The time is very near, when some of the bills I have accepted become payable. I must entreat your Excellency's answer to this as soon as convenient, and to point out to me, whether you choose that the House of Fizeau, Grand, & Co, or any other, should pay the money. It is a most grievous mortification to me, to find that America has no credit here, while England certainly still has so much; and to find that no gentlemen in public life here dare return me a visit or answer me a letter, even those who treated me when I first arrived here with great politeness. I am entreated, however, to keep this secret, but have no motive to secrete it from you. On the contrary, you ought to know it. I am told, that there will be great alterations very soon; but I have seen by experience, that no man in this country knows what will be on the morrow. Let me ask the favor of you, Sir, to give my best respects to Colonel Laurens and Mr. Franklin. I have the honor to be, with the greatest respect, Sir, &c. JOHN ADAMS. TO WILLIAM CARMICHAEL. Dr. Franklin's Enemies in America. DEAR SIR, 1 Passy, 12 April, 1781.. I received your favor by M. Cabarrus, and should have been glad if I could have rendered him any service here. He appears an amiable man, and expert in affairs. I have also your obliging letters of the 28th of February, and the 12th and 30th of March. I thank you much for your friendly hints of the operations of my enemies, and of the means I might use to defeat them. Having in view at present no other point to gain but that of rest, I do not take their malice so much amiss, as it may farther my project, and perhaps be some advantage to you. and are open, and, so far, honorable enemies; the if enemies, are more covered. I never did any of them the least injury, and can conceive no other source of their malice but envy. To be sure, the excessive respect shown me here by all ranks of people, and the little notice taken of them, was a mortifying circumstance; but it was what I could neither prevent or remedy. Those who feel pain at seeing others enjoy pleasure, and are unhappy, must meet daily with so many causes of torment, that I conceive them to be already in a state of damnation; and, on that account, I ought to drop all resentment with regard to those two gentlemen. But I cannot help being concerned at the mischief their ill tempers will be continually doing in our public affairs, whenever they have any concern in them. I remember the maxim you mention of Charles the Fifth, Yo y el Tiempo; and have somewhere met with an answer to it in this distich, "I and Time 'gainst any two, Chance and I 'gainst Time and you." And I think the gentlemen you have at present to deal with, would do wisely to guard a little more against certain chances. me. The price of the Bibliotheca Hispana is too high for I thank you for the Gazettes you sent me by the ambassador's courier. I received none by the last. I shall be exceedingly glad to receive the memoirs of the Sociedad Económica, and the works on political economy of its founder. The Prince of Maceran, with several other persons of his nation, did me the honor of breakfasting with me on Monday last, when I presented the compliments you charged me with. Mr. Cumberland has not yet arrived at Paris, as far as I have heard. The discontents in our army have been quieted. There was in them not the least disposition of revolting to the enemy. I thank you for the Maryland captain's news, which I hope will be confirmed. They have heard something of it in England, as you will see by the papers, and are very uneasy about it, as well as about their news from the East Indies. Yours affectionately, B. FRANKLIN.* * On the 12th of April, 1781, Dr. Franklin was entertained in a somewhat remarkable manner, at a Fête Champêtre given by the Countess d'Houdetot, at Sanoy, in the valley of Montmorency, twelve miles from Paris. The company consisted only of the different branches of the family of the Count and Countess d'Houdetot. To understand one of the stanzas, it is necessary to know that the Countess's name was Sophie. When the approach of Dr. Franklin's carriage was announced, they all set off on foot from the Château, and met him at the distance of about half a mile. He was handed from his carriage, by the Countess, who, upon his alighting, pronounced the following verses of her own composition. "Ame du héros, et du sage, Oh liberté! premier bienfait des dieux! Hélas! c'est de trop loin que nous t'offrons des vœux; They walked slowly to the Château, where they sat down to a splen did dinner. At the first glass of wine, the following stanza was sung, which became the chorus of the day, accompanied by instrumental music. "De Benjamin célébrons la mémoire, Chantons le bien qu'il a fait aux mortels; En Amérique il aura des autels, Et dans Sanoy nous buvons à sa gloire." At the second glass, the Countess sang the following quatrain. "I rend ses droits à l'humaine nature, Pour l'affranchir il voulut l'éclairer, TO JOHN ADAMS. Passy, 29 April, 1781. I enclose you extracts of two letters ministerial, found in the same packet with the former, written in the fond belief that the States were on the point of submitting, and cautioning the commissioners for peace Et la vertu, pour se faire adorer, At the third glass, the Viscount d'Houdetot sang; At the fourth, the Viscountess sang; At the fifth, Madame de Pernan; "Tous nos enfants apprendront de leurs mères Tous les humains dans les bras d'un seul père." At the sixth, Count de Tressan; "Vive Sanoy! C'est ma Philadelphie At the seventh, the Count d'Apché; "Pour soutenir cette charte sacrée Dinner being ended, Dr. Franklin was led by the Countess, accompanied by the whole family, into the gardens of Sanoy, where, under a rural arbor, he was presented by the gardener with a Virginia locust not to promise too much respecting the future constitutions. They are indeed cautiously worded, but easily understood, when explained by two court maxims or assertions, the one of Lord Granville's, late President of the Council, that the King is the legislator of the colonies; the other of the present Chancellor, when in the House of Commons, that the Quebec constitution was the only proper constitution for colonies, tree, which, at the request of the company, he planted with his own hands. The Countess at the same time repeated the following verses, which have been engraven on a marble pillar in the neighbourhood of that tree. "Arbre sacré, durable monument Du séjour qu'en ces lieux a daigné faire un sage, Recevez-y le juste hommage De nos vœux et de notre encens; Et puissiez-vous dans tous les âges, A jamais respecté du temps, Vivre autant que son nom, ses lois et ses ouvrages." On their return, they were met by a band of music, which accom panied the whole family in the following song., "Que cet arbre, planté par sa main bienfaisante, Elevant sa tige naissante Au dessus du stérile ormeau, Par sa fleur odoriférante, Parfume l'air de cet heureux hameau. La foudre ne pourra l'atteindre, Elle respectera son faite et ses rameaux; Franklin nous enseigna par ses heureux travaux A la diriger ou à l'eteindre, Tandis qu'il détruisait des maux Pour la terre encore plus à plaindre." After which they all proceeded to the Château. Towards evening Dr. Franklin was reconducted by the whole company to his carriage, and, before the door was shut, the Countess pronounced the following complimentary verses composed by herself. "Législateur d'un monde, et bienfaiteur des deux, L'homme dans tous les temps te devra ses hommages; De la dette de tous les âges." |