Your last letter, delivered to me by Mr. Williams, gave me extraordinary pleasure. The advantage he has of being so closely associated with you created a strong predisposition in his favor; his physiognomy is no less prepossessing; the quality of his intellect and the gentleness of his manners correspond perfectly to all this. He is endearing himself to everyone here, men and women alike, and they would willingly accept him as a Frenchman. We want to keep him here for a long time, and we will never be able to enjoy as much of his company as we would like. We have been very flattered that he was so good as to take lodgings close to our quarter. If only we could have you here with us too, even if we had to dismiss all our tenants in order to offer you a comfortable apartment in our house!

I have had Mr. Le Roy apply a spur to Mr. Stanley, who has not been insensible of it, by warning him that if you left for America again, as could happen any day, you would not leave his clock behind in Europe, and it would be considered yours entirely, in exchange for your eight guineas. I hope that he will make a final effort to conclude this affair, which should be overwhelming him with embarrassment.

Various rumors are reported here concerning your mother country’s dispute with her colonies. If it is true that the Ministry proposes that America should levy taxes on itself, at the rate once determined by the Parliament of London—that is to say, if they propose that whatever sum has been accorded annually to the King, England will pay so many sous per livre, Ireland so many and America so many—then it seems to me that you would have all the more reason to accept, given that the wealth of England and Scotland can only diminish, whereas the wealth of your colonies can only increase. Despite this fact, the tax of one country could not be made heavier unless the burden of the other countries was made heavier as well.

Although the letters that I wrote under the pseudonym of a Quaker had been approved by the royal censor, they have been completely suppressed by the Guard of Seals; therefore I cannot have them published, as I intended. Perhaps not all of the material in them will be lost, but I do not know when or how I will be able to make use of it. This is something of a sorrow to me.

Please be convinced of all my sympathy at the loss that you have suffered, and that I learned of only by seeing your nephew in mourning. It is extremely sad to lose one’s other half on the eve, so to speak, of being reunited after a long absence.

I always have new favors to thank you for. Most of your pamphlets are very interesting, and your new edition will be the glory of my little library. Please accept a thousand tender compliments from my wife, Mesdemoiselles Biheron, Basseporte, etc.

Please be so good as to deliver my thanks and my respects to Mr. Pringle. The speech that he made on the occasion of the award presented by your Royal Society had at least as much merit as the work that it was meant to crown; nevertheless, I think it was well done to bestow that honor on Monsieur Walsh, in order to encourage wealthy lovers of science to put their riches to such a worthy use. I have the honor to be, with a perfect attachment, Monsieur and dear friend, your very humble and very obedient servant