The evening of your departure, a letter came by the way of London and New York, addressed to you, and probably from Virginia.  I think you wished your American letters to remain here; I shall therefore keep it.  The passport now enclosed came the day after your departure; so also did a mass of American letters for me, as low down as August the 10th.  I shall give you their substance.  The convention of Virginia annexed to their ratification of the new constitution a copy of the State declaration of rights, not by way of condition, but to announce their attachment to them.  They added also propositions for specific alterations of the constitution.  Among these was one for rendering the President incapable of serving more than eight years, in any term of sixteen.  New York has followed the example of Virginia, expressing the substance of her bill of rights (that is, Virginia’s), and proposing amendments:  these last differ much from those of Virginia; but they concur as to the President, only proposing that he shall be incapable of being elected more than twice.  But I own I should like better than either of these, what Luther Martin tells us was repeatedly voted and adhered to by the federal convention, and only altered about twelve days before their rising, when some members had gone off; to wit, that he should be elected for seven years, and incapable for ever after.  But New York has taken another step, which gives uneasiness; she has written a circular letter to all the legislatures, asking their concurrence in an immediate convention for making amendments.  No news yet from North Carolina.  Electors are to be chosen the first Wednesday in January; the President to be elected the first Wednesday in February; the new legislature to meet the third week in March:—­the place is not yet decided on.  Philadelphia was first proposed, and had six and a half votes; the half vote was Delaware, one of whose members wanted to take a vote on Wilmington; then Baltimore was proposed and carried, and afterwards rescinded:  so that the matter stood open as ever on the 10th of August; but it was allowed the dispute lay only between New York and Philadelphia, and rather thought in favor of the last.  The Rhode Island Delegates had retired from Congress.  Dr. Franklin was dangerously ill of the gout and stone on the 21st of July.  My letters of August the 10th not mentioning him, I hope he was recovered.  Warville, &c. were arrived.  Congress had referred the decision, as to the independence of Kentucky, to the new government.  Brown ascribes this to the jealousy of the northern States, who want Vermont to be received at the same time, in order to preserve a balance of interests in Congress.  He was just setting out for Kentucky, disgusted, yet disposed to persuade to an acquiescence, though doubting they would immediately separate from the Union.  The principal obstacle to this, he thought, would be the Indian war.