lord secretary would not acknowledge him as
the representative of one province, so long as all England practically
treated him as the representative of all America.

From this time forth, of course, there was warfare between the secretary
and the unacknowledged agent. Franklin began to entertain a "very mean
opinion" of Hillsborough's "abilities and fitness for his station. His
character is conceit, wrong-headedness, obstinacy, and passion. Those
who speak most favorably of him allow all this; they only add that he is
an honest man and means well. If that be true, as perhaps it may, I only
wish him a better place, where only honesty and well-meaning are
required, and where his other qualities can do no harm.... I hope,
however, that our affairs will not much longer be perplexed and
embarrassed by his perverse and senseless management." But for the
present Franklin was of opinion that it would be well "to leave this
omniscient, infallible minister to his own devices, and be no longer at
the expense of sending any agent, whom he can displace by a repeal of
the appointing act."

Hillsborough's theory was adopted by the board of trade, and Franklin
therefore remained practically stripped of the important agency for
Massachusetts. He anticipated that this course would soon put an end to
all the colonial agencies; but he said that the injury would be quite as
great to the English government as to the colonies, for the agents had
often saved the cabinet from introducing, through misinformation,
"mistaken measures," which it would afterward have found to be "very
inconvenient." He expressed his own opinion that when the colonies "came
to be considered in the light of _distinct states_, as I conceive they
really are, possibly their agents may be treated with more respect and
considered more as public ministers." But this was a day-dream; the
current was setting in quite the opposite direction.

In point of fact, Massachusetts seems to have taken no detriment from
this foolish and captious bit of chicanery. All the papers and arguments
which she had occasion to have presented always found their way to their
destination as well as they would have done if Franklin had been
acknowledged as the quasi public minister, which he conceived to be his
proper character.

Franklin perfectly appreciated that Hillsborough retained his position
by precarious tenure. He shrewdly suspected that if the war with Spain,
which then seemed immine