522. JAMES DUANE TO ROBERT R. LIVINGSTON.1

My dear Friend,

From many circumstances you may judge that our State and its interests were at a very low ebb in a certain assembly. To add to our misfortune several of our old friends-Hooper, Hughes, E Rutledge, Harrison, Reade, Stone, Chase, etc. etc. were absent and most of their seats filled with strangers. The affairs we had to conduct required great address, as some of them were embarassed with uncommon difficulties: my brethren indulged me in the cautious and deliberate plan which I thought necessary; and in concealing even our feelings, by degrees we became acquainted with the new members to which the hospitable and cheerful manner we lived in contributed-for it was no time to consult parsimony. We made it a rule not to crowd our complaints upon Congress which would have fatigued and disgusted; but to confine our attention to a single point till it was accomplished: keeping every other subject in the deepest reserve.

We were told from several quarters that it was too late to expect any attention with respect to Schuyler. Indeed Congress had gone very far to make this embarassment inextricable; but that integrity, love of justice and candor, which ever distinguished this great Council when it consisted of a full representation, in the end, surmounted every obstacle, and the utmost of our wishes were answered."

The Commissary's department was our next object: the flagrant abuses which had crept into it called aloud for reformation; and we esteemed it of the utmost moment that the purchasing commissary who had our markets in his power should be a fellow citizen of approved abilities and integrity. A plan has accordingly been adopted; not altogether so perfect as could be wished, but we shall not lose sight of its further improvement. Our friend Jacob Cuyler is appointed the purchasing commissary for the northern department which we esteem a public benefit.*

The illiberal restraint put upon our Trade by our Eastern Brethren and a proper reprobation of so unfriendly a proceeding from the only authority which could have weight, claimed a share of our attention. I think we have some merit in obtaining the resolution of Congress upon this subject which is already transmitted to the Council of Safety. It's operation, tho' obvious, was not perceived by those whom it most concerned; and the House warmed by a pathetic description of our distresses, our perseverance, and our merit, were disposed to give us every possible indulgence: of which the partial grant of 2000 bushels of salt when that commodity is so very scarce and dear, is no contemptible proof.

[522]1 N. Y. Pub. Lib., Bancroft Coll., Livingston Papers, I. 431 (copy).

2 Additions to this letter were made June 26, 28, 29, July 1, 2. These additions

will be found under their respective dates.

3 See nos. 453, 461, 472, 483, 495, 502, 504, 511, 515, 517-520, ante.

4 See the Journals, June 10, 18, and nos. 517-520, ante, 529, 543, post.

Cf. nos. 518, note 4, 519, ante.

Sir,

523. THE PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS (JOHN HANCOCK) TO THE PRESIDENT of Delaware (JOHN MCKINLEY).1 PHILADA. June 25th. 1777.

I have the Pleasure to inform you that Congress highly approve of the Zeal and Alacrity of the Militia of your State.

From the recent Alteration in the State of our Affairs, and the Reasons urged in your Letter, the Congress have been induced to come into the enclosed Resolve for the Discharge of your Militia. I do myself the Honour to forward a Warrant on your Loan Offices for 10,000 Dollars for their Pay.2

524. JAMES DUANE TO ROBERT R. LIVINGSTON.1

My dear Sir

2

June 26th Thursday

What preceeds has lain by me for want of a good conveyance. This day came on before a committee of the whole Congress the case of our Revolters on which we were heard with great attention. Some of our Eastern friends unluckily for them drew on the merits of our Title, tho' the Congress had only to do with the exercise of jurisdiction. Thus challenged I seized the opportunity of explaining the subject at large which I happened to understand much better than any of my opponents, tho' one of them boasted that he had expended two quires of paper upon it. I had the pleasure of observing that I made a suitable impression, and out of the House rec'd the compliments of several of the members for the light, they were pleased to say I had with perspicuity and candor, thrown upon a dispute which to that time had remained in utter obscurity. This explanation closed the debate: and the members of our State are desired to propose for consideration such resolutions as we think will be satisfactory to New York, and become the justice dignity and impartiality of Congress. unless an opportunity offers of sending forward these despatches, you will probably know the event before they are closed.*

525. SAMUEL ADAMS TO RICHARD Henry Lee.1

My dear Sir

PHILADA June 26 1777.

We are going on within Doors with Tardiness enough. A Thousand and [one] little Matters too often throw out greater ones. A

[523] Mass. Hist. Soc., Hancock Letter-Book, VI. 218; Library of Congress, Papers Cont. Cong., no. 58, pt. II., p. 214. The letter is addressed to "Mr. President McKinley, at Wilmington, in the State of Delaware".

2 See the Journals, June 24; also ibid., Apr. 25, 29, May 9 (p. 343 n.), 19, 27, June 10, 16. Cf. nos. 486, 487, ante.

1524] This is an addition to the letter of June 24, no. 522, ante.

