the mischief they will do by keeping up ill humour, and promoting a total alienation. Let you and I, my dear Friend, do our best towards securing and advancing that reconciliation. We can do nothing that in a dying hour will afford us more solid satisfaction.

I wish you a prosperous journey and a happy sight of your friends, beleive me ever, with sincere and great Esteem Present my best respects to your good Brr and Ssr Yours affectionately