Here I am after a six months session at Annapolis on my way to Massachusetts and although my opposition to the same system in America, which you have opposed in Europe has perhaps rendered me equally obnoxious here to the aristocratic party, yet I assure you the pleasure resulting from a reflection on the measures adopted by Congress overballances every trifling consideration of the loss of friendships, which being for the most part ostensible are generally applied as incentives to or rewards of servility baseness and treachery but rarely if ever of fidelity honor or patriotism.

Your colleague Mr. Jefferson will deliver you the arrangements of Congress for commercial negotiations and I flatter myself you will find in him an able, faithful and impartial Minister, on you and him we place our reliance, and if you can preserve the confidence and friendship of each other, I am sure your services will merit the highest approbation of your country. We have had great difficulty in completing this business and once had a negative put on the whole but at length succeeded even to unanimity, except in the point which I shall presently mention. I believe nothing but our session at Annapolis could have accomplished these measures, for the Anti american system was to have no more commercial treaties, to arouse the commercial interest by issuing Commissions and giving Instructions to our Ministers to form projects of such treaties, to be reversed and altered by Congress, and then to make such alterations as the other contracting parties never could agree to; by which means our trade would have been confined to one or two nations and have been generally in an unsettled confused and unprofitable state; but now our Ministers having not only power to project but to sign the Treaties and to extend them to almost every Nation in Europe, I think our commerce must soon flourish in an extraordinary manner and that we shall have every market abroad bidding on each other for our produce and underselling each other to put off their own commodities. Great pains were taken to continue Mr. F—n in office by appointing him Secretary to the Commission, but this was opposed openly on this principle that the D—r was not only a near relative to the other, but also his best friend and patron having written to Congress letters expressing a desire that he might even be appointed Minister for Sweden; that it was well known you and the Doctor were not on the most friendly terms; that the friendship between him and his nephew would naturally induce the latter to watch every word and movement of yours, to view them with a jealous eye and to make such representations as misrepresentations as would increase the uneasiness and have a tendency to interrupt if not defeat the negotiations, and that no such inconvenience would probably result from the appointment of the other gentleman in nomination; these arguments finally prevailed and Col. Humphreys was elected. I think your friend the Do—r when he finds that you are at the head of the Commission that his G—dson has not only no prospect of promotion but has been actually superseded and that the treaties which he himself began to negotiate are now in the Department of the three Commissioners, I say, I think he will have no reason to suppose that his conduct is much approved; indeed we have not been reserved in Congress with respect to the Doctor having declared in so many words that so far advanced in years and so tractable is he as that it has become a matter of indifferance to us whether we employ him or the C—t de V—s to negotiate our concerns at the C—t of V——s.

We have left a committee of the States at Annapolis and Mr. Dana is the delegate from Massachusetts. I have desired him to send the Journals of the last session when printed which I suppose will be the case the beginning of the next month. This measure and the information you will receive from Mr. Jefferson render it unnecessary to enter into a detail of the public proceedings of Congress.

With respect to the affairs in general of the U. States, they are somewhat embarrassed as it is reasonable to suppose, after such a long and expensive war in the barwells of the country. The public accounts and the public debts are the greatest objects of attention; it is necessary to liquidate the first in order to do justice to the States as well as to individuals and Commissioners are appointed for each State to accomplish this purpose; indeed they have been obstructed for some time past in consequence of the occurrence of cases not provided for by any resolutions of Congress; but the matter has been taken up and such measures have been adopted as I hope will answer the purpose.

As to the debt the arrangement of the Treasury Department under the superintendance of a single person has been such an object of jealousy and distrust as to prevent the success of measures for funding the debt but after the 10th of November next the powers of the Financier are to be executed by a Board of Treasury consisting of Mr. Pennifer formerly a Member of Congress from Maryland, Mr. Elsworth of Connecticut and Mr. Demming of New York and I flatter myself that the States will take the necessary steps for funding the debt but we have a great prospect of sinking a considerable part of it by the western territory, as soon as a negotiation can take place with the Indians (for which purpose Commissioners are now appointed) and the land office can be opened. A great alteration must necessarily take place from the establishment of funds, in the confidence of our creditors both at home and abroad and whilst the payment of the interest will be thus facilitated and the debt be constantly reducing by the sale of lands, the burthen of tax will I hope become still lighter every day, by the increase of our fishery and agriculture (which have been greatly diminished by the war) and also by the increase of the advantages of commerce, when you shall formed the treaties by these we have the prospect of obtaining so much more for our produce and giving so much less for articles imported that the ballance of trade, which being now against us drains the continent of specie, will be then in favor and render money plenty and the collection of taxes of consequence more easy.

You will find by the Journals that upon the petition of Massachusetts a day is assigned by Congress for the institution of a federal court to determine the claims of that State to the territory claimed also by New York within the charter boundaries of the State first mentioned.

I can only add my warmest wishes that you may soon have a happy interview with Mrs. Adams and such of your family as may embark with her for Europe and that with them you may enjoy health and happiness and return to your friends in America. I remain &c