Beaumarchais and the War of American Independence Volume II Part 5

The conversation now turned on the delicate matter of Beaumarchais's mission. After showing his credentials for the buying up of Portuguese coin and frankly affirming that the affair with d'Eon was settled so far as he was concerned, he continued, "'If there should be any pretended French agents in England, I am sure that if they could be captured, the government would disavow them, and even punish them....

"'And now, Milord, I offer you my sincere compliments for that which the king destines for you. If you accept the Vice-Royalty, I hope you will remember your ancient friends.h.i.+p for M. Duflos whom I recommend to you afresh. I hope you will charge him with the details of your house in Ireland as you have in France. He promised me this.' (This Duflos, M. le Comte, is a Frenchman whom I long ago secured for Lord Rochford; he is absolutely devoted to me, and through him you will always have certain news of the most intimate interior of the vice-royalty. I am a little like Figaro, M. le Comte, I do not lose my head for a little noise.)

"By the way, the Hessian troops have started. They took the oath of allegiance to England the 22nd of March.

"The Americans have actually twelve vessels of from twenty-two to forty-four pieces of cannon, and twelve or fifteen of twenty pieces, and more than thirty of twelve pieces, which gives them a navy almost as respectable as that of the English, and for the last two and a half months the insurgents have lost only one vessel brought into Bristol, which is indeed worthy of remark.

"I count upon your goodness to hope that my recommendations for Aix are not forgotten. [In allusion to his suit with the count de La Blache, still pending.] It is not just that I be judged in the South when I am nine hundred miles away in the North.

"Receive my respects, my homage, and the a.s.surance of my perfect devotion.

"Caron de Beaumarchais."

(Doniol I, 407.)

On the 26th of the same month, M. de Vergennes wrote to his secret agent, "almost as though he spoke to an amba.s.sador." (Doniol.)

"I have the satisfaction of announcing to you that His Majesty very much approves the n.o.ble and frank manner with which you repelled the attack made upon you by Lord Rochford in relation to the American vessel destined for Nantes and conducted to Bristol.

You have said nothing which His Majesty would not have prescribed you to say if he had foreseen that you would be obliged to answer in regard to a matter so far removed from the business with which you are charged. Receive my compliments, Monsieur. After having a.s.sured you of the approbation of the king, mine cannot seem very interesting to you; nevertheless, I cannot refuse myself the satisfaction of applauding the wisdom and firmness of your conduct and renewing the a.s.surances of my entire esteem. I have not neglected your commission for Aix. M. le Garde des Sceaux a.s.sured me that it would remain in suspense till your return.

"I am very perfectly

"de Vergennes.

"Versailles, April 26th, 1776."

Post Scriptum.

"The king approves, that you do not refuse the overtures the Lord Rochford may make to you. You are prudent and discreet. I should be without uneasiness even if you had a more important commission than that which M. de Sartine has given you. It was well, however, that you had it, since it served to disperse the suspicions aroused by your frequent voyages to London. It must be admitted that the English whom we believe to be men are really far less than women, if they are so easily frightened.... Nothing equals the sincere attachment with which I have the honor to be, Monsieur, your very humble, etc.

"de Vergennes."

The same day Beaumarchais addressed the count with a letter from London which runs as follows:

"M. le Comte:

"I profit by this occasion to entertain you with freedom upon the only really important matter at present, America and all that pertains to it. I reasoned a long time, day before yesterday, with the man you thought best to prevent coming to France.

(Arthur Lee.) He incessantly asks if we are going to do absolutely nothing for them. And without wasting time in repeating to me how very important their success is to France because he does us the honor of believing that we agree with him on that point, he tells me simply, 'We need arms, powder, and above all engineers; only you can help us, and it is to your interest to do so.'

"The Americans are as well placed as possible; army, fleet provisions, courage, everything is excellent, but without powder and engineers how can they conquer or even defend themselves? Are we going to let them perish rather than loan them one or two millions? Are we afraid of losing the money?

"Weakness and fear is all that one sees here....

"It is clear that the ministry is silent because it has nothing to reply. Fear and anger on one side, weakness and embarra.s.sment on the other, this is the real condition. You would be still more convinced of this truth if you will recall the nature of their treaties with Germany and if you examine the rate of the new loan.... And when this is well proved, is it really true, M. le Comte, that you will do nothing for the Americans?

"Will you not have the goodness to show once more to the King how much he can gain, without striking a blow, in this one campaign?

And will you not attempt to convince His Majesty that this miserable pittance which they demand, and over which we have been disputing for more than a year, will bring to us all the fruits of a great victory without undergoing the dangers of a combat?

That this help can give to us while we sleep, all that the disgraceful treaty of 1763 made us lose? What greater view can occupy the council of the king and what force your pleading will take on if you show the reverse of the picture and count what the defeat of the Americans will cost us. Three hundred millions-our men-our vessels, our islands, etc.... because their forces once united against us, their audacity augmented by their great success, it is only certain that they will force these same Frenchmen to support a fatal war which two millions now would avert.

