in my abilities to oppose them with success. I value most what our great Politicians value least. Congress are at present a Government of Men. It would astonish you to think how all affairs proceed upon the interested Principle: Members prostituting their votes in expectation of mutual assistance upon favorite Points. I am apprehensive that in get [t]ing free from oppression in one quarter we are likely to establish it in another; by avoiding one set of Plunderers we are certain to fall into the clutches of a still more dangerous set. I am sorry our good Friend Harvey is about to leave Congress; he is a valuable man in times like the present, a man of great Virtue and boldness of Spirit. If the Land office should be established, put him at the head of it; his abilities and honesty will be highly necessary in that Employment. As yet Spain have taken no part to our advantage, indeed Arthur Lee still remains at Paris. The court of Berlin have refused William Lee, the Commissioner of Congress to that quarter: He is now gone to Vienna, the most accomplished Metropolis in the World. We are plagued to death with quarrels and recriminations relative to our Commissioners abroad; these men will involve the Continent in perdition. It is absolutely necessary that Deane should be sent over to Europe for the most valuable purpose in the world, but some Gentlemen are determined to ruin an innocent Character, notwithstanding he alone has the great merit of concluding that valuable Treaty with the Minister of France.* PHILADELPHIA Octo. 6th 78 562. THE PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS (HENRY Laurens) 9th Octr. [1778.] Sir I have communicated the Extract from Count d'Estaing's letter, to Monsr. Girard.2 Congress have no objection to granting leave of absence to the Marquis of Vienne.3 Sir, 563. HENRY LAURENS TO WILLIAM HEATH.1 10th October [1778.] Captain Gilbert of Massachusetts and Captain Holmes of New Hampshire, having inform'd me that during their late captivity at New York several Officers of the Convention troops had come into that City 3 See no. 522, ante. 4 Cf. no. 564, post. [562]1 Library of Congress, President's Letter-Book, II. 103. 2 See the Journals, Aug. 28. 3 The Journals contain no record of such action at this time, but Congress did vote the leave Oct. 27, on request of Lafayette. Laurens wrote to Washington Oct. 13, "My last trouble to Your Excellency was dated the 9th by Messenger Dodd who was detained by bad weather and a little management of his own until yesterday" (President's Letter-Book, II. 108). [563] President's Letter-Book, II. 103; Mass. Hist. Soc., Heath Papers, XI. 161. upon Parole, some on furloughs for no less than six months obtained by such Officers from the Commissary of Prisoners or from some other Person pretending to have authority at Boston, and that Gold had been paid in Boston for these illicit Permits; Congress have directed me to give you this intimation and to request you will immediately make a strict enquiry into the fact, that you will also make a Return of all the Convention troops under your charge, Officers and Men, and account for Absentees.2 My dear Sir, 564. SAMUEL ADAMS TO JAMES Warren.1 PHILADELPHIA Octobr. II, 1778. 3 In the inclosd News paper you will see certain Queries calculated to impress on the Minds of the People the Idea of Dr. Lee's having held a criminal Correspondence with a Person known to be at the same Time in the Service and under the Direction of the British Ministry. I hope it will not be in the Power of this Querist to do essential Injury to so eminent a Patriot; who took the earliest and most decisive Part in Opposition to the Measures of the British Court, and whose invariable Attachment to the Liberties of our Country, never was, and I think cannot be justly suspected. Yet it may be necessary to guard against it; for I plainly tho' silently saw, when I was last in Boston, a malevolent Disposition towards Dr. Lee, in a certain Gentleman, who, till he is better known, will have a great Influence in the Massachusetts State. The Instance you may recollect, as you were knowing to it in the Time of it. I then supposd it to proceed from his having strongly attachd himself, and for a Length of Time to a Circle of Men, and imbibd their Prejudices, who are far remote from the political Connections of Dr. Lee, and who differ widely from them in the Adoption of publick Measures regarding either Politicks or Morals. You may remember that some time ago, in a Letter I informd you, I should have much to say to you about Mr. D,* of whom I had long formd my opinion and had not seen Reason to alter it. I have hitherto said nothing to you about him; because I knew it would lead me to Subjects of great Delicacy, which by being exposd to the Enemy, as they would be if my Letters should fall into their hands, might disgrace or otherwise be prejudicial to our publick Affairs. This Caution prevents my communicating to you many things, of which I wish to 2 Cf. the Journals, Oct. 5, and see no. 593, post. [564] Mass. Hist. Soc., Warren MSS.; Writings (ed. Cushing), IV. 68; N. Y. Pub. Lib., Samuel Adams Papers. 