第10章

havegivenyouofthislongletter，byshowingthatmyzealinthisbusinessispublic&pure。ThebestatonementforthetimeIhaveoccupiedyouwillbenottoaddtoitlongerthanwhileIassureyouofthesincerity&esteemwithwhichIhavethehonourtobeD’r。SirYourmostobedient&mosthumbleservt。

P。S。Thehurryoftimeinmyformerletterpreventedmythankingyouforyourpolite&friendlyinvitationtoMountVernon。

IshallcertainlypaymyrespectstheretoMrsWashington&yourselfwithgreatpleasurewheneveritshallbeinmypower。

THESOCIETYOFTHECINCINNATI

_ToGeorgeWashington_

_Annapolis，Apr。16，1784_

DEARSIR——IreceivedyourfavorofApr。8。byColo。Harrison。

Thesubjectofitisinteresting，and，sofarasyouhavestoodconnectedwithit，hasbeenmatterofanxietytome；becausewhatevermaybetheultimatefateoftheinstitutionoftheCincinnati，asinit’scourseitdrawstoitsomedegreeofdisapprobation，Ihavewishedtoseeyoustandingongroundseparatedfromit，andthatthecharacterwhichwillbehandedtofutureagesattheheadofourrevolutionmayinnoinstancebecompromittedinsubordinatealtercations。ThesubjecthasbeenatthepointofmypenineveryletterIhavewrittentoyou，buthasbeenstillrestrainedbythereflectionthatyouhadamongyourfriendsmoreablecounsellors，and，inyourself，oneablerthanthemall。Yourletterhasnowrenderedadutywhatwasbeforeadesire，andIcannotbettermerityourconfidencethanbyafullandfreecommunicationoffacts&

sentiments，asfarastheyhavecomewithinmyobservation。Whenthearmywasabouttobedisbanded，&theofficerstotakefinalleave，perhapsneveragaintomeet，itwasnaturalformenwhohadaccompaniedeachotherthro’somanyscenesofhardship，ofdifficultyanddanger，whoinavarietyofinstancesmusthavebeenrenderedmutuallydearbythoseaids&goodofficestowhichtheirsituationshadgivenoccasion；itwasnaturalIsayforthesetoseizewithfondnessanypropositionwhichpromisedtobringthemtogetheragainatcertain®ularperiods。AndthisItakeforgrantedwastheorigin&objectofthisinstitution；&Ihavenosuspicionthattheyforesaw，muchlessintended，thosemischiefs，whichexistperhapsintheforebodingsofpoliticiansonly。Idoubthoweverwhether，init’sexecution，itwouldbefoundtoanswerthewishesofthosewhoframedit，andtofosterthosefriendshipsitwasintendedtopreserve。Thememberswouldbebroughttogetherattheirannualassembliesnolongertoencounteracommonenemy，buttoencounteroneanotherindebate&sentiment。ForsomethingIsupposeistobedoneatthesemeetings，&howeverunimportant，itwillsufficetoproducedifferenceofopinion，contradiction&irritation。

Thewaytomakefriendsquarrelistoputthemindisputationunderthepubliceye。Anexperienceofneartwentyyearshastaughtmethatfewfriendshipsstandthistest，&thatpublicassemblies，whereeveryoneisfreetoact&speak，arethemostpowerfulloosenersofthebandsofprivatefriendship。Ithinkthereforethatthisinstitutionwouldfailinit’sprincipalobject，theperpetuationofthepersonalfriendshipscontractedthro’thewar。

Theobjectionsofthosewhoareopposedtotheinstitutionshallbebrieflysketched。Youwillreadilyfillthemup。Theyurgethatitisagainsttheconfederation——againsttheletterofsomeofourconstitutions；——againstthespiritofallofthem——thatthefoundationonwhichallthesearebuiltisthenaturalequalityofman，thedenialofeverypreeminencebutthatannexedtolegaloffice，&particularlythedenialofapreeminencebybirth；thathowever，intheirpresentdispositions，citizensmightdeclineacceptinghonoraryinstalmentsintotheorder，atimemaycomewhenachangeofdispositionswouldrendertheseflattering，whenawelldirecteddistributionofthemmightdrawintotheorderallthemenoftalents，ofoffice&wealth，andinthiscasewouldprobablyprocureaningraftmentintothegovernment；thatinthistheywillbesupportedbytheirforeignmembers，&thewishes&influenceofforeigncourts；thatexperiencehasshewnthatthehereditarybranchesofmoderngovernmentsarethepatronsofprivilege&

