ally. It is indeed true, as you justly observe, that he hath at times
been at enmity with his Britannic Majesty, by which we suffered some
inconveniences; but these flowed rather from our connection with you
than any ill-will towards us; at the same time it is a solemn truth,
worthy of your serious attention, that you did not commence the present
war,--a war in which we have suffered infinitely more than by any former
contest, a fierce, a bloody, I am sorry to add, an unprovoked and cruel
war,--that you did not commence this, I say, because of any connection
between us and our present ally; but, on the contrary, as soon as you
perceived that the treaty was in agitation, proposed terms of peace to
us in consequence of what you have been pleased to denominate an
insidious interposition. HOW, then, does the account stand between us?
America, being at peace with the world, was formerly drawn into a war
with France in consequence of her union with Great Britain. At present,
America being engaged in a war with Great Britain, will probably obtain
the most honorable terms of peace in consequence of her friendly
connection with France. For the truth of these positions, I appeal,
gentlemen, to your own knowledge. I know it is very hard for you to
part with what you have accustomed yourselves from your earliest
infancy to call your Colonies. I pity your situation, and therefore I
excuse the little aberrations from truth which your letter contains. At
the same time it is possible that you may have been misinformed. For I
will not suppose that your letter was intended to delude the people of
these States. Such unmanly, disingenuous artifices have of late been
exerted with so little effect, that prudence, if not probity, would
prevent a repetition. To undeceive you, therefore, I take the liberty
of assuring your Excellencies, from the very best intelligence, that
what you call "the present form of the French offers to America," in
other words, the treaties of alliance and commerce between his most
Christian Majesty and these States, were not made in consequence of any