March 9th, 1765

Thy letter informing of thy health, & safe return to England, have given me more pleasure than thee can imagine: … When I see so many of our Petit Maitres returning home, doubly ridiculous by their Travels, I cannot but be proud of the improvement, I have the highest reason to think, my Nephew has made by his.
Your Visit & conversation with that great man, & Universal genius M. Voltaire, & ye polite reception he gave you, must have been vastly delightful: I wish his age had been mentioned, I believe he is near 80. So much life and Spirit! his fondness for everything that is English, delights me, especially his candid acknowledemt of the Superior genius of some of our English Authors. I wonder, but why should I wonder, perhaps it would have been wonderful if they had, that A.& S. cou'd be content to stare at his Castle at a distance, without attempting the favour of his conversation, entre nous I think that one of these Gent. wou'd have been full as useful to his Country, and done it as much Credit, if he had never gone from home, at least he might have confin'd himself to N. Market, the centre & ne plus ultra of all his improvements. Voltaire's Observations of Ld. Bollingbro'ks works are very just, especially his Theological, enveloped in a Cloud of words indeed: But yet my dear, I'm afraid, that all these Accomplishments, so proper for polite conversation, will be lost in Pennsylvania, or what is worse perhaps, Attract ill will & malicious reflecions, amgst many of the narrow Spirits of Philada.;…