2 According to the Journals, this discussion took place June 25. Cf. no. 525, post. In regard to an earlier stage in the affair, see nos. 428, 431, 445, 453, 464, 465, ante. 3 See nos. 526, 532, 533, post.

[525]1 Writings of Samuel Adams (ed. Cushing), III. 376; Am. Phil. Soc., Lee Papers.

kind of Fatality still prevents our proceeding a Step in the important affair of Confederation.2 Yesterday and the day before was wholly spent in passing Resolutions to gratify N. Y. or as they say to prevent a civil War between that State and the Green Mountain Men-A Matter which it is not worth your while to have explaind to you. Monsr. D Coudrays affair is still unsettled. The four french Engineers are arrivd." They are said to be very clever but disdain to be commanded by Coudray. Mr. Comr D continuing to send us french German and Prussian officers with authenticated Conventions and strong recommendations..

526. JAMES DUANE TO ROBERT R. LIVINGSTON.1

June 28th Saturday

Yesterday, though assigned for concluding the business of our Revoltors was taken up in other cares, for we thought it [not?]2 impossible to be too urgent for a preference, tho' it was a right we might have maintained. Experience has convinced me of the propriety of such condescensions at seasonable junctures. This morning the House in a Committee of

2 See no. 528, post.

3 See no. 524, ante.

* See no. 514, note 2, ante.

5 Dec. 2, 1775, Congress authorized the committee of secret correspondence to secure "skillful engineers not exceeding four". It was not however until the beginning of 1777 that this commission was effected. On Feb. 13, 1777, Franklin and Deane entered into a contract with four officers of the royal corps of engineers of France, Lewis Le Bègue Duportail (Chevalier Derford), Laumoy, Obry Gouvion, and Bailleul La Radière, to enter the service of the United States, with stipulations as to rank. The contract with the three first mentioned is found in Wharton, Rev. Dipl. Corr., II. 269. The Journals, July 2 and 8, mention La Radière as included in the same contract, but his name does not appear in the document as printed in Wharton. These officers, with exception of Laumoy, accompanied by a lieutenant and two sergeants, landed in New River, North Carolina, June 3 and proceeded to Newbern, where they obtained assistance from Governor Caswell to pursue their journey to Philadelphia. (See a letter from Joseph Leech, Richard Ellis, and Alexander Gaston to Governor Caswell, June 4, an undated letter from the Chevalier Derford, i. e., Duportail, to Governor Caswell, one from Governor Caswell to Governor Henry of Virginia, June 10, and two from Governor Caswell to Thomas Burke, June 10, 11, in N. C. State Recs., XI. 486, 492-495. Both the Newbern committee and Governor Caswell are in some error as regards the rank of these officers.) That Laumoy was not with the party appears from three facts: First, Duportail says in his letter to Governor Caswell: "We are just arrived in this place three officers of the Corps Royal of Engineers in France, that is to say one Lieutenant Colonel [Duportail], one Major [evidently La Radière], one Captain of the Corps Royal of the Artillery of France [Gouvion], one Lieutenant, two Sergeants." Second, on July 8 Congress made Duportail a colonel, La Radière a lieutenant-colonel, and Gouvion a major, ratifying the contract made with them by Franklin and Deane. The contract as regards Laumoy was not ratified until Oct. 2, when he was made a lieutenantcolonel. Third, in a letter to Washington, July 24 (no. 559, post), Lovell mentions that "the Chevalier Duportail, with M. La Radière, M. Gouvion, and one other officer, who is left sick in the West Indies, were engaged by Dr. Franklin and Mr. Deane to come over to America." All these officers received further promotions Nov. 17, 1777. For further information concerning their careers, consult the Journals (passim), Heitman, Hist. Register, and Balch, The French in America. For the complications in which Congress was involved through the Du Coudray contract, see especially nos. 501, 514, ante, and nos. 530, 531, 535, 537, 539, 541, 542, 559, post.

6 Silas Deane.

[526]1 See under June 24 (no. 522, notes 1 and 2), ante.

2 The negative seems to be necessary here to give the meaning intended.

the whole cheerfully resumed the debate; and the resolutions passed almost unanimously; for you'll observe they go upon general principles highly interesting and important to every State which yet directly apply to our case. The only contest was on Young's Address, and that was ostensibly grounded on his death in the midst of the debate. Compassion to his distressed family, no doubt, induced some of the members to wish it to be passed over in silence. You will observe however, that it was of great consequence to us to have this wicked production censured and exposed and this point was finally carried in our favor after a sharp conflict. The debate was spun out till after 4 o'clock and the Committee rose and agreed to finish it on Monday.

527. ROBERT MORRIS TO SILAS DEANE.1

[PHILADELPHIA June 29, 1777.]

