There is indeed one North Briton of whom I entertain a better hope.—He seems to have caught that itch for liberty, which, to our great wonder, broke out in the Highlands last summer. He, Sir, even in the character of his M[ajest]y’s Commissi[o]ner, solicited the intimacy of _General Washington_. But indeed, Sir, if ever a Scotchman can be suspected of loving liberty, it is not when he has recently become a convert to Administration: _Washington_ therefore sent his Excellency, the worthy Commissioner, a flat refusal.—Mr. _Laurens_ too refused his Excellency the hearing he so generously solicited by imploring Congress, “_not to follow the example of Br[i]t[ai]n in the hour of her insolence_;” the _hearing_ was however refused, nay even the “_sight of the country_,” and “_the sight of its worthy patriots_” was peremptorily refused. The Americans, Sir, think that a Scotchman has neither eyes nor ears for liberty, or, at least, they distrusted the capacity of his Excellency’s organs for such an object.—I have a letter, Sir, in my pocket from my honest friend Ethan Allen; I would read it, but I am sure you won’t let me: He knows I am fond of scripture quotations, and tells me Congress would have given your Scotch commissioner this _hearing_, but they knew “he was like unto the deaf adder, who regardeth not the voice of the charmer.” Let me then trouble his Excellency with one question; who was it suggested this secret correspondence with the enemy? was it not the Scottish secretary of this wise commission, Dr. Adam Ferguson? It must have been one of Sir John Dalrymple’s associates in literature. The Scotch, if they can get no Englishman to act, as they pretend to say the great Sidney did, will make even their own countrymen treacherous in one age, to furnish some literary assassin of the next with the foul vouchers of treachery and baseness. At all events, Sir, I shall heartily give my vote for the amendment, as the only means to convict the M[i]n[i]stry of what I know they are guilty, weakness, incapacity, ignorance, obstinacy, baseness, and treachery. [Sidenote: Governor J[o]hns[o]n.]