I think I acknowledged the receipt of your letter of the 27th past in my past letter. I imagine the vines, by the dying of the old wood, must have suffered principally from the wetness of the winter, and of the month of April & if So, this mischief must have been encreased by the flatness of the beds in which they are planted. The failure of apples in the home Orchard must proceed from the nature of the Soil, and its exposition; the soil is stiff, cold, & livery.

   Friday evening the Congress received letters from Ld. Howe, & Sir H. Clinton inclosing 3 acts of Parliat. two of them comformable to the drafts of bills, which you have seen, & the 3d An Act for repealing the Act for altering the Charter of the Massachusets Bay. Inclosed you have copies of the above letters;(1) they were directed to Henry Laurens Esqr. President of Congress. By the Acts it appears that 5 Commissioners are to be appointed to treat under the powers within the Acts; and from the Letters of Ld Howe & Clinton you will observe that Ld Howe is one of the Commissioners, but that Sir

   The President in the name of Congress acknowleges the receipt of their letters & the Acts of Parliat. and refers them to the Resolves of Congress of the 22d April upon the bills (from which the Acts do not materially differ) for the sense of Congress upon the acts. He then informs them, that when the King of G B shall be seriously disposed to peace and to put an end to the unprovoked & cruel war which he has waged against us, we shall chearfully consent to put a stop to its calamities by concluding a peace with his B. Majesty, on terms consistent with our Independance, the interest of our constituents, and the sacred regard due to our treaties. I could have wished the words "seriously disposed," {'unprovoked" & "cruel war" had not been thrust into this, otherwise unexceptionable, letter. Ld. Howe's & Clinton's letters are polite, they seem to have cautiously avoided any terms which might give offence; in this particular I wish we had imitated their example.

   It is certain most of the Enemy's shipping have fallen down the river below Newcastle; it is equally certain that they have embarked their sick, wounded, heavy baggage & artillery, great quantities of military stores & merchandize, yet notwithstanding all these appearances, it is my own opinion, that the Enemy will not abandon Pha. till the fall, or till they are constrained to leave it by the superiority of our arms. If they should not acknowledge our Independance, they will take the field with their army light and unencumbered, and endeavour to try the fortune of a battle. I do not think they will acknowlege our Independance before next winter, unless the King of Prussia, and other powers of Germany should have followed the example of France. If the British Marine should not be greatly superior to that of France & Spain, it is my opinion the British court will acknowlege our Independance, & thus avoid a war with France & Spain in conjunction with us, which would probably end in the entire expulsion of the British from this Continent. Our General thinks the Enemy intend to march thro' Jersey to South Amboy. They have got and it seems are getting many boats there with an intent as it is conjectured to pass their army over from thence to Staten Island. A few more weeks, or perhaps, days will ease us of the anxiety of all conjectures on this account.

   Gen. Schuyler writes to Governor Morris, a Delegate from New York, that he is informed the northern Indians are disposed to quit the British interest & to embrace ours. If So, this will put a stop the

    Monday morning 8th June
A 52 Gun Ship is arrived from France at Hampton in Virga. assigned by Mons. de Beaumarchais to his Agent here Mr. Francy; She has brought a most valuable cargo, the prime cost of which in France Mr. Francy assured me was a million of Livres.(3)er cargo consists of a great variety of articles, amongst others 8 thousand suits of regimentals.

   Mr. Francy informs me that he has letters from France of the 29th March acquainting him that the King of Prussia had marched 60 thousand men into Bavaria, that they had taken possession of 3 towns & a fort from which they drove the Austrian garrisons, that the Emperor had ordered 60 [thousand] men to the support of his troops already in Bavaria. That war was declared between Russia & the Porte; that the French had detained all the English vessels in their ports in consequence of a refusal from the court of London to deliver up an American vessel taken by an English privateer on the coast of France, and which had been demanded by the Court of Versailles.

   I wish the war between the Prussians & Austrians may not take off the attention of the French from their marine & approaching war with England.

   P.M. 8 o'clock
I recd. yours of the 4th instant by the post this morning. If you petition the Assembly for a repeal of the tender Law, I hope you will avoid all indecent & waste expressions in it. You may urge very forcible reasons in decent & moderate language. You ask me whether I think the continental bills will be redeemed according to their tenor? If peace should be concluded in a year from this I make no doubt, our debts will be paid off. Consider what Sums will be collected by taxes, from the amount of our own; consider the growing population of this country, the variety of its products, its fitness for navigation & commerce, and the freedom of our different governments, and then I believe you will no longer doubt the Public faith. Too many are interested in the debt not to pay it off; it will be the work of time, and perhaps a part of our paper currency may circulate in Europe; if so, the remainder will rise to par in a year or two after peace. It gives me the greatest Satisfaction to hear you continue to enjoy yr. health.