1From Benjamin Franklin to Gérard de Rayneval, 10 August 1779 (Franklin Papers)
LS : Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères; copy: Library of Congress The foregoing are the Articles requested by the States of Maryland & Virginia. If to these could be added Cloth, Linnen, Stockings, Shoes, & Hats for clothing 20.000 Men, and also ten thousand more Fusils, the whole addressed to the Congress, I am certain it would be a very seasonable & necessary Supply, as private...
2From Benjamin Franklin to Gérard de Rayneval, 12 August 1779 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Library of Congress I send you here with the best Copy I have of the address I mentioned to you. It was worn in the Carriage, but the Difficiency is supply’d from another. I request you would show it to M. le Comte de Vergennes and remark particularly the Sentiments express’d by the Congress, of the Alliance, and the absolute Unanimity with which the address passed. With great Esteem I...
3From Benjamin Franklin to Gérard de Rayneval, 31 August 1779 (Franklin Papers)
LS : Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères; copy: Library of Congress I received Yesterday Evening, in good Order the Packet you were so obliging as to send me, & which had been missing. I am sorry you have had any Uneasiness about it. I received also by the Hands of M. De Chaumont the Packet directed to Mr. Adams. With great Esteem, I have the honour to be Sir, Your most obedient &...
4From Benjamin Franklin to Joseph-Mathias Gérard de Rayneval, 15 March 1780 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Library of Congress I thank you for your Care in sending my Packet which I received. I congratulate you most cordially on the safe return of your good Brother. The American News papers will give you the honourable Sentiments & Testimonies of Public Bodies with regard to him; inclos’d I send you those of my friends and Correspondents which I have extracted from their Private Letters to me...
5From Benjamin Franklin to Gérard de Rayneval, 24 June 1780 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères The Person who calls himself Dumont was with me yesterday Evening, bringing Notes to me from M. de Vergennes & M le Duc de Vauguyon. He said his Business was to solicit a Supply of 4000. Stand of Arms to be landed in the West of England, for the Use of the Petitioners who were become sensible that Petitioning signified nothing, and that...
6From Benjamin Franklin to Gérard de Rayneval, 5 August 1780 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Library of Congress Herewith you will receive the Letters you write for. But as I purpose to send them, or Copies of them, to the Congress, agreable to the Request of the Count de Vergennes, and have not yet had time to copy them; I suppose you will return them to me. I have the Honour to be &c Above, Aug. 4. On Aug. 7 Gérard de Rayneval wrote BF , enclosing three letters and promising...
7From Benjamin Franklin to Gérard de Rayneval, 8 March 1781 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Library of Congress I am honour’d with your Letter of this Day and shall accordingly take Care to be with M. le Comte de Vergennes before 10. o Clock on Saturday next. Be pleased to present my Respects to his Excellency, & belive me to be with perfect Esteem. Sir, Rayneval’s letter is missing. What transpired at the March 10 meeting is described in the notation to BF ’s March 6 letter to...
8From Benjamin Franklin to Gérard de Rayneval, 11 March 1781 (Franklin Papers)
LS : Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères; AL (draft): Library of Congress; copies: Columbia University Library, National Archives (two); presscopy: National Archives; incomplete copy: Library of Congress; transcript: National Archives I have examin’d the list of Supplies wanted in America which I received yesterday from you in order to mark as desired what may be most necessary to...
9From Benjamin Franklin to Joseph-Mathias Gérard de Rayneval, 5 August 1781 (Franklin Papers)
LS : Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères; AL (draft) and copy: Library of Congress With this I send the Accounts of the Clothing that went in the Marquis de la Fayette; of which there is an Abridgement on a separate Paper. There went also in the same Ship 100 Tons of Saltpetre, about 1500 Barrels of Gunpowder, and the Remainder of 1500 Fusils, Part having been sent in the Ariel. With...
10From Benjamin Franklin to Gérard de Rayneval, 9 September 1781 (Franklin Papers)
LS : Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères; AL (draft): Library of Congress I have just received under Cover the inclosed Pacquet. I beg your kind Attention to the Papers I send herewith, relating to Passports. You will see by our latest Gazettes, which I inclose, a better Account of the Affair between the Marquis de la Fayette and Lord Cornwallis than we have hitherto had. Please to...
11From Benjamin Franklin to Gérard de Rayneval, 22 September 1781 (Franklin Papers)
LS : Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères; AL (draft) and copy: Library of Congress The enclosed Letters have been put into my Hands relative to the Passport, which I sometime since desired, at the Request of M. de Cornie, for the Passage of Linens from Metz thro’ France for America. I find that M. de Malesherbes interests himself in the Affair, I suppose upon the Recommendation of M....
12From Benjamin Franklin to Joseph-Mathias Gérard de Rayneval, 10 December 1781 (Franklin Papers)
LS : Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères; AL (draft) and copy: Library of Congress The enclos’d Letter from Marseilles is written by Mr. Mason, a Gentleman of Virginia, who was warmly recommended to me as a very worthy Man, by the Governor & several other Persons of Note in that Country. He has been advis’d by his Physicians to spend the Winter in the South of France, and he chuses...
13From Benjamin Franklin to Gérard de Rayneval, 2 February 1782 (Franklin Papers)
LS : Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères; copy: Library of Congress I now send for M. le Comte de Vergennes, the Letter you were so kind as to advise relating to the Dutch Loan. and I beg you would procure a Note from his Excellency to M. de Fleury, for the Payment of 500,000 £s to M. Grand, where it is immediately wanted, he being already near 300,000 l.t. in Advance for us. With...
14From Benjamin Franklin to Joseph-Mathias Gérard de Rayneval, 22 March 1782 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères; copy: Library of Congress With this I have the honour of sending you all the Letters I have received from or written to England on the Subject of Peace. M. de Vergennes should have seen them sooner if I had imagined them of any Importance: for I have never had the least Desire of keeping such Correspondence secret. I was, as you will see,...
15From Benjamin Franklin to Joseph-Mathias Gérard de Rayneval, 4 September 1782 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères With this you will receive the Boxes you desired of Mint Drops. They came by Mr Oswald’s Courier, who arrived this Morning. He has been with me, and tells me he has a Letter from Mr Secry. Townsend, acquainting him, that the King has consented to declare the Independence of America, authorizing him to make it the first Article in the Treaty,...
16From Benjamin Franklin to Gérard de Rayneval, 13 October 1782 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères; copies: Library of Congress (two), Massachusetts Historical Society With this you will receive the Copy you desired of Mr Oswald’s Commission. I request your kind Care in forwarding the enclos’d Letter to Spain, by your first Courier. I have the honour to be with sincere Esteem & Attachment Sir Your most obedient and most humble Servant...
17From Benjamin Franklin to Joseph-Mathias Gérard de Rayneval, 22 August 1783 (Franklin Papers)
LS : Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères Mr Carnes having informed me that my Application is necessary to his obtaining a Personal Safety or Sauf Conduite , in order to afford him the Time necessary to get the Consentment of his distant Creditors, to his obtaining Lettres de Sur-seances for the space of Six Months: I hereby request you would comply with his Request, not doubting but...