1412. TO COMTE DE VERGENNES (P. A. E. E. U.) Passy, May 5, 1783.

SIR,

It was my intention to pay my devoirs at Versailles tomorrow. I thank your Excellency, nevertheless, for your kind admonition.' I omitted two of the last three days, from a mistaken apprehension, that, being holidays, there would be no court. Mr. Laurens and Mr. Jay are both invalids; and, since my last severe fit of the gout, my legs have continued so weak, that I am hardly able to keep pace with the ministers who walk fast, especially in going up and down stairs.

I beg you to be assured, that whatever deficiency there may be of strength, there is none of respect in, Sir, &c.

B. FRANKLIN.

1 In a letter dated May 5, 1783 (to which the above letter is a reply) Vergennes wrote: —

"I have received the two letters of yesterday and to-day, which you have done me the honour to write to me, and a copy of the three articles discussed between the Commissioners of the United States and Mr. Hartley. You are aware, that I shall want a sufficient time to examine them before submitting to you the observations, which may relate to our reciprocal interests. Receive, in the mean time, my sincere thanks for this communication.

"I hope to have the honour of seeing you to-morrow at Versailles. I trust you will be able to be present with the foreign ministers. It is observed, that the Commissioners from the United States rarely show themselves here, and inferences are drawn from it, which I am sure their constituents would disavow, if they had a knowledge of them. I have the honour to be, &c.

1413. TO DAVID HARTLEY

DEAR FRIEND,

(P. R. O.)

Passy, May 8, 1783.

I send you enclosed the copies you desired of the papers I read to you yesterday.' I should be happy if I could see, before I die, the proposed improvement of the law of nations established. The miseries of mankind would be diminished by it, and the happiness of millions secured and promoted. If the practice of privateering could be profitable to any civilized nation, it might be so to us Americans; since we are so situated on the globe, as that the rich commerce of Europe with the West Indies, consisting of manufactures, sugars, &c., is obliged to pass before our doors, which enables us to make short and cheap cruises, while our own commerce is in such bulky, low-priced articles, as that ten of our ships taken by you are not equal in value to one of yours, and you must come far from home, at a great expense, to look for them. I hope, therefore, that this proposition, if made by us, will appear in its true light, as having humanity only for its motive. I do not wish to see a new Barbary rising in America, and our long extended coast occupied by piratical states. I fear, lest our privateering success in the two last wars should already have given our people too strong a relish for that most mischievous kind of gaming, mixed blood; and, if a stop is not now put to the practice, mankind may hereafter be more plagued with American corsairs, than they have been and are with the Turkish. Try, my friend, what you can do, in procuring for your nation the glory of being, though the 1 See the Article about privateering, to R. Oswald, January 14, 1783. — Ed.

greatest naval power, the first who voluntarily relinquished the advantage that power seems to give them, of plundering others, and thereby impeding the mutual communications among men of the gifts of God, and rendering miserable multitudes of merchants and their families, artisans, and cultivators of the earth, the most peaceable and innocent part of the human species. With great esteem and affection, I am ever, my dear friend, yours most sincerely,

B. FRANKLIN.

1414. TO JAN INGENHOUSZ

(L. C.)

Passy, May 16, 1783.

DEAR FRIEND: I have before me your three Favours of Feb 26, April 8 and 29,1 the last delivered to me yesterday by Mr. Robertson, to whom I shall show the Respect due to your Recommendation. I am asham'd of being so long in Arrear in my Correspondence with you, but I have too much Business. I will now endeavour to answer your Letters, and hope I may be able to do it without Interruption.

I never received the Letter you mention, wherein you asked my leave to dedicate your Book to me. I should immediately have given my Consent, esteeming it a great honour to be so remembred by you, and handed down to Posterity as having your Friendship. The Cast of your Profile came safe to hand,

1 These letters are all in A. P. S.-ED.

2 "The bearer of this, Mr. James Robertson, being arrived at Paris from a tour thro Italie, after having spent some time in Vienna, where he followed my experiments and became one of my friends, has begged the favour of me to send him an introductory letter to you."- Ingenhousz to Franklin, April 29, 1783. — ED.

and gives me Pleasure, as I think it very like. Pray what is the Composition?

My Journey to Italy, and thence to Vienna, is yet an Uncertainty. I thank you however for your kind Advice respecting the Conduct of it.1

I have long since been tired of the Acquaintance and correspondence of Mr. V.;2 having but a small Remnant left of Life, I cannot afford to attend to his endless Discourse and numerous long Letters, and visionary Projects. He wants to be employ'd in our Affairs, but he manages his own so badly that one can have but little Confidence in his Prudence. I pity him however, tho' I see no possible means of serving him.

I thank you for the friendly Congratulations on the Peace, and Cautions respecting our future Conduct; they are good and wise."

Mr. Wharton's Treatment of you gives me pain. He never writes to me. I forget whether I have already sent you the Extract of his Letter to Dr. Bancroft, so I enclose a Copy. I enclose also a part of a Philadelphia Newspaper, by which you will see that your Name and Writings are already known in our Country. With regard to your Prop

1 Ingenhousz advised Franklin to go to Italy through Austria "because from Vienna to the Venetian territory you have not a single difficult or dangerous road." He also advised a broad Italian carriage, -"the French carriages are in general too narrow, and the English too low."- ED.

2 Rudolph Valltravers, an impecunious gentleman of Vienna who wrote interminable letters to Franklin, and constantly solicited his aid and favour in obtaining some position in Europe or America.

.ED.

8 "Now you are a free and independent people, you ought to be mindfull of the old proverb, felix quam faciunt aliena pericula cautem! and prevent disunion among yourselves. You have had open enemies, now you will have inobservable ones."- Ingenhousz, Feb. 26, 1783.- ED.

erty in the Public Funds, I have no doubt of its being secure according to the Value it had when it was plac'd there, but I can say nothing as to the particulars of its Situation or Amount; Mr. Williams can better inform you. I have requested him to do it.

It is long since I have seen M. Le Begue.1 He is much in the Country. I have heard nothing of the Printing of your Book.

Your Experiment of burning the Wire has been made here with the greatest Success. My grandson had it try'd at Mr. Charles' Lecture, where it gave great Satisfaction & was much admir'd.

I have not yet found Leisure to explain the Fireplace, but hope for it, when I am quit of my present Station.

I have been, as you know, so little in America for these last 25 Years, that I am unqualified to answer the Request of Mr. Veinbrenner concerning the Names and Solidity of Houses there.2

A new Set of Merchants have grown up into Business, of whom I know nothing; and the Circumstances of the old ones whom I formerly knew may have been much altered by Time, or by the War. It is besides, an invidious & dangerous Thing for me to give such a distinguishing List, if I were able to do it. My best Advice to your Commercial People is, to send over a discreet, intelligent Person, with instructions to

1 Achille-Guillaume le Begue de Presles (1735-1807), Rousseau's physician and friend, had been requested by Ingenhousz to superintend the publication of his book in Paris, but he had not replied for a long time to any of Ingenhousz's letters. - ED.

2 M. Veinbrenner, by order of Prince Kaunitz, first minister of state, had written to Franklin for information about "the solidity of merchants in America."- ED.