[Extract]

Dear Sir Your Brother Delegates [William] Hooper and [Johri] Penn got here yesterday, I this <;lay got your Letter but have only had time to glance it over. I am much disappointed 1n not seeing you here, We are going to the devil [in a] hurry without knowing how to help ourselves, and tho many are sensible of this, yet they would rather go that way than to submit to the British Ministry ー It seems a matter of uncertainty whether the French will join us or risque a quarrell with Great Britaiq on our Account could we keep our Ports open for Exports and procure supplies of Military Stores we would do great matters, otherwise we must inevitably fall thro, this however is a language I speak only to you and a few such

Our people are full of the idea of independance and are very busy in forming a Constitution but there are so many to consult on the Subject that it will be a strange piece of patchwork ー it would be easy for one man to form a Constitution, but it requires great Judgment to adapt it to the Genius of the people