Yo

Philadelphia, September 3, 1778.

OUR very acceptable letter of the 21ft of Marchi, I received about the middle of June, and would have answered it long ago, if there had been any encouraging profpect of conveying it safely. As to writing you a fhort letter that muft have gone open through the enemy's pofts, I did not think it worth while. I have however now come to a refolution of writing you pretty fully, and trying to convey it by France or Holland; and if it fhould fall into their hands, and never get to your's, there will be no other lofs than my time in writing; for as to any other confequences, either to the public or to myself I have not the leaft apprehenfion.

Your letter came to me fealed, and apparently never opened, in a packet from the British commiffioners, which arrived at York-town while the congrefs was fitting; and confequently it, as well as one from Mr. F, was delivered to me in presence of the whole members. As

the fame packet, befides the public meffage, contained fome private letters addressed to particular members, fome of them from governor Johnftone, one of the commiffioners, a propofal was made by a member, who read publicly one received by himself, that every gentleman who had received private letters from any person with the enemy, fhould deliver them to cougrefs, that they might be read. This would have been attended with no difficulty as to me; except fome family affairs in Mr. F's letter very improper to be publicly read, and fome expreffions in his letter a little offenfive fpeaking of congrefs. However, it was not done at that time; and afterwards, in a diet at many days diftance, every member who had received any fuch letters, was called upon to read from them what related to public affairs, which was done,

I am and have been greatly concerned, as you seem to be, for the conteft between Great-Britain and America ; and certainly, from my own intereft, have by far the greatest reafon of the two; and as I fuppofe it will be agreeable to you, fhall make a few obfervations, 1. upon the public caufe, and 2. on my own conduct, which I understand from many different quarters, to be highly blamed in my native country.

As to the public caufe, I look upon the feparation of America from Britain to be the vifible intention of Provi, dence; and believe that in the iffue it will be to the benefit of this country, without any injury to the other-perhaps to the advantage of both. It feems to me the intention of Providence for many reafons, which I cannot now enumerate, but in a particular manner for the following that I cannot recollect any inftance in history, in which a perfon or people have fo totally and uniformly mistaken the means for attaining their own ends, as the king and parliament of Britain have in this conteft. I do feriously and pofitively affirm to you, my dear fir, that it is my opinion, that congrefs itfelf, if they had been to direct the measures of the British miniftry, could not or would not have directed them to measures fo effectual to forward and eftablifh the independence of America, as those which they chose of their own accord. They have had a mistaken opinion

of the ftate of things in America, from the beginning to this hour, and have founded their whole conduct upon their mistakes. They fuppofed fometimes, that the people of America in general were feditious and factious-defirous of a feparation from Great-Britain, and that their conduct on occafion of the ftamp-act was the effect of this difpofition. Nothing could be more untrue, I am a witnefs that the people of this country had an efteem of, and attachment to the people of Great-Britain, exceedingly ftrong. They were proud of them, and of their own defcent from them. British fashions, British goods, and even British perfons were in the highest esteem. A perfon educated in the old countries had a degree of rank and credit from that circumftance, independent of every other. I think they were even partial in this refpect. I believe, had I myself been born and educated in America, I fhould have met with a degree of acceptance aud fuccefs in my ftation, far inferior to what actually happened. When an American fpoke of going to England, he always called it going home; and wherever you are in this country, you meet with almost nothing but counties, townfhips and houfes called by English names. I live at Princeton in Middlefex county; and on the oppofite fide of the fireet is Somerfet county, and indeed I believe all the counties in New-Jerfey, are called by English names.

From this I defire that you may infer, that the opposition made to the claims of parliament, arofe from a deep and univerfal conviction in the people, that they were inconfiftent with their own fecurity and peace. In this I am fatisfied that they judged right; for had the claim fet up been acquiefced in, the provincial affemblies would have become contemptible and useless, and the whole colonies no better than a parcel of tributary states, which, placed at fo great a distance, would have been, from error, ignorance and self-intereft, loaded in the most infupportable

manner.

Another mistake, into which the miniftry and parliament of England fell, was that this was a deep-laid scheme of a few artful and defigning men, who ftirred up the multitude for their own ends; that the fentiments in fa

vor of America, were by no means general; but that the artful leaders impofed upon them. This I have seen af ferted from the beginning to the end of the quarrel; and to complete the abfurdity, the very commiflioners now here from Britain, continue to reason in the fame manner-impeach the congrefs with ambitious and defigning views, and feem difpofed to appeal to the people. Alas! they know nothing of the matter. The congrefs is a changeable body: members are going from it, and coming to it every month, nay every week.

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I.

NE

New-Jersey.

EW-JERSEY is bounded on the north by a line drawn from the North or Hudfon's river to the boundary of Pennsylvania, fixed about ten years ago by commiffioners appointed from New-York and New-Jersey, and marked in all the late maps. This line runs nearly weft, and paffes about thirty miles north of Morris-town in New-Jersey.

It is bounded on the eaft by Hudfon's river, from the line juft now mentioned to the fea.

It is bounded on the fouth by the Atlantic Ocean, from the mouth of Hudfon's river to Cape May, at the mouth of Delaware Bay. And on the weft by the Delaware, to the place where the first mentioned line strikes it, between two and three hundred miles from the fea.

II. Smith's Hiftory of New-Jerfey is the only publication that can answer the defign of this query.