P. S. . . . . Congress determined this Morning to proceed on the arrangement of the Army. the Members are exceedingly anxious to finish that business.* 267. GOUVERNEUR MORRIS TO ROBERT MORRIS.1 Dear Duer Monday Evening [May 11, 1778.]2 Livingston is so ill he can't attend Congress. Monsr. La Neuville is kept in dilatory attendance. The half Pay cannot be postponed (for now we are the Postponers) beyond To Morrow Morning. Tell Morris his Portugueze Affair is settled much against the wishes of his Eastern Friends. I could not get the Papers till last Night and this Morning I did the needful whereupon the delay was not chargeable on his and your Friend GOUVR. MORRIS. The above is a Copy of a Letter written two Hours ago delivered to Duer who unfortunately arrived in Town without you very contrary to my Expectations. James Smith assures him that his worthy Colleague Jonathan B Smith hath absolutely declared off upon the Half Pay Business. Clingan is of the true Eastern Stamp and Clay. I need say no more when you know that Massachusetts is against us except that Hall is daily expected from Georgia and some of the Un true Blues from New Hampshire. Think one Moment and come here the next. My respectful remembrances wait on Mrs Morris. I send somewhat for your Evenings Amusement Adieu Yours sincerely [P. S. by Duer.] GOUVR. MORRIS The Question for referring the half pay Establis't to the States cannot be deferr'd longer than to Morrow. Pensilvania being at present against us it will be carried to refer it to the States, w'h will defeat the Measure. The plan for regulating the army was taken up May 18. There is no mention of the subject in the Journals May 11. See no. 235, post. [267]1 Library of Congress, Morris Papers; Henkels, Catalogue, no. 1183, item 192 (extracts). 2 The letter bears an endorsement in Robert Morris's writing: "Monday Evening Feby 11th 1778 Gouver. Morris "; but if the endorsement was written at the time the letter was received, which is doubtful, the date given is a slip of the pen. Feb. II fell on Wednesday and is otherwise out of accord with the internal evidence, while May 11 appears to accord with all the facts (the affair of the Portuguese vessel, the arrival of Duer, the half-pay establishment, etc.). 3 See no. 265, ante. * See no. 136, ante, and the Journals, May 6, II. In accordance with the resolve of May 11 the committee of foreign affairs wrote to the board of war at Boston, May 14, asking for an authentic copy of the proceedings of the court of admiralty in the case (Papers Cont. Cong., no. 79, vol. I., f. 213). For further proceedings concerning the Portuguese vessel (usually called Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Saint Anthony), see the Journals, June 19, 25, 1778, Jan. 13, 16, 19, 26, Feb. 2, 9, June 19, 26, July 2, 5, 16, 21, 22, Sept. 4, 1779. When I have mentioned this I am sure I need not add any thing more to induce you to be here by Eleven o'Clock to Morrow." [Addressed :] The honble Robert Morris Esqr. Manheim " W. DUER. 268. RICHARD HENRY LEE TO ARTHUR LEE.1 1 My dear Brother His It is not necessary now to say much about [Deane]. [recall], which I now rejoice at, will prevent all future [machinations] from him, at least in [Europe], and himself, as well as all others, shall be well attended to here. Our friend Mr. Adams who [succeeds Deane] is a wise and worthy Whig, who will not [form cabals] for any private or sinister purpose. I advise you to [cultivate] his [friendship]. Congress has now resolved the same for the support of their Commissioners at Madrid, Vienna, Berlin and Tuscany as for those at Paris, and they are authorized to draw bills of exchange on the Commissioner or Commissioners that may be at Paris for the money they want to defray their expences. This makes each [independent] and will, for a time at least, render it unnecessary to send particular remittances to those places in the way of Commodities. You may be assured that Congress are ready and willing to send powerful remittances to Europe in the way of commodities, but the attempt now would be only supplying the enemy, whose Cruisers are so numerous on See nos. 222, 231, 242, 247, 255, 258, ante, 282, 287, post. Cf. no. 174, note 2, ante. 6 Above the address, in the writing of Gouverneur Morris, is the injunction, "Let the Bearer of this Letter pass to and from Manheim-York Town"; below, "Free Gouvr. Morris ". [268]1 Univ. Va. Lib., Lee Papers; Va. Hist. Soc., Lee Trans., III.; Southern Literary Messenger, XXIX. 431; Letters (ed. Ballagh), I. 403. 2 The words in square brackets in this letter are in cipher in the original. In many others of the letters of Richard Henry Lee to his brothers during 1778 and 1779, as also in their letters to him, are found words and passages in cipher, which appear to have remained for the most part undeciphered by others than the recipients of the letters. The key to the cipher is evidently an edition of Entick's New Spelling Dictionary, the cipher number merely indicating the page, the column, and the number of the word in the column. As used by the Lees, the page was indicated by an arabic numeral, the column by a small a or b, and the place of the word in the column by a roman numeral. For instance, the cipher for "Deane is 115 b XXXVIII, which means: page 115, second column, 38th word. No copy of the edition actually used by the Lees has been found, but by means of a later edition, although