2 In the Pennsylvania Packet of Oct. 10 appeared a communication, signed "Querist", asking six questions concerning the connections between Dr. Berkenhout and Arthur Lee. The item is reproduced in the N. Y. Hist. Soc., Collections: Deane Papers, III. 2. In his "Address", published in the Packet Dec. 5 (see no. 635, post), Silas Deane states that he was the author of the queries. Cf. nos. 487, 498, 500, 502, ante, 566, 658, 662, 669, 671, 697, post. 3 The allusion may be to Hancock, though it seems doubtful. 4 Silas Deane. See no. 421, ante. Cf. nos. 401, 439, 524, 528, 529, ante, 566, 584, 635, post. 5 unburthen my Mind. Mr D was originally taken up by a secret Committee of Congress appointed to procure from France the necessary Supplys for carrying on the War. By them he was sent to that Country in the Character of a mere Merchant. About that Time another Committee was appointed whose Business was to form a Correspondence abroad, and particularly to feel the political Pulse of France, in Hopes of forming a Connection with that powerful Nation. This Committee also took up Mr. D; and he carried Letters from Dr. F to some Men of Eminence, which might enable him in some Measure to penetrate into the Disposition of the Court of France towards America. With these Views Mr. D was sent to France. He was to be an Agent to the secret Committee of Commerce. To the secret Committee of Correspondence he was to be the Inquisitive Man or Intelligencer. He had no political Powers whatever; and yet he sent us over Majors, Colonels, Brigadiers and Majors General in Abundance and more than we knew what to do with, of his own creating, till at length Mr. Du Coudray arrivd, with the Commission (or an Agreement signd by Mr. D in Behalf of the United States that he should have one) of a Major General with the Command of our Artillery; together with his Suite of about seventy Gentlemen of different Ranks. All this was done, as I said before, without any Authority. Congress was exceedingly embarrassd; being loth to discredit their Commissioner (for before the Arrival of M. Du Coudray he was commissiond joyntly with Messrs Franklin and Lee). I say being loth to discredit him by disannulling the Convention, and at the same time judging it dishonorable as well as unsafe for America to ratify it. This however was agreed to in a Committee of the whole House. Not having the records before me, I do not recollect whether it was confirmd in the House; but Du Coudray soon after died, his Suite or most of them returnd with Gratifications, and Mr. D was recalled. After which he was directed to return speedily and give an Account of the State of our Affairs in Europe. This has given an Occasion to his Friends to hide the real Reason for his being recalled, and to hold up in the publick News Papers an ostensible one, supposing it to be more for his Reputation." Our Affairs even in France wore a gloomy Aspect during last year, until they receivd the News of our Army at the Northward being completely victorious. This was the decisive Language which commanded our Success in the Cabinet of France. To this we are indebted for the Acknowledgment of our Independence, the Treaty and the french Fleet. Mr. D is complimented with having procurd this Fleet, and his “spirited Exertions" like those of other Great Men, have been puffd off in the News Papers. Unthinking Men may be amusd with a Golden Snuff Box, etc. etc; after all they are mere Things of Course, especially in the honey Moon of National Matrimony. Since Mr. D's Return, as well as before, there have been suggestions of his Misconduct in France, and among other Things of his misappli See vol. I., nos. 532, 534, 535, vol. II., nos. 178-180. 6 See vol. II., nos. 768, 769. cation of publick Moneys. I cannot say whether these Suggestions are well grounded or not. Congress is devoting every Hour to an Enquiry into the Grounds of them which can be spared from an Attention to other great Affairs, particularly the Finances. The Conduct of an honest Man will bear the strictest Scrutiny. If the Friends of Mr. D have any Suspicions of his being tardy, I am inclind to think they will be more apprehensive of a Detection from the Vigilance and Integrity of Dr. Lee than any thing else. On such Occasions it is not unusual for the most unblemishd Characters and sometimes even the Lives of the best of Men have been sacrificd, in order to prevent "Transactions dark and mysterious" from being brought into open Light. I have written this Letter in Confidence and shall continue the Subject when I can find Leisure." Your last was dated the 2d of Septr. Resolved 565. JOSEPH REED, MOTION.1 Adieu. [October 12? 