Richard Henry Lee to Francis Lightfoot Lee

I arrived at this place a week ago almost destroyed with heat and fatigue - Here I found Grayson in the Chair of Congress as Locum Tenens for the President who is absent - After some difficulty we passed an Ordinance for establishing a temporary Government beyond the Ohio, as preparatory to the sale of that country - And now we are considering an offer made to purchase 5 or 6 millions of Acres with pub. Securities - I hope we shall agree with the Offer, but realy the difficulty is so great to get any thing done, that it is not easy for the plainest propositions to succeed - We owe much money, the pressure of Taxes is very great & much complained of - we have now something to sell that will pay the debt & discharge the greatest part of the Taxes and altho’ this something is in a fair way of being soon wrested from us by the Sons of Violence, yet we have a thousand little difficulties that prevent us from selling! - I found the Convention at Phila. very busy & very secret, it would seem however, from variety of circumstances that we shall hear of a Government not unlike the B. Constitution - That is, an Execu<tive> with 2 branches composing a federal Legislature, and possessing adequate Tone. This departure from Simple Democrocy seems indispensably necessary, if any government at all is to exist in N. America - Indeed the minds of men have been so hurt by the injustise, folly, and wickedness of the State Legislatures; & State Executives - that people in general seem ready for any thing - I hope however, that this tendency to extreme will be so controuled as to secure fully and completely the democratic influence acting within just bounds - The Land Speculators continue to urge the Open Missippi immediately, against every principle of policy, common good & common sense - Upon this I shall write you more fully hereafter. The bills of R. Morris have been refused in France, to a very considerable amount it is said - Time must discover how this will work, & what it will produce. The discoveries of fraud among the great Officers of State in France roves that private embezzlement of public Money <is> not confined to America - There seems to be much convulsion in France on this occasion at present - My love, if you please to Mrs. Lee and when you have an opportunity, let me know that you are all well - farewell.

Richard Henry Lee