with different paging, etc., a decipherment of the letters found in these volumes has been effected which, barring some doubtful words, is believed to be correct. In printed collections of the Lee letters the ciphers have often been omitted (as, for instance, in the Letters of Richard Henry Lee, New York, 1911, 1914). In the Life of Arthur Lee the "b" is erroneously printed "6". For a brief account of this and other ciphers used by members of Congress, see this editor's note on Ciphers of the Revolutionary Period", in Am. Hist. Rev., XXII. 329. In a letter of Oct. 4 (Life of Arthur Lee, II. 114), which is probably one of the letters to which this is a reply, Arthur Lee uses a few such ciphers, and in a postscript of Nov. 25 mentions that he had previously sent a book "by which we may communicate our thoughts without danger from mischievous curiosity", and was now sending another. See no. 295, post. 8 See the Journals, May 7. our Coast and in our Bays, that almost every Vessel is taken. When a war with France and Spain shall take place, the numerous Ships of England will find some other employment than bending their whole force against us. Then it will be in our power to make the remittances we wish to make. Congress has not yet taken up the consideration of appointing another Commissioner, when they do, I think there can be no objection to the Gentleman you recommend or that he should be appointed to Spain. Gen. Burgoyne has leave to return to England upon parole, but his Army is detained until the Court of London shall notify to Congress their ratification of the Convention of Saratoga. The detention of this Army was founded partly on the reasons you assign, and for other powerful ones which Burgoyne himself furnished us with. In the inclosures which our public letter contains you will see the reasons more at large. I am very happy to be able to observe to you, that the unalterable attachment of Congress to Independence is clearly evidenced by their resolutions upon Ld. North's insidious bills of pacification some days before they had any notice of the Treaty with France. I think you may make a good use of this with those who may doubt our firmness. We have now no danger but what may arise from our [funds]. Necessity has made our [paper emission] very large, and may render it indispensable that a solid support sh'd be derived from [specie]. Therefore [loans] from [Europe] are necessary, and the desires of Congress on this head demand great attention." . 269. RICHARD HENRY LEE TO JOHN ADAMS.1 My Dear Sir. 4 In the beginning of this letter Richard Henry Lee acknowledges letters from Arthur Lee bearing the dates Oct. 24, Dec. 6, 8, 19; but, while letters of these dates are not found in the Life of Arthur Lee, other letters give the requisite clue to this allusion. In a letter of Oct. 4 (ibid., II. 114) he says: "My idea therefore of adapting characters and places is this: Dr. F. to Vienna, as the first, most respectable, and quiet; Mr. Deane to Holland; and the Alderman to Berlin, as the commercial department; Mr. Izard where he is; Mr. Jenings at Madrid, his reserve and circumspection being excellently adapted to that court. I mean Edmund Jenings, whom you know, whose real abilities to serve may be relied on. France remains the centre of political activity, and here therefore I should choose to be employed." Cf. a letter of the same date to Samuel Adams (ibid., p. III), and others to Richard Henry Lee, Jan. 5, 9, 1778 (ibid., pp. 126, 127). See also Wharton, Rev. Dipl. Corr., I. 499, 525 et. seq. 5 The reference is probably to the letter of Jan. 21 (Wharton, Rev. Dipl. Corr., II. 474). See no. 20, note 2, ante. 6 See the Journals, Apr. 22, and no. 271, note 2, post. 66 Cf. no. 269, post. In a letter to Jefferson May 11 Lee mentions enclosing a pamphlet which is supposed to be by Franklin and was first published in Holland. We have translated it here, and . . . it will be published next week in the Gazette of this place. The reasons are good and may be well used in these States to support public credit" (Letters, I. 401). This was probably the same paper as that printed in the Pennsylvania Packet, July 28, with an introduction by the editor, beginning, “The following paper is supposed to have been written by a celebrated American Philosopher, at Paris". Texts of this essay are found in Franklin's Works (ed. Sparks), II. 426, and Writings (ed. Smyth), VII. 1. [269]1 Letters, I. 405. 2 Presumably the letter of May 14 (no. 271, post). If the date of Lee's letter is correct, the letter to the commissioners was drafted prior to May 14. to congratulate you on your safe arrival in France. You will find our affairs at your Court in a much more respectable Train than they have been heretofore, and therefore no doubt more agreeable to you. Finance seems now the only rock on which we have any danger of splitting. How far European loans may help us you can judge, but I fear that the slow operation of Taxes, which indeed are pretty considerably pushed in many States, will not be adequate to the large emissions of paper money which the war compels us to make. The number and activity of the British Cruisers on the coast, and in the Bays of the Staple States, render it utterly impossible with any degree of safety, and therefore very unwise, to attempt making remittances to Europe at present. It is in fact furnishing the enemy with what they want extremely, and