The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution Volume III Part 24

THE PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS TO B. FRANKLIN.

In Congress, June 19th, 1781.

Sir,

Congress have received your letter of the 12th of March last, with the papers enclosed. The prospect of conferences being soon opened in Europe, under the mediation of the imperial Courts of Petersburgh and Vienna, for accommodating the disputes between the belligerent powers, which must necessarily involve the essential interests of these United States, has determined us to increase the number of our ministers for negotiating a peace with Great Britain. We have, therefore, added yourself, Messrs Jay, H. Laurens, and Thomas Jefferson to Mr Adams, to repair to such place as shall be fixed on for transacting this important business.

A compliance with your request to retire from public employment would be inconvenient at this particular juncture, as it is the desire of Congress to avail themselves of your abilities and experience at the approaching negotiation. Should you find repose necessary after rendering the United States this further service, Congress, in consideration of your age and bodily infirmities, will be disposed to gratify your inclination.

You will present the letter to His Most Christian Majesty, and communicate to him the instructions to our Ministers for negotiating a peace, attended with such a memorial as your prudence shall suggest, and the importance of the subject requires.

With great esteem, I am, &c.

SAMUEL HUNTINGTON, _President of Congress_.

TO MAJOR WILLIAM JACKSON.

Pa.s.sy, June 28th, 1781.

Sir,

Since my acceptance of your bills, I have applied to the Ministry for more money to discharge the other engagements I entered into for payment of the Congress bills drawn on Holland and Spain. I find so much difficulty, and even impossibility of obtaining it at this time, that I am under the absolute necessity of stopping the cash that is in Holland, or of ruining all the credit of the States in Europe, and even in America, by stopping payment.

This is therefore to order, that, in case the said cash has been delivered to you by Messrs Fizeaux and Grand, you would immediately return it into their hands to remain there at my disposal. I am sorry that this operation is necessary, but it must be done, or the consequences will be terrible.

I have the honor to be, &c.

B. FRANKLIN.

MAJOR WILLIAM JACKSON TO B. FRANKLIN.

Amsterdam, June 29th, 1781.

Sir,

I have the honor to inform your Excellency that I got to Amsterdam on Tuesday morning. It has been thought advisable to wait a few days, that we may sail with a Dutch squadron of fourteen sail, destined as a convoy to the Baltic. The loss of the s.h.i.+p Marquis de Lafayette, which is confirmed by Lloyd's list, renders every precaution necessary, and essential to prevent a further disappointment in supplies.

I hope your Excellency will approve of the reasons for delaying our departure, which must be amply compensated by the benefit of a convoy through the North Sea. I beg leave to request that Colonel Laurens's servant may be informed, should he apply to your Excellency, that, if he leaves Paris immediately and travels with despatch, he will reach this place in time to embark with us for America. Any commands, which your Excellency may please to honor me with, and which may be transmitted by him, will be faithfully attended to.

I beg you will present my best respects to your grandson.

I have the honor to be, with profound respect, &c.

W. JACKSON.

TO DAVID HARTLEY.

Pa.s.sy, June 30th, 1781.

I received my dear friend's kind letter of the 15th instant, and immediately communicated your request of a pa.s.sport to the Count de Vergennes. His answer, which I have but just received, expresses an opinion, that the circ.u.mstance of his granting a pa.s.sport to you, as you mention the purpose of your coming to be the discoursing with me on the subject of peace, might, considering your character, occasion many inconvenient reports and speculations, but that he would make no difficulty of giving it, if you a.s.sured me that you were authorised for such purpose by your ministry, which he does not think at all likely; otherwise he judges it best that I should not encourage your coming. Thus it seems I cannot have at present the pleasure you were so kind as to propose for me. I can only join with you in earnest wishes for peace, a blessing which I shall hardly live to see.

With the greatest esteem and respect, I am ever, dear Sir,

B. FRANKLIN.

MAJOR WILLIAM JACKSON TO B. FRANKLIN.

Amsterdam, July 2d, 1781.

Sir,

I was yesterday honored with your Excellency's letter of the 28th ult.

while at the Texel, superintending some matters relating to the s.h.i.+p.

Equally concerned for the cause, as surprised at the manner in which Mr Fizeaux was resolved to execute it, in case the money had been already s.h.i.+pped, I must beg leave to inform you fully of this business, and to request your Excellency's final determination thereon.

Colonel Laurens, as your Excellency knows, was sent by Congress to the Court of Versailles, with a special commission; the purport of his mission you are well acquainted with; it was to obtain certain supplies in specie and military stores.

By the most unremitting a.s.siduity, he so far succeeded as to procure, amongst others, a sum of money to be s.h.i.+pped in Holland by the South Carolina frigate, which was deemed, by the Court of France, a safe and convenient conveyance, as it would divide the risk which must have been incurred by placing the whole on board of one vessel. That sum was sent to this place by M. Necker, and lodged in the house of Fizeaux and Grand, to be by them delivered to me, agreeably to the following order, the original of which is now in my possession, having very fortunately for me recovered it from them after they received your instructions.

Translation.

"Paris, May 12th, 1781.

"Gentlemen,

"This letter will be delivered to you by Mr William Jackson, captain of infantry in the service of the United States, to whom I request you to deliver the 130,655 dollars, and the 720,000 livres in crowns, which you have received on my account by the way of Brussels. Mr Jackson will give you a receipt for it, in which he will express that these two sums have been delivered to him pursuant to the intention of Mr John Laurens, an American officer now at Paris, whose orders he will follow on this subject. You will be pleased to send me afterwards this receipt, with a statement of all the expenses due to you. I will have them reimbursed here to M. Grand.

"I am, Gentlemen, &c.

NECKER.

M. M. Grand, Fizeaux, & Co. Amsterdam."

Messrs Fizeaux and Grand have, in pursuance of your Excellency's directions, refused to deliver it. This, Sir, being a distinct transaction, executed altogether at the instance of the honorable John Laurens, special Minister at the Court of Versailles from the United States, and by him committed to my further care, I conceive myself indispensably bound to remonstrate to your Excellency, on the late order given by you to Messrs Fizeaux and Grand, directing the detention of that money, and to inform you that if they are not repealed, I must embark without it; and however I may lament the disappointment and distress in which this measure must involve Congress, whose arrangements are undoubtedly taken on the certainty of this supply being sent from Europe; however much I may regret Colonel Laurens's absence which induces it, I shall possess the pleasing reflection of having done my duty, in demanding, conformably to the intentions of M. Necker, and by his order, that money which the Court of France had accorded to the United States by the application of Colonel Laurens, in virtue of his special commission, and which was particularly and expressly destined to reanimate the credit of the continental currency.

The s.h.i.+p waits for nothing else but this money. I shall attend your Excellency's ultimate decision thereon, which I expect to receive by return of the express, who only waits your commands.

I have the honor to be, &c.