prerogative，¬ofthenaturalrightsofthepeoplewhoseoppressorstheygenerallyare：thatbesidestheseevils，whichareremote，othersmaytakeplacemoreimmediately；thatadistinctioniskeptupbetweenthecivil&military，whichitisforthehappinessofbothtoobliterate；thatwhenthemembersassembletheywillbeproposingtodosomething，&whatthatsomethingmaybewilldependonactualcircumstances；thatbeinganorganizedbodyunderhabitsofsubordination，thefirstobstructionstoenterprizewillbealreadysurmounted；thatthemoderation&virtueofasinglecharacterhasprobablypreventedthisrevolutionfrombeingclosedasmostothershavebeen，byasubversionofthatlibertyitwasintendedtoestablish；thatheisnotimmortal，&hissuccessor，orsomeofhissuccessors，maybeledbyfalsecalculationintoalesscertainroadtoglory：

WhatarethesentimentsofCongressonthissubject，&whatlinetheywillpursue，canonlybestatedconjecturally。Congress，asabody，iflefttothemselves，willinmyopinionsaynothingonthesubject。Theymayhoweverbeforcedintoadeclarationbyinstructionsfromsomeofthestates，orbyotherincidents。Theirsentiments，ifforcedfromthem，willbeunfriendlytotheinstitution。Ifpermittedtopursuetheirownpath，theywillcheckitbysideblowswheneveritcomesintheirway，&——，incompetitionsforoffice，onequalornearlyequalground，willgivesilentpreferencestothosewhoarenotofthefraternity。Myreasonsforthinkingthisare1。Thegroundsonwhichtheylatelydeclinedtheforeignorderproposedtobeconferredonsomeofourcitizens。2。Thefourthofthefundamentalarticlesofconstitutionforthenewstates。Iincloseyouthereport。IthasbeenconsideredbyCongress，recommitted&reformedbyacommitteeaccordingtosentimentsexpressedonotherpartsofit，buttheprinciplereferredto，havingnotbeencontrovertedatall，standsinthisasintheoriginalreport。ItisnotyetconfirmedbyCongress。

3。Privateconversationsonthissubjectwiththemembers。SincethereceiptofyourletterIhavetakenoccasiontoextendthese；notindeedtothemilitarymembers，because，beingoftheorder，delicacyforbadeit；buttotheothersprettygenerally；andamongtheseI

haveasyetfoundbutonewhoisnotopposedtotheinstitution，&

thatwithananguishofmind，tho’coveredunderaguardedsilence，whichIhavenotseenproducedbyanycircumstancebefore。IarrivedatPhiladelphiabeforetheseparationofthelastCongress，&sawthere&atPrincetownsomeofitsmembersnotnowindelegation。

Burke’spiecehappenedtocomeoutatthattime，whichoccasionedthisinstitutiontobethesubjectofconversation。Ifoundthesameimpressionsmadeonthemwhichtheirsuccessorshavereceived。I

hearfromotherquartersthatitisdisagreeablegenerallytosuchcitizensashaveattendedtoit，&thereforewillprobablybesotoallwhenanycircumstanceshallpresentittothenoticeofall。

This，Sir，isasfaithfulanaccountofsentiments&factsasI

amabletogiveyou。Youknowtheextentofthecirclewithinwhichmyobservationsareatpresentcircumscribed，&canestimatehowfar，asformingapartofthegeneralopinion，itmaymeritnotice，oroughttoinfluenceyourparticularconduct。

Itremainsnowtopayobediencetothatpartofyourletterwhichrequestssentimentsonthemosteligiblemeasurestobepursuedbythesocietyattheirnextmeeting。Imustbefarfrompretendingtobeajudgeofwhatwouldinfactbethemosteligiblemeasuresforthesociety。IcanonlygiveyoutheopinionsofthosewithwhomI

haveconversed，&who，asIhavebeforeobserved，areunfriendlytoit。Theyleadtotheseconclusions。1。Ifthesocietyproceedsaccordingtoit’sinstitution，itwillbebettertomakenoapplicationstoCongressonthatsubjectoranyotherintheirassociatedcharacter。2。Iftheyshouldproposetomodifyit，soastorenderitunobjectionable，Ithinkthiswouldnotbeeffectedwithoutsuchamodificationaswouldamountalmosttoannihilation；

forsuchwoulditbetopartwithit’sinheritability，it’sorganization，&it’sassemblies。3。Iftheyshallbedisposedtodiscontinuethewhole，itwouldremainwiththemtodeterminewhethertheywouldchuseittobedonebytheirownactonly，orbyareferenceofthemattertoCongresswhichwouldinfalliblyproducearecommendationoftotaldiscontinuance。