much to our injury. Surely the Court of France will now give protection to their Commerce to and from America, the clearest policy demands it. . . . . Monsr. Beaumarchais by his Agent Monsr. Francis has demanded a prodigious sum from the Continent for the Stores etc. furnished the States. His accounts are referred for settlement to the Commissioner[s] at Paris, and I hope they will scrutinise most carefully into this business, that the public may not pay a large sum wrongfully. We have been repeatedly informed that the greater part of these Stores were gratuitously furnished by the Court of France How then does it come to pass that a private person a mere Agent of the Ministry, should now demand pay for the whole? * Sir 4 270. HENRY LAURENS TO SAMUEL ALLEYNE OTIS.1 1 13th May. I had the honor of writing to you the 21st Ultimo by Messenger Brown.2 I have remarked in Congress some difficulties which have arisen upon applications for Money on account of the Clothier general said to be intended for discharging the debt contracted by you for the purchase of Clothing on public Account. possibly no obstacle would have been thrown in as a Bar to payment of a Stated account directly from your self, or as I should say from Messrs. Otis and Andrews. It is not necessary to account for causes of the demurs which have happened therefore waving an enquiry give me leave to recommend to you to transmit an account of all your expenditures and engagements opposed by all the sums you have received and drawn for, strike the balance and either draw for such a Balance or desire it may be remitted to you and from the Justice of Congress and their readiness to pay every fair account you will meet no farther disappointment. If your Vouchers are not too bulky send them, if they are, Note at the foot of your account that if required you will transmit the whole, or produce them for inspection to any person authorized for that purpose by 3 Cf. no. 268, ante. 4 See nos. 109, 133, 186, 240, ante, and nos. 279, 281, 437, post. [270]1 S. C. Hist. Soc., Laurens Letter-Book, Mar.-Sept., 1778, p. 110. The letter is addressed to Samuel Otis, Esquire, Boston". 66 2 See no. 297, note 2, post. Congress. It may be proper to give some account of the thin and ordinary Clothing which have been produced in Congress, how the imposition upon you happened and why you have been obliged to submit to it." My regard for the Honor of Congress and my Esteem for a Gentleman who, as I judge from the tenor of his whole conduct, has acted the part of a faithful Steward to the public, has induced the present interposition. in this light you will be pleased to receive my private sentiments and be assured I am with great respect, Sir your most obedient Servant 271. THE COMMITTEE OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS TO THE Gentlemen COMMISSIONERS AT PARIS.1 YORK TOWN May 14th 1778. Our Affairs have now a universally good appearance. Every thing at home and abroad seems verging towards a happy and permanent Period. We are preparing for either War or Peace, for altho' we are fully perswaded that our Enemies are wearied, beaten and in despair, yet we shall not presume too much on that belief, and the rather as it is our fixt determination to admit no terms of Peace but such as are fully in Character with the dignity of Independant States and consistent with the Spirit and intention of our alliances on the Continent of Europe We believe, and with great Reason too, that the honor and fortitude of America have been rendered suspicious, by the Arts intrigues and specious misrepresentations of our Enemies. Every Proceeding and Policy of our's has been tortured to give some possible colouring to their assertions of a doubtful disposition in America as to her final perseverance in maintaining her Independance; and perhaps, the speeches of several of the Minority in both houses of the English Parliament who seem to persist in the possibility of a reconciliation might contribute towards that Suspicion. We, at this Time feel ourselves exceedingly happy in being able to shew, from the accidental arrangement of Circumstances, such as we could have neither policy to foresee, nor power to alter, that the disposition of America on that head was fixt and final. For a proof of which we desire your attention to the following The English Ministry appear to have been very industrious in getting their two Conciliatory Bills (even before they had been read once) over to America as soon as possible the reason of which haste we did not then foresee, but the arrival of your despatches since with the treaties have unridelled the Affair. Genl. Howe was equally industrious in Circulating them by his emissaries thro' the Country. Mr. Tryon at N york did the same, and both these Gentlemen sent them under sanction of a flag to See the Journals, May 5, 21, 22, 25; cf. no. 260, ante. James Warren wrote to Samuel Adams May 8: the Cloathers Otis and Andrews are in great difficulty for want of money and should be supplied, to preserve any kind of Credit to the Continent" (Warren-Adams Letters, II. 8). [271] Harvard Univ. Lib., Lee MSS., IV. 124; ("Duplicate", with autographic signatures, but not in the writing of either Lee or Lovell); ibid., Sparks _MSS., XVI. 236; Am. Phil. Soc., Franklin Papers, LIII. 41; Library of Congress, Papers Cont. Cong., no. 79, vol. I., f. 223 (letter-book copy); Wharton, Rev. Dipl. Corr., II. 574. |