I have no pretences for obtruding a letter upon him at present, I could wish you would desire him to urge upon the Honble Mr S. Adams, the preparing, from his manuscripts, sufficient to make a volume or two, to be published in London. I am certain his name would render that which has an intrinsic value in itself still more valuable in the opinion of multitudes. The bookseller, I think, would give a handsome sum for the copy. I have had a hint that it has been mentioned to him already. He is my old and faithful friend; and I have reason to think (I say it upon my honour,) that he has been yours in these uncharitable and uncandid times.

I had not a thought till I saw the account in the news papers, that your lady and daughter were to accompany you in your voyage. I sincerely wish you, & those that are most dear to you, all imaginable happiness, and am, Dear Sir, your most obedient servant.

HONBLE MR TEMPLE.

SAMUEL DEXTER.

THOMAS POWNALL TO JAMES BOWDOIN.

DEAR SIR,-In your letter I find not less to my mortification than my surprize, that the lands which I had of so long date destined for Harvard College have been sold for default of payment of taxes, although I understood the taxes would be paid for me during the warr, which was a matter during the warr I could not properly engage myself in; but trusting that ye person whoever paid them for me must be sure I wd repay him, I concluded they were paid during the warr & the very moment the warr was over I wrote & sent over a power of attorney to you & Dr Cooper to make a grant of them for me to Harvard College. If they can be recovered to the College by my paying the taxes & charges I beg that may be done for me & I will repay it, so that the

deed of gift to the College may be made as I intended. I have besides by my [will?] left at my decease all my printed books to the College & I send the folowing [copy?] of the bequeast that the College may know how to act in case of my death:-"Item, I do hereby give & bequeath to the President, Fellows & Burser of Harvard College in the State Massachusetts Bay in New-England as to the representatives for the time being of the said College, all my printed books that I am now or shall be possessed of at the time of my decease to be delivered by my executor, his heirs or assigns, to such person or persons in England as the President, Burser & Fellows aforesaid shall appoint to receive the same on their part for the College aforesaid."

Be so good to send a copy of this to the College.

As I imagined at first, so I find now that it will not do for me to come to America 'till matters & opinions have taken their due course & direction. Having determined to quitt England, I shall in spring go to France & reside there, waiting -not till the waters of Bethesda are moved but on the contrary 'till the waters that have been troubled are still, for I love not troubled waters. Now I am going to mention a matter of which I am doubtfull how it may be understood & received. As I shall reside in France & have no rank or honors from my native country, I should be proud to owe the rank in which I should stand there from the country which I hope will one day or other adopt me. As I was once in a situation to give rank & honors to individuals of the Massachusetts Bay, when I governed it, would not the State in return give me the rank of Lt General or Major General of the Massachusetts State, from which comission I should be proud to take my rank in Europe or in France particularly. I will endeavor to do honor to it. As this will be only en titre it can neither committ the State nor me. Try this ground, my Friend, & if it

be practical gett my wish proposed; if not, do not subject me to a refusal. Direct for me to my brother, John Pownall, Esq', in Abingdon [Street], West', London. I leave him my agent during my absence & my executor in case of my death.

Your obliged & affet friend.

LONDON, Jan. 11, 84; in my way to Bath, 'till spring.

T. POWNALL.

THOMAS POWNALL TO

Jan. 15, 1784.

DEAR SIR, As I have been (as to the employment of my service) proscribed by the government of my native country for these three & twenty years, since the warr made upon America is at an end, and the warr with France is succeeded by peace, I mean to stay no longer in this country. I cannot but think it best & most prudent on every account to suspend my idea of coming to America 'till some leading current takes its course, for if I were to come & find myself mixed amidst contending I as a disinterested & dispassionate man should be ill with, if not suspected by, both parties. I shall therefore for some time go & reside in France. Now as I have no publick rank in the world derived from any honors received from my native country, I wish to owe my rank in France to & to hold up my head high with the honors. of the State Massachusetts Bay. When it was a Chartered Province I had the giving of these honors and I should hope, nay I almost feel that I merit, to receive the like from the Free Republick. If the State will give the commission & rank of Lieut. General to their old Capt General, I shall think myself raised in rank; I shall be

It is doubtful to whom this letter was addressed, though it may have been to Temple. There is no address on the outside, and it was probably sent under cover. The letter of January 11, to Bowdoin, is marked on the outside as consisting of a single sheet. - EDS.

flattered & the State shall not be dishonoured. I putt this matter & my wishes intirely into your hands. If don't upon feeling the ground you find it will not do, lett me be committed to a refusal. If you find it will do, I would wish you to propose it.

I am, dr Sir, your obliged, faithfull & affec. friend.

T. POWNALL.

P. S. If this honor is done me I shall in France, & also if I should for any time return to England, there also wear everywhere the uniform & livery of the State that honors me; should therefore be glad (in case of the event taking place) to receive some explanation as to that point. If Major General's commission is the highest rank they give, I shall be equally proud of that.

Pray direct to me at Mess Drummonds, Bankers, Charing Cross. Do not write by the packet.

JOHN TEMPLE TO LORD WALSINGHAM.*

(Copy to Ld WALSINGHAM.)

PALL MALL, 11 March, 1784.

MY LORD, Dining yesterday with some of the West India merchants & planters, I was informed of the proclamation now about to appear, granting permission for American vessells, to the size of only eighty tons burden, to trade with the sugar colonies in the West Indias, and also of the application made to government by Lord Penryn in behalf of the West Indians, together with my Lord Sydney's reasons for limiting the intercourse to such small vessells. You will, in my opinion, my Lord, do essential service to the ministry by attending to this business before such a proclamation appears, which, I

* Thomas de Grey, 2d Baron Walsingham, born July 14, 1748; died Jan. 16, 1818. At the time this letter was written Lord Walsingham had been recently appointed one of the Committee of the Privy Council for Trade and Foreign Plantations. — EDS.

am confident, would do more hurt to this country, and create more ill-humor in the United States, than if nothing at all was for the present to be done in the matter. After a war between two countries, measures that make the first impression are much to be considered & attended to, in order to create good humor, confidence, and a lasting peace. The sensible & judicious part of the United States are already astonished at the impolitic ideas entertained & published in this kingdom concerning the intercourse between the two countries. Why would it not be best for the proposed limitation (if there must be a limitation to gratify such ill informed, wrong-headed men as Lord Sheffield & his employers) to extend to all vessells of single decks up to 150 tons burden? Such vessells seldom or ever bring sugars to Europe, which it seems is the great objection here made to an open trade: & suppose there sha casually such a vessell come to England freighted with sugar, the vessell would be here sold, as hath always been customary, to pay for British manufactures; & the American seamen who navigated her would be here discharged & become mariners in English employ. Seeing the commerce between the two countries as I do, & from long experience as a public man on both sides the Atlantic, I will submit to be called an idiot if the trade is not entirely laid open by Parliament before the revolution of another year. In the mean time sha the proposed proclamation appear very ill impressions would be made by it in America, & your rivals for the trade & friendly intercourse with those States are as attentive as possible to avail themselves of every mistaken policy of this country. In a word, such acts & proclamations would, as Mr Bowdoin of Boston (no enemy to this country) says in a late letter to me, prove mere acts of alination. The idea suggested by Mr Pitt last spring or summer for a commercial intercourse was highly pleasing to the United States, as calculated to unite the two countries in bonds