was, however, still to go with Mr. Adams, but receiving the enclosed letter from M. de Sartine, Minister of the Marine, who at the same time offered to man her compleatly if I comply'd with his Request, I thought it right to oblige him, as the Inconvenience would be only a little longer Delay to Mr. Adams in getting home, and by her extremely swift sailing, of which they relate Wonders, she might in the proposed Cruize take Prisoners enough to redeem by the now establish'd Cartel the rest of our unfortunate Countrymen still in the English Prisons. I accordingly acquainted M. de Sartine that I would, agreable to his desire, order her to L'Orient, where she now is, a Part of Capt. Jones' little Squadron, which is ready to sail, if not already sailed, on the intended Expedition. After all this was thus arranged, Mr. Arthur Lee wrote to me to urge the sending her with the Merchant-Ships, and to carry over some Dispatches of his and Mr. Izard's that were of great Importance, but as those Ships were by this time sailed, and the French frigate with the new Minister and Mr. Adams was to sail in a Week or two, and might carry those Dispatches, the Contents of which I was not acquainted with, I did not see the Necessity of retracting the Promise I had made to the Minister, and thereby deranging the Expedition. As our Ships of War that arrive here require an amazing Expence to outfit them, and the Prizes they bring in often occasion Lawsuits and all the Embarrassment and Sollicitation and Vexation attending Suits in this Country, I must beg the Committee would be so good as to order the several Navy Boards to send no more to be outfitted here, without sending Effects to defray the Expence, and that if our armed Ships should be still ordered to cruise in these seas, a Consul or Consuls may be appointed in the several SeaPorts, who will thereby be more at hand to transact maritime Business expeditiously, will understand it better, relieve your Minister at this Court from a great deal of Trouble, and leave him at liberty to attend affairs of more general Importance With great Esteem and Respect, I have the honour Gentlemen, to be your most obedient and most humble servant, B. FRANKLIN. 1015. TO JOHN JAY1 (D. S. W.) Passy, June 2, 1779 DEAR SIR, I received a few Days since, by way of St. Eustachia, the Duplicate of a Letter you did me the honour to write to me of 3d January. But the Act of Congress of Dec. 23, which you mention, is not yet come to hand. Col. Diricks, whom the Secretary names to you, called here in his way to Holland, and brought me a Recommendatory Letter from Gov Trumbull, but neither himself nor that letter mentioned any thing of his Business in Holland, except to see his friends; so that I yet know of nothing to the purport of that act. The other, of January 1st, is come to hand. Besides the Reasons given in it for deferring the Expedition to Canada, there is one that would weigh much with me, and that is our Want of Sufficient Quantity of hard Money. The Canadians are afraid of Paper, and would never take the Congress Money. To enter a Country which you mean to make a friend of, with an army that must have occasion 1 This letter is erroneously dated June 9th in Wharton and Bigelow. - ED. every Day for fresh Provision, Horses, Carriage labour of every kind, having no acceptable Money to pay to those that serve you, and to be obliged, therefore, from the Necessity of the Case, to take that Service by Force, is the sure way to disgust, offend, and by Degrees make Enemies of the whole People, after which all your operations will be more difficult, all your Motions discover'd, and every endeavour used to have you driven back out of their Country. I need not recommend the Chevalier de la Luzerne to the President of Congress. His public Character will recommend him sufficiently to all the respect and Consideration due to the Minister of so great and good a Prince as the king of France, our Ally. I shall only mention that his private Character here is an excellent one, and that he is connected by relation to some of the greatest and best People of this Country. I hope that his Residence with us will be made agreable to him. I have written largely to the Committee. By our last Advices from Holland the English Interest diminishes there, and from England they write that the daily apprehension of a War with Spain begins to have a serious. effect in disposing People generally to wish for Peace. Great Preparations are making here in all the SeaPorts, and this Summer will probably produce some important Action. With great respect and Esteem, etc., etc., B. FRANKLIN. 1016. TO RICHARD BACHE1 (D. S. W.) Passy, June 2, 1799. DEAR SIR, I have received yours of June [January?] 16. You observe that you seldom hear from me. I have the same reason to complain, but I do not complain of you. It is the Loss of Ships, and the Sinking of Dispatches when chased that cuts our Correspondence to pieces. Yours of Oct. 22 gave me a good deal of satisfaction in informing me of the Adventures of your Family, your return to Philad", Welfare, etc. You desire me to set the Price of the printing-house sold to Virginia; but I have received no Account of the Particulars whereof it consisted. Did they take the Cases as well as the Types, and what were the number? There was a large Mahogany Press that cost me 25 Guineas, and a Small one that cost 12 Guineas. Did they take those? And did they take all the Letters, flowers, &c. &c. except the five Cases of Money Types which you say the Congress have taken?... I hope, indeed, they did not take the Presses; for I should be unwilling to part with them, as they were made under my own Inspection, with Improvements; and also a Stone belonging to the press, and a Number of Iron Chases, or Frames for fixing the Pages, and many other things which I know not whether they have taken or not, which may be valued by any Printer. The Script Letters which the Congress have taken cost me double the Price of common Letters of the same sizes; 1 Erroneously dated June 9th in Wharton and Bigelow. - ED. the long Pica and long primer Bill I remember amounted to forty pound Sterling. What I gave for the larger sort I have forgotten, but suppose about ten Pounds. You may therefore settle that in the same manner as to the advance, &c. And when you are paid you may send [End of Record.] 1017. TO RICHARD BACHE (D. S. W.) Passy, June 2, 1779. I AM very easy about the efforts Messrs. Lee and Izard are using, as you tell me, to injure me on that side of the water. I trust in the justice of the Congress, that they will listen to no accusations against me, that I have not first been acquainted with, and had an opportunity of answering. I know those gentlemen have plenty of ill will to me, though I have never done to either of them the smallest injury, or given the least just cause of offence. But my too great reputation, and the general good will this people have for me, and the respect they show me, and even the compliments they make me, all grieve those unhappy gentlemen; unhappy indeed in their tempers, and in the dark, uncomfortable passions of jealousy, anger, suspicion, envy, and malice. It is enough for good minds to be affected at other people's misfortunes; but they, that are vexed at everybody's good luck, can never be happy. I take no other revenge of such enemies, than to let them remain in the miserable situation in which their malignant natures have placed them, by endeavouring to support an estimable character; and thus, by continuing the reputation the world has hitherto indulged me |