I have communicated to Mr. Adams and to Mr. Jay the purport of your despatches. Mr. Adams already had received the same; by the first safe conveyance I shall acquaint the Congress with the steps that have been taken in the negociation. At present I would only say that the settling of preliminaries meets with difficulty, and will probably take much time, partly from the remoteness of the mediators, so that any relaxation of our warlike preparations in expectation of a speedy peace will be imprudent as it may be pernicious. I am extremely sensible of the honor done me by the Congress in this new appointment. I beg they would accept my thankful acknowledgments; and since they judge I may be serviceable, though I had requested leave to retire, I submit dutifully to their determination, and shall do my utmost to merit in some degree the favorable opinion they appear to have of me. I am the more encouraged in this resolution, as within the last three months I find health and strength considerably reëstablished. my I wish, however, that a consul general may soon be appointed for this kingdom; it would ease me of abundance of troublesome business to which I am not equal, and which interferes with my own important functions. The King having graciously complied with my request, of replacing the supplies lost in the Marquis de la Fayette, many hands are employed in providing them, who work hard to have them ready and shipped, so that they may arrive before winter. With the highest respect, I have the honor to be, &c., B. FRANKLIN. P. S. The copying machine for Mr. Secretary Thomson is in hand, and will soon be finished and sent to him. Sir, JOHN ADAMS TO B. FRANKLIN. Amsterdam, October 4th, 1781. Your Excellency's letter of June 11th is yet unanswered. I have the honor to agree with your Excellency in opinion, that it is reasonable that articles of rent of the hotel, payment of couriers, postage of letters, salaries of clerks, stationery for the bureau, and feasts and illuminations made upon public occasions, should be deemed expenses of the States. Indeed, otherwise it will be impossible for American Ministers to live in any such manner as is expected of them, both by Europeans and Americans. I have the honor to be, with the greatest respect, sir, &c., &c., JOHN ADAMS. ROBERT R. LIVINGSTON TO B. FRANKLIN. Dear Sir, Philadelphia, October 20th, 1781. Congress having lately thought it advisable to alter the arrangement of their great Executive Departments, and to dissolve the Boards and Committees under whose direction they formerly were, I am to inform you, that they have done me the honor to appoint me their Secretary of Foreign Affairs; in which capacity they have made it my duty, as it will always be my inclination, to maintain an intimate and regular correspondence with you. I have this day taken the oaths of office, and as the recital of fortunate events is the most pleasing task annexed to it, I shall give you a short sketch of the state of our military operations. When General Washington was fully apprized that Count de Grasse was to visit this continent, he made every provision for the attack of New York, where the enemy had about six thousand troops, and seven ships of the line, which were thought inadequate to its defence. He collected the troops, as well those of allies as our own, and made a movement towards New York. The delay of our recruits in coming in, a small reinforcement to the enemy from Europe, and some other circumstances, gave us reason to be apprehensive for the event of this attempt, though the magnitude of the object still urged the General to undertake it. It was the enemy's place of arms, the repository of their magazines, and the only harbor for large ships left them on this side of Halifax. Every preparation was accordingly made, when some circumstances deemed unfortunate at the time, but which, like many others of our supposed evils, have, in the end, been productive of good, occasioned an alteration in the destination of Count de Grasse. He sailed for the Chesapeake. The General, still appearing to prosecute his first design, moved his army, and made such preparations as induced the enemy to believe that he meant to possess himself of Staten Island, as preparatory to his design upon New York. In the mean time the army filed off through Hackensack and Newark, to keep up the deception, and arrived by expeditious marches at the head of the Elk. Count de Grasse arrived at the critical moment; and Cornwallis, at the head of about seven thousand men, found himself completely invested at Yorktown by an army of near fourteen thousand regular troops. The British fleet, which arrived at New York about the time that Count de Grasse reached the Chesapeake, made an ineffectual attempt to relieve their army. They were defeated, and compelled to return to New York, after losing the Terrible, a seventy-four, and two frigates; by which means a junction of the fleet from Rhode Island was formed with that under the Count de Grasse. It arrived the day after the action, and narrowly escaped falling in with the English fleet. Our batteries were opened on the 7th. The enemy, having evacuated their principal outworks, and been repulsed in one or two sallies, our second parallel was begun on the 11th, within three hundred yards of their lines; and the least sanguine among the