of America and France. Can there be a more mortifying insult? Can even our ministers sustain a more humiliating disgrace? Do they dare to resent it? Do they presume even to hint a vindication of their honour, and the dignity of the state, by requiring the dismission of the plenipotentiaries of America? Such is the degradation to which they have reduced the glories of England! The people whom they affect to call contemptible rebels, but whose growing power has at last obtained the name of enemies; the people with whom they have engaged this country in war, and against whom they now command our implicit support in every measure of desperate hostility: this people, despised as rebels, or acknowledged as enemies, are abetted against you, supplied with every military store, their interests consulted, and their ambassadors entertained, by your inveterate enemy! And our ministers dare not interpose with dignity, or effect! Is this the honour of a great kingdom? Is this the indignant spirit of England, who "but yesterday" gave law to the house of Bourbon? My lords, the dignity of nations demands a decisive conduct in a situation like this. I love and honor the English troops: I know their virtues and their valor: I know they can achieve any thing except impossibilities; and I know that the conquest of English America is an impossibility. You cannot, I venture to say it, YOU CANNOT conquer America. Your armies last war effected every thing that could be effected; and what was it? It cost a numerous army, under the command of a most able general, now a noble lord in this house, a long and laborious campaign, to expel five thousand Frenchmen from French America. My lords, you cannot conquer America. What is your present situation there? We do not know the worst; but we know, that in three campaigns we have done nothing, and suffered much. Besides the sufferings, perhaps total loss, of the northern force, the best appointed army that ever took the field, commanded by sir William Howe, has retired from the American lines; he was obliged to relinquish his at

tempt, and with great delay and danger, to adopt a new and distant plan of operations. We shall soon know, and in any event have reason to lament, what may have happened since. As to conquest, therefore, my lords, I repeat, it is impossible."

The account of this total loss, predicted on the 18th of November, arrived in England in the beginning of December. We have no space for the insertion of this great man's cutting appeal to the British senate, on our employment of the Indians against the Americans. These murderers and plunderers, he told the British ministry, were the only allies they had acquired; and as to their subsidizing the Hessians, trafficking and bartering with every little pitiful German prince, who would sell and send his subjects to the shambles of a foreign power"-" your efforts," he said, "are for ever vain and impotent, doubly so, from this mercenary aid on which you rely; for it irritates to an incurable resentment the minds of your enemies, to over-run them with the mercenary sons of rapine and plunder, devoting them and their possessions to the rapacity of hireling cruelty! If I were an American, as I am an Englishman, while a foreign troop was landed in my country, I would never lay down my arms, never! never! never!"

All the views of lord Chatham, upon this unhappy business, were indeed prophetic.

France now as fearful of an accommodation between Great Britain and her colonies, as she was before of provoking the former to hostilities, came to an immediate decision in favour of America, and Mons. Gerand, secretary to the council of state, was despatched to inform the commissioners, "that after a long and mature deliberation upon their propositions, his Majesty had resolved to recognize the independence of and to enter into a treaty of commerce and alliance with the United States, and that he would not only acknowledge their independence, but actually support it with all the means in his power; that perhaps he was about to engage himself in an expensive war upon

their account, but that he did not expect to be reimbursed by them; in fine, the Americans were not to think that he entered into this resolution solely with a view of serving them, since independently of his real attachment to them and their cause, it was evidently the interest of France to diminish the England, by severing her colonies from her."

power of This important communication was received by Dr Franklin and his colleagues on the 6th December, 1777. Two commissions were accordingly given to Mons. Gerand, on the 30th January, and on the 6th of the February following a treaty of amity and commerce, and another of alliance, eventual and defensive, were entered into and signed at Paris, between his most Christian Majesty and the Thirteen United States of North America.

Those treaties were to have been kept secret till the ratifications were exchanged, but about that time the English ministry having formed the design of sending lord Carlisle, Mr Eden, and governor Johnstone to America, who in conjunction with the commander-inchief of the land and sea forces there, were empowered to make terms with Congress, the French government, to prevent any successful issue of this commission, instructed the marquis de Noailles, the French ambassador there, to inform the court of London that treaties had been concluded, and that France and America were now in defensive alliance. On intelligence of which, lord Stormont, was instructed to return immediately to England, and the marquis de Noailles withdrew to France.

The British government were now astonished at the gulf yawning beneath their authority in America. The commissioners, however, proceeded to their destination, and used every art of persuasion and deception to come to an agreement with the colonies. Governor Johnstone even asserted that Dr Franklin approved the propositions which the British commissioners carried out; but this was a mean and palpable falsehood, which that great man thought it incumbent

upon

him to contradict, in a letter to the president of Pennsylvania.

Franklin and his colleagues were now publicly received at court, introduced in form to the count de Maurepas, the first minister to the king and queen, his late majesty Louis XVIII, and to all the members of the royal family. The plenipotentiaries afterwards dined with the count de Vergennes, and were honoured with a special invitation in the evening to the "Jeu de la Reine," where Dr Franklin was particularly noticed by the unfortunate Marie Antoinette. On this occasion, a number of Americans being in Paris, accompanied their distinguished countrymen to court, and his age, his venerable appearance, says a French historian, the simplicity of his dress on such an occasion, every thing that was either singular or respectable in his life, contributed to augment the public attention. Clapping of hands, and a variety of other demonstrations of joy, announced that warmth of affection of which the French are more susceptible than any other people, and of which their politeness and civility augments the charm to him who is the object of it.

"His majesty addressed him as follows:

"You may assure the United States of America of my friendship: I beg leave to observe that I am exceedingly satisfied, in particular, with your own conduct, during your residence in my kingdom.'-When the new ambassador, after this audience, crossed the court, in order to repair to the minister of foreign affairs, the multitude waited for him in the passage, and hailed him with their acclamations."

Madame Campan, in her memoirs of the private life of Marie Antoinette, gives the following sketch of our philosopher's reception and appearance at this time.

"While delight at having given an heir to the throne of the Bourbons, and a succession of fêtes and amusements, filled up the happy days of Marie Antoinette, the community was solely engrossed with the Anglo

planted and propagated the love of liberty in the new world; the king of England by shutting his ears and his heart against the continued and respectful representations of subjects at a distance from their native land, who had become numerous, rich, and powerful, through the resources of the soil they had fertilized; and the king of France, by giving support to the people in rebellion against their ancient sovereign. Many young soldiers, belonging to the first families of the country, followed La Fayette's example, and broke through all the illusions of grandeur, and all the charms of luxury, of amusements, and of love, to go and tender their courage and their information to the revolted Americans. Beaumarchais, secretly seconded by Messrs de Maurepas and de Vergennes, obtained permission to send out to the Americans supplies of arms and clothing. Franklin appeared at court in the dress of an American cultivator. His strait unpowdered hair, his round hat, his brown cloth coat, formed a contrast with the laced and embroidered coats, and the powdered and perfumed heads of the courtiers of Versailles. This novelty turned the enthusiastic heads of the women of France. Elegant entertainments were given to Dr Franklin, who to the reputation of a most skilful physician, added the patriotic virtues which had invested him with the noble character of an apostle of liberty. I was present at one of these entertainments, when the most beautiful woman out of three hundred was selected to place a crown of laurels upon the white head of the American philosopher, and two kisses upon his cheeks. Even in the palace of Versailles, Franklin's medallion was sold under the king's eye, in the exhibition of Sevres porcelain. The legend of this medallion was

Erepuit cælo fulmen, sceptrumque tyrannis.

"The king never declared his opinion upon an enthusiasm, which his correct judgment no doubt led him to blame: however the countess Diana, having, to keep up to her character as a woman of superior.