Youwillbesensible，Sir，thatthesecommunicationsarewithoutallreserve。Isupposedsuchtobeyourwish，&meanthembutasmaterialswithsuchothersasyoumaycollect，foryourbetterjudgmenttoworkon。Iconsiderthewholematterasbetweenourselvesalone，havingdeterminedtotakenoactivepartinthisoranythingelse，whichmayleadtoaltercation，ordisturbthatquiet&

tranquillityofmindtowhichIconsigntheremainingportionofmylife。IhavebeenthrownbackbyeventsonastagewhereIhadnevermorethoughttoappear。Itisbutforatimehowever，&asadaylabourer，freetowithdraw，orbewithdrawnatwill。WhileIremainIshallpursueinsilencethepathofright，butineverysituation，publicorprivate，Ishallbegratifiedbyalloccasionsofrenderingyouservice，&ofconvincingyouthereisnoonetowhomyourreputation&happinessaredearer。

HOT-AIRBALLOONS

_ToDr。PhilipTurpin_

_Annapolis，Apr。28，1784_

DEARSIR——Supposingyoumaynothavereceivedintelligencetobereliedonastothereality&extentofthelatediscoveryoftraversingtheairinballons，&havinglatelyperusedabookinwhicheverythingisbroughttogetheronthatsubjectaslowdownasDecemb。last，Iwillgiveyouadetailofit。Iwillstatetheseveralexperiments，withthemostinterestingcircumstancesattendingthem，bywayoftable，whichwillgiveyouaclearerview&

inlesscompass。

Theysupposetheminimumoftheseballonstobeof6inchesdiameter：theseareconstructedofgold-beaters’skin&filledwithinflammeableair。thisairproducedfromiron-filings，thevitriolicacid&distilledwateris，inweight，toAtmosphericairas7。to43。

onanaverageofthetrials：&whenproducedfromthefilingsofZinc，theMarineacid&distilledwater，istotheAtmosphericairas5。to53。or1。to101/2。butMontgolfier’sairishalftheweightofAtmospheric。thisisproducedbyburningstraw&wool。thestrawmustbedry&open，&thewoolshredveryfine，sothattheymaymakeaclearflame，withaslittlesmokeaspossible。50lb。ofstraw&5

lb。ofwoolfilledtheballonsofOct。19。&Nov。21。infiveminutes。theseballonscontained60，000cubicfeet。noanalysisofthisairisgivenus。Mons’rdeSaintfordtheauthorofthebook，givesusaverygreat&uselessdisplayofMathematicallearning，whichcertainlyhasasyethadverylittletodowiththisdiscovery：

&whenhecomestothechemicalinvestigations，whichareinteresting，hesaislittle。theballonssometimesweretornbythepressureoftheinternalairbeinginsufficientlycounteractedinthehigherregionsoftheAtmosphere。theserentswereof6。or7。f。

length，yetthemachinedescendedwithagentleequablemotion¬withanacceleratedone。bythetrialsatVersailles&ChampdeMarsitappearsthattheywillgowithamoderatewind150。leaguesin24

hours。thereareyettwoprincipaldesiderata。1。thecheapest&

easiestprocessofmakingthelightestinflammableair。2。anenvelopmentwhichwillbelight，strong，impervioustotheair&

proofagainstrain。suppliesofgasaredesireabletoo，withoutbeingoblirryfirewiththemachine：forinthoseinwhichmenascendedtherewasastoreofstraw&woollaidinthegallerywhichsurroundedthebottomoftheballon&inwhichthemenstood，&achaffingdishof3。feetcubeinwhichtheyburntthematerialstosupplyair。itisconjecturedthatthesemachinesmaybeguidedbyoars&raised&depressedbyhavingvesselswherein，bytheaidofpumps，theycanproduceavacuumorcondensationofatmosphericairatwill。theyare，fromsomenewcircumstances，strengthenedintheopinionthattherearegenerallyoppositeordifferentcurrentsintheatmosphere：&thatifthecurrentnexttheearthisnotinthedirectionwhichsuitsyou，byascendinghigheryoumayfindonethatdoes。betweenthesethereisprobablyaregionofeddywhereyoumaybestationaryifphilosophicalexperimentsbeyourobject。theusesofthisdiscoveryaresuggestedtobe1。