"In spite of the danger which I run in writing these daring things from London, I feel myself twice as much French in London as at Paris. The patriotism of this people stirs my own...."

As may be seen from this letter, Arthur Lee still inspired complete confidence in the agent of the French government, so much indeed that Beaumarchais gladly disclosed to him the plans which he had formed for coming to the aid of the Americans.

So certain was he that France would ultimately yield to the necessity of giving them secret support that he no doubt spoke with indiscreet a.s.surance on the subject. Exactly what pa.s.sed between the two men will never be known, but what is certain is, that during the spring of 1776, Arthur Lee addressed to the secret committee of Congress a letter in which he says:

"In consequence of active measures taken with the French Emba.s.sy in London, _M. de Vergennes has sent me a secret agent to inform me that the French court cannot think of making war on England but that she is ready to send five million worth of arms and ammunition to Cap Francais to be thence sent to the colonies._"

A careful a.n.a.lysis of this important missive will at once make clear the profound misunderstanding which arose in the mind of the secret committee of Congress regarding the true state of affairs in France. So completely was every statement perverted that though the whole bears a semblance of truth yet in reality nothing could be further removed from it.

For instead of sending an agent to confer with Arthur Lee, M. de Vergennes had steadily refused to enter into any relation whatever with him. Instead of promising munitions of war for which Beaumarchais had been pleading so long and so ardently, the government continued to refuse to compromise itself by making any statement regarding them.

And yet in judging Arthur Lee, whether he intentionally distorted the truth or only indulged in what he considered a harmless exaggeration, we must not forget that this letter with its a.s.surances of help, arriving at the moment which it did, had a profound influence in shaping men's minds for independence.

As regards Lee himself, the letter had the effect of greatly augmenting his credit with Congress. Silas Deane was already on his way to France, charged with an express commission to secure munitions of war on credit, so it was determined to join Arthur Lee to the commission as soon as it could be brought about.

But to return to the French court. The first intimation of anything like an avowed approval of the plans of Beaumarchais is to be found in a letter of M. de Vergennes under date of May 2, 1776. He wrote:

"I have received the first of this month, Monsieur, the letter with which you honored me, written the 26th of last month."

Then follows a lengthy preamble in which the count, speaking as an observer of men and one used to dealing with them, continues:

"This preface is not destined to refute your foresight, which on the contrary I praise and approve. But do not suppose that because your plans are not immediately acted on, that they are rejected. Although the method which I employ is sure, I am forced to curb the desire which I feel to express to you all my thoughts, therefore, I rely upon your sagacity to divine them. Think well and you will find that I am nearer to you than you imagine.... A thousand thanks, Monsieur, for the news items which you communicate to me, they have been seen and relished....

I have delivered the letter which you recommended to me; if an answer comes I will forward it to you. I flatter you that you know my friends.h.i.+p and attachment for you.

"de Vergennes."

In fact the hindrances were gradually disappearing from the path of the minister. In a resume, in all probability drawn up by Vergennes himself, ent.i.tled, "_Reflexions sur la necessite de secourir les Americains et de se preparer a la guerre avec l'Angleterre_," without date, but placed by Doniol the first of May, 1776, the following pa.s.sages occur:

"There is no obstacle, and it is even necessary to aid the insurgents indirectly by means of munitions or of money....

"We are to make no agreement with them until their independence is established. The aid must be veiled and hidden, and appear to come from commerce so that we can always deny it.

"It would be sufficient for an intelligent merchant, faithful and discreet, to be stationed in each one of the ports, where the American vessels would come to land their cargoes-he would treat directly with their captains and would mask the s.h.i.+pments to prevent the reproach of the court of England."-Doniol.

This was not at all what Beaumarchais had been planning and preparing.

In the next chapter we shall see him with his usual flexibility abandon his own ideas and adopt those of the ministry, since they tended to the same end. In the meantime he was addressing the following letters to Vergennes:

"Monsieur le Comte:

"There is nothing very important here but the news of the evacuation of Boston, which arrived three days ago....

"The government a.s.sumes an air of approbation, of mystery, of intelligence even. It wishes to have it considered as a ruse of the ministry, but that does not take. It is too certain that the impossibility to hold Boston from lack of provisions has driven the English away....

"All this confirms what I announced in my last dispatch, that the Americans are in good condition everywhere, engineers and powder excepted. I thank you for your obliging goodness in regard to my affair at Aix. I thank you also for the honorable encouragement which the approbation of the king and your own gives to my enterprise.... Say what you will, M. le Comte, a little exaltation in the heart of an honest man, far from spoiling him for action vivifies everything he touches, and enables him to do more than he would have dared to promise from his natural capacity. I feel this exaltation, it remains for my prudence to direct it in a way that turns to the good of the affairs of the king. Conserve for me his esteem, Monsieur le Comte.

"Ah, Monsieur le Comte, as a favor ... some powder and engineers!

It seems to me that I never wanted anything so much...."