I have had the pleasure of writing you by a varity of occasions & flatter myself some of my letters have reached you conveying you my Sincere thanks for the many kind attentions I have received from yourself & Grandfather & more particularly for the last important service you rendered me in procuring me the protection & friendship of some of the most able & amiable men in this Country, by which means I have been enabled to pass my time agreeably & usefully & have almost forgot the troubles I passed through to come here—& though in many instances my expections of this Country have been frustrated because founded on erroneous ideas, yet on the whole, I never wish to leave it & I am the more confirmed in these sentiments by the intention the serious intention that my friends express of joining me here—These ideas like my own were too sanguine my father does not even make allowances for the failings of humanity but expects to find Elysian fields, where refined virtue alone is to be found. With these ideas he could never be happy, while with Just ones I think he might be happier here than in any part of the world—My letters are designed to open his eyes & assure him that he must not expect to find Angels but men—

In consequence of orders recd. from him I have made a tour thro’ the country to purchase land for him & was particularly pleased with Genl. Lee’s estate in Berkley County, which agreed to buy for 6100 [Stlg]. & the General came up to Philadelphia to execute the deeds but unluckily died in a very bad time for me, tho’ in a good one for himself, as his mind was brought to that pitch by discontent & disappointment, that their was no Rest either for himself or friends—He was a man of great abilities & had but his prudence been equal to a tenth part of his Genius he would have made a very brilliant & respectable figure—he had quarrelled with all the world, but at this moment all seem to have forgot the injuries they had recd. & paid the tribute due to his abilities—Every person in office, Congress & foreigners of distinction Attended him to the grave—Our agreemt. now rests on a simple writing & I doubt not I shall get the bargain confirmed—his will bears the Stamp of his Character singularity. Jacob Morris & Edwards come in each for a third of this Estate, Osw[ald] & Goddart for the other third—his sister for the remr. of his property.

We have been & are still buoyed up with the hopes of a peace. I do not conceive that it can be far off. England is surely almost roused to a sense of her danger if the war continues—delay may cost her dear; she had done well perhaps to follow Fox’s advice, it appeared generous, allowing it to be only the effect of necessity—great minds will conform themselves to their situation & make the best of it, while little ones hesitate till they make their situation still more disagreable—

A National spirit seems now to pervade this County. I hope it will be strong enough to Stifle any partial feuds, make private interest yield to the great Interest of the Country—In this state caution has recd. a severe blow, a good assembly is chosen. Dickison it is imagined will be Govr. & we flatter ourselves that the Comons next year will reform those [illegible] acts of our Govt. which tho’ good in theory were inconvenient in practice.

Pray remember me affectionately to the Doctor & believe me as ever Your affectionate friend.