These extracts are from his intimate correspondence with Lord North, his prime minister. — For the character of George III, see No. 130 above. — Bibliography: Winsor, Narrative and Critical History, VII, 166; May, Constitutional History of England, I, ch. i.
Queen's House, Feb. 24th, 1777. 50 min. pt. 5 p. m.
LORD NORTH, — I am sorry to find your cold is encreased, and I strongly recommend Abstinence and Water as the ablest and safest physicians.
The accounts from America are most comfortable. The surprize and want of spirit of the Hessian officers as well as soldiers at Trenton is not much to their credit, and will undoubtedly rather elate the rebels, who till then were in a state of the greatest despondency. I wish Sir W. Howe had placed none but British troops in the outposts ; but I am certain by a letter I have seen from Lord Cornwallis that the rebells will soon have sufficient reason to fall into the former dejection.
Lord George Germaine will to-morrow propose Gen. Clinton for Canada, and Burgoyne to join Howe. I thoroughly approve of this ; he wants [Carleton?] to be recalled, but I have thrown cold water on that, and Ld. Suffolk and Ld. Gower will oppose it at your meeting. . . .
[May 31, 1777.] Lord North, — I am much pleased at finding you have concluded the Committee on the African business, by referring the abuses mentioned in the Report of the Board of Trade to the next Sessions of Parliament. I have as yet not heard from Lord Weymouth concerning the debate on the House of Lords, and consequently am much pleased with your attention in sending unto me a copy of Lord Chatham s highly unseasonable motion, which can have no other use but to convey some fresh fuel if attended to by the rebels. Like most of the other productions of that extraordinary brain, it contains nothing but specious words and malevolence, for no one that reads it, if unacquainted with the conduct of the mother country and its colonies, [but] must suppose the Americans poor mild persons, who after unheard-of and repeated grievances had no choise but slavery or the sword ; whilst the truth is, that the too great lenity of this country encreased their pride and encouraged them to rebel. But, thank God ! the nation does not see the unhappy contest through his mirour ; if his sentiments were adopted, I should not esteem my situation in this country as a very dignified one, for the islands would soon cast off all obedience. . . .
[Dec. 21, 1777.] Lord North with great propriety terms the enclosed letter a singular one ; I cannot help adding the epithets of offensive, and calculated alone to encrease animossity. But Franklin