With respect to my Brother I shall deal very candidly with you, by declaring to you that I never was more shocked and hurt by any incident in my Life than at the manner in which you Gentlemen Commissioners at the Court of France have been pleased to mention him in Publick Letters, that you knew must be laid before Congress. These Letters arrived long before I had a scrip of a Pen from you on the Subject. It occurred to me instantly that I had unbosomed myself to you respecting him, That I had sollicited your Friendship in his favour and asked you to inform me fully and freely of his Conduct, That to all this I never had a word in Answer, and found your Name at the bottom of Letters blasting his Character in the most Publick manner and exposing me to Feelings the most pungent I ever knew. it also occurred to me that I had sollicited Doctor Franklin to Admonish and Advise him if he found it necessary, and shew him countenance if he proved deserving. From these Circumstances I really did expect that any complaints he merited would have been made to myself in Private Letters giving me an Account of his Conduct and if it was necessary to remove him from his employment, I could have done that so as to prevent any the least disservice to the Publick or his being unnecessarily exposed. You will see that these sentiments were strong in my mind, when I wrote the Commissioners the 1st April and they made so strong an impression on me at the Time your Letters were read in Congress that I got up instantly, gave my Brother his True Character, complained of his being so publickly exposed, told what my desires and Expectations from you were, and added that by my Letters to you by Capt. Bell I had put him in your Power either to be confirmed in his employment or to be dismissed from it, as his conduct might require. I think the Letter

3 Concerning Dr. Thomas Young's address see the Journals, June 23, 25, 30 (pp. 510, 513), and nos. 532, 533, post.

4 Dr. Young died lately of a Fever caught in attending the Congress Hospitals in the City, and was buried the day we came into Town." William Williams to Jonathan Trumbull, July 5, 1777 (Hist. Mag., XIV. 223).

[527]1 Univ. Pa. Lib., Franklin Papers, X. 20 (extract, in the writing of Silas Deane); N. Y. Hist. Soc., Collections: Deane Papers, II. 79.

I wrote you by Capt. Bell respecting him must have convinced you that I did not wish him employed in the Publick Service if he did not deserve it. It must also convince you that a Publick Letter to Congress was not necessary to procure his removal if his conduct was not right, for you found me as ready to displace him, as you could wish, and I begin to fear that I was rather too forward in it; from what I now write you may naturally conclude I do not think myself in the least Degree beholden to Doctor Franklin or you for your Conduct towards this Young Man, and in Plain Truth I do not. However I do not Cherish resentment, and hope my Passion may be always subdued by Reason, and my Reason influenced by good Principles, therefore I mean nothing more than to let you know that I think those Publick Letters were cruel to my Brother and extremely unfriendly to myself. I shall inform him of them and if he has Spirit to resent them, I hope he will also have Judgment to do it properly.

Perhaps I have flattered myself with the Expectation of more Friendship from the Doctor and you than I had a right to and shall therefore correct the Error in future. Thus much for what you say of him in Publick. as to what you write me of him in those Letters of the 4th Decr. and 5th January now before me, I thank you most sincerely for it and should do so had the Account of him been ten Times more Disagreeable. it is bad enough, God knows, and what is worse I believe he deserves every Tittle of it. had these Letters reach'd me before the Publick Letters I should in some Degree have been prepared and probably should not have said any thing about him in Congress, but even in that Case I should have thought in the same way of your Publick Letters, because I think it was totally unnecessary to mention him there; You refer me to Mr. Bromfield for further Particulars and Anecdotes respecting this Youth, and Mr. Bromfield has kindly referr'd me to all the Gentlemen from Virginia where he landed to South Carolina where he is gone by Land and has industriously communicated these Particulars and Anecdotes to every body he met with.2. .

528. SAMUEL ADAMS TO JAMES WARREN.1

My dear Friend

PHILADE June 30 1777

You wish to hear "how our Confederation goes on ". I do not wonder at your Anxiety to have it completed, for it appears to me to be a Matter of very great Importance. We every now and then take it into Consideration, but such a Variety of Affairs have continually demanded the Attention of Congress that it has been impracticable hitherto to get it through. There are but two or three things which in my Opinion will be

2 Thomas Morris was agent of the secret committee in France. He was a half brother of Robert Morris. See especially the letter from the commissioners in France to the committee of secret correspondence, Jan. 17, 1777, Robert Morris to Henry Laurens, Dec. 26, 1777, Morris to Lovell, May 2, 1778, and William Lee to the President of Congress, Mar. 16, 1779, in Wharton, Rev. Dipl. Corr., II. 248, 460, III. 79. See also ibid., II. 463 n.

[528]1 Warren-Adams Letters, I. 337; Writings of Samuel Adams (ed. Cushing), III. 379; N. Y. Pub. Lib., Samuel Adams Papers (draft).