officers fix the end of the month as the era of Cornwallis's captivity. His whole force at York, and on the opposite side of the river, including seamen and regulars, amounts to about seven thousand men. The enemy sailed from Sandy Hook yesterday, with twentythree ships of the line, and three fifties, with several frigates, and a number of fire-ships. They have nine thousand of their best troops, if we are rightly informed, on board their ships of war. They are resolved to make some attempt for the relief of Cornwallis, whose capture must draw after it the loss of all the posts they hold in the southern States, and the total ruin of their affairs in America. Georgia has reëstablished her government, where the enemy have no other footing than in Savannah. South Carolina is about doing the same. General Greene has very prudently wasted the strength of the enemy, and raised the confidence of the militia by fighting them in detail. His late victory, which I enclose you an account of in his own words, affords the most promising prospect of speedily recovering the possession of that country. Congress are, however, looking forward to another campaign. They have voted twenty-five thousand men for the ensuing year. These, when raised and appointed, together with the success which has hitherto, and which we may promise ourselves will still continue to attend the allied arms, will enable you to open your diplomatic campaign with great advantage, and permit you, sir, to rejoice in the close of that great work to which you have so sedulously and ably contributed. I need not tell you, sir, how anxious I shall be to hear from you on every occasion. Nothing short of the most constant and regular information will satisfy the expectations of Congress. We have much to learn, and but few opportunities of acquiring information. Your situation enables you not only to let us know what passes with you, but to extend your inquiries to Courts where we have no Ministers, and of whose politics we would not choose to be ignorant, though they may but remotely concern us at present. For my own part, I freely confess that I rely much upon your knowledge and experience to supply my want of both. I propose to write so frequently to you as to keep you fully informed, not only of what is, but of what is not done, since the last may sometimes be as important to you as the first. As far, sir, as you may find a similar task consistent with your health, your leisure, and your various avocations, you will render us essential services in imposing it upon yourself. Congress having resolved that all communications with their Ministers abroad shall pass through this office, you will do me the honor, sir, to direct in future all your public letters to me. I have the honor to be, &c., ROBERT R. LIVINGSTON. ROBERT R. LIVINGSTON TO B. FRANKLIN. Dear Sir, Philadelphia, October 24th, 1781. I three days since did myself the honor to write to you, informing you of my appointment to the Secretaryship of Foreign Affairs, and preparing you for the happy event which has taken place. Enclosed you have the capitulation of Yorktown and Gloucester, by which a British army of 5,600 men was surrendered to the allied arms of France and America; and no inconsiderable fleet, with 800 seamen, to the navy of his Most Christian Majesty. Since my last, which was written the day after I entered upon office, I have seen yours of the 14th of May. There are many things in it which deserve the attention I mean to pay it, when the first hurry that the intelligence I communicate occasions is over. But, sir, there is a part which I cannot delay to take notice of, because I feel myself interested in opposing the resolution that you seem to have formed, of quitting the station which, for the honor of the United States, you now hold. I shall be impatient till I hear that you comply with the wishes of Congress on this subject, as communicated long since. Though the new powers with which you are invested impose additional burthens upon you, yet as they at once contain the amplest testimonials of the approbation of Congress, and directly lead to the completion of the great cause in which you so early engaged, I cannot but flatter myself that you will take it upon you. I sent with my first letter to you one to the Count de Vergennes, informing him of my appointment. You will do me the honor to present it. I am, sir, &c., ROBERT R. LIVINGSTON. Sir, TO THOMAS M'KEAN, PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS. Passy, November 5th, 1781. Herewith you will receive a copy of my last; since which I have been honored with two letters from the late President, the one dated March 2d, relating to Captain Jones's cross of merit, which I have communicated as directed; the other, dated July 5th, respecting the release and exchange of Mr. Laurens. Having no direct communication with the British Ministers, and Mr. Burke appearing, by a letter to me, warmly interested in favo of his friend, General Burgoyne, to prevent his being recalled I have requested and empowered him to negociate that exchange, and I soon expect his answer. The late practice of sending to England prisoners taken in America has greatly augmented the number of those unfortunate men, and proportionally increased the expense of relieving them. The subscriptions for that purpose in England have |