transportationofcommoditiesundersomecircumstances。2。

traversingdeserts，countriespossessedbyanenemy，orravagedbyinfectiousdisorders，pathless&inaccessiblemountains。3。

conveyingintelligenceintoabeseigedplace，orperhapsenterprisingonit，reconnoitringanarmy&c。4。throwingnewlightsonthethermometer，barometer，hygrometer，rain，snow，hail，wind&otherphenomenaofwhichtheAtmosphereisthetheatre。5。thediscoveryofthepolewhichisbutoneday’sjourneyinabaloon。fromwheretheicehashithertostoppedadventurers。6。raisingweights；

lighteningshipsoverbars。7。housebreaking，smuggling&c。someoftheseobjectsareludicrous，othersserious，important&probable。I

willgiveyouthefiguresofthebaloonsonthelastpage。

Congresshasdeterminedtoadjournonthe3dofJunetomeetinNovemberatTrenton。avesselarrivedhereyesterdaywhichleftLondonthe25thofMarch。shebringspaperstothe20thofthatmonth。mr。Pittwasstillinplace，supportedbythecityofLondon，thenationingeneral，&theHouseofLords。stillhoweverthemajorityintheH。ofcommonswasagainsthim，thoreducedto12。itwasthoughttheparliamentwouldbedissolved。

Besogoodastopresentmydutifulrespectstomyuncle&aunt&tobeassuredoftheesteemwithwhichIamDr。Siryourfriend&serv’t”NILDESPERANDUM”

_ToRichardPrice_

_Paris，Feb。1，1785_

SIR，——ThecopyofyourObservationsontheAmericanRevolutionwhichyouweresokindastodirecttomecamedulytohand，andIshouldsoonerhaveacknowledgedthereceiptofitbutthatIawaitedaprivateconveianceformyletter，havingexperiencedmuchdelayanduncertaintyinthepostsbetweenthisplaceandLondon。Ihavereaditwithverygreatpleasure，ashavedonemanyotherstowhomIhavecommunicatedit。Thespiritwhichitbreathesisasaffectionateastheobservationsthemselvesarewiseandjust。

IhavenodoubtitwillbereprintedinAmericaandproducemuchgoodthere。Thewantofpowerinthefederalheadwasearlyperceived，andforeseentobetheflawinourconstitutionwhichmightendangeritsdestruction。IhavethepleasuretoinformyouthatwhenIleftAmericainJulythepeoplewerebecominguniversallysensibleofthis，andaspirittoenlargethepowersofCongresswasbecominggeneral。Lettersandotherinformationrecentlyreceivedshewthatthishascontinuedtoincrease，andthattheyarelikelytoremedythisevileffectually。Thehappinessofgovernmentslikeours，whereinthepeoplearetrulythemainspring，isthattheyarenevertobedespairedof。Whenanevilbecomessoglaringastostrikethemgenerally，theyarrousethemselves，anditisredressed。Heonlyisthenthepopularmanandcangetintoofficewhoshewsthebestdispositionstoreformtheevil。Thistruthwasobviousonseveraloccasionsduringthelatewar，andthischaracterinourgovernmentssavedus。Calamitywasourbestphysician。SincethepeaceitwasobservedthatsomenationsofEurope，countingontheweaknessofCongressandthelittleprobabilityofaunioninmeasureamongtheStates，wereproposingtograspatunequaladvantagesinourcommerce。Thepeoplearebecomesensibleofthis，andyoumaybeassuredthatthisevilwillbeimmediatelyredressed，andredressedradically。IdoubtstillwhetherinthismomenttheywillenlargethosepowersinCongresswhicharenecessarytokeepthepeaceamongtheStates。IthinkitpossiblethatthismaybesufferedtolietillsometwoStatescommithostilitiesoneachother，butinthatmomentthehandoftheunionwillbeliftedupandinterposed，andthepeoplewillthemselvesdemandageneralconcessiontoCongressofmeanstopreventsimilarmischeifs。Ourmottoistruly”nildesperandum。”TheapprehensionsyouexpressofdangerfromthewantofpowersinCongress，ledmetonotetoyouthischaracterinourgovernments，which，sincetheretreatbehindtheDelaware，andthecaptureofCharlestown，haskeptmymindinperfectquietastotheultimatefateofourunion；andIamsure，fromthespiritwhichbreathesthroyourbook，thatwhateverpromisespermanencetothatwillbeacomforttoyourmind。Ihavethehonourtobe，withverysincereesteemandrespect，Sir，Yourmostobedientandmosthumbleserv’t。