1778.] That Congress have, and of Right ought to have a Power to dismiss any Officer from their Service whenever they shall deem his Continuance therein incompatible with the publick Intrests and that this Right being expressed on the Face of the Commission which is granted during the Pleasure of Congress excludes any reasonable Complaint of Injustice and Hardships whenever this Right is exercised. [Endorsed:] Mr. Reeds Motion on the right of Congress to dismiss their officers at pleasure." My dear Sir, 2 566. SAMUEL ADAMS TO JAMES WARREN.1 PHILADA. Oct. 14, 1778. In my last I inclosd a News Paper containing certain Queries calculated, as I conceive, to blast the Reputation of a truly virtuous Man. Dr. Lee and Dr. Berkenhout, mentiond by the Querist, were formerly fellow Students at Edinburg; and as both were esteemd learned in their Profession, it is not improbable that on that Account they kept up their 7 See no. 635, post. 8 See no. 518, note 5, ante. [565]1 S. C. Hist. Soc., Laurens Papers, Congressional, 1779, XXVII. 2 There is no indication on the manuscript of the date of this motion, nor has any record of it been found in the Journals, but it was doubtless made in connection with, the consideration of the report of the committee of arrangement (of which Reed was a member), which was brought in Oct. 9, taken into consideration Oct. 12, and adopted, with modifications, Nov. 24. The fact that Reed left Congress in the latter part of October is evidence that the motion must have been made in the earlier stages of the discussion. It may possibly have been offered at the time of the presentation of the memorial of the officers, Oct. 20. See no. 586, post; cf. no. 559, ante. [566] Mass. Hist. Soc., Warren MSS., vol. 3, p. 225; Writings (ed. Cushing), IV. 72 (with variations). 2 No. 564, ante. See also no. 635, post. know Acquaintance while both continued in Great Britain. Dr. Lee, you was requested by Congress to go over to France, where he was made a joynt Commissioner with Messrs. Franklin and Dean. It is possible that a Correspondence m't afterwards have been carried on between them; but from the Knowledge I have of Dr. Lee, I will venture to pledge my self it was not a criminal one as the Querist would seem to insinuate, and if Dr. Berkenhout was in the Service and under the Direction of the British Ministry, which by the way is but bare Suspicion here, it must have been utterly unknown to Dr. Lee. I am rather inclind to think it is a Creature of the Querist's own Fancy, or an artful Suggestion thrown out to the Publick, to serve the Cause of our Enemies. America should beware how she suffers the Character of one of the most able and vigilant Supporters of her Rights to be injurd by Questions designd to impute 'Slander without any Reasons offerd why such Questions should be made. It is the old Game of mischievous Men to strike at the Characters of the Good and the Great, in order to lessen the Weight of their Example and Influence. Such Patriots as Lord Russell and Algernon Sydney of the last Age, have been of late falsely and audaciously chargd, by a Scotch Tool of the most nefarious Court in Europe, as having receivd Bribes from the Ministers of France; and it is not strange that a Gentleman whom the leading American Whigs have placed high in their List of Patriots, who has renderd the most laborious and important Services to our Country in England, France and other Parts of Europe, who has so often and so seasonably developed the secret Intrigues and Practices of wicked Men, and who at this Time stands high in the Esteem and Confidence of the Congress, and when it is considerd in Addition to this, that there are too many disaffected and insidious Men still lurking among us, it is by no means a strange thing to hear it insinuated by an anonimous Writer, that Dr. Lee also is chargeable with a criminal Correspondence with the Enemy, without even the Shadow of Reason. You may publish this if you think proper. I receivd your favor of Sept. 30th. It contains very interesting Matter which shall have my Attention at a more leisure Hour than the present. In the mean time Adieu my F[rien]d. Sir, SA 567. THE CONNECTICUT DELEGATES TO THE GOVERNOR OF PHILADELPHIA, Octo. 15th, 1778. We were honored with your Excellency's letter of the 5th instant. Your letter to Congress and the memorial accompanying it are referred to 3 The allusion is to Sir John Dalrymple's Memoirs of Great Britain and Ireland (three vols., Edinburgh, 1771, 1773, 1778). The matter here referred to is in the second volume, which contains numerous documents from French sources. See the preface to that volume, also the notes in Allibone, Dictionary of Authors. 4 See no. 571, post. [567] Mass. Hist. Soc., Collections, seventh ser., II. 290; Boutell, Life of Roger Sherman, p. 107. |