To Benjamin Franklin from Caleb Whitefoord and Richard Oswald, 1 October 1782
From Caleb Whitefoord and Richard Oswald
AL:6 American Philosophical Society
Paris 1st October [1782]
Mr Whiteford & Mr Oswald present their best respects to Doctr Franklin & will do themselves the honour to wait of him to Dinner on Friday next.7
Mr Oswald begs leave to Send the Letter he mentioned Respecting Capt Blair,8 & will call on the Doctr to morrow in hopes of having a favourable answer to General Conways Request.9 Mr Fitzherbert is to dispatch a Courier to morrow night, who will carry the Doctors Commands on that head or any other.
Upon looking back upon Mr Hyndmans Letter I observe Capt Blair was an Officer of one of our Regiments
Notation: Mr. Whiteforth & Mr. Oswald
Addressed: A Monsieur / Monsieur Franklin / a Passy
6. In Oswald’s hand.
7. The following Friday was Oct. 4, on which day Oswald and Whitefoord dined at Passy with BF, John and Sarah Jay, Edward Bancroft, Matthew Ridley, and others: Klingelhofer, “Matthew Ridley’s Diary,” p. 117.
8. The letter is missing, but it probably concerned George Blair of Virginia, a Scot who had emigrated in 1762 and in 1775 joined Lord Dunmore’s Loyalist corps. He was commissioned captain of the Guides and Pioneers in 1779 and was captured aboard H.M.S. Romulus in 1781: Palmer, Loyalists, p. 71; Evan Nepean to ———, Nov. 23, 1782 (APS).
9. See BF’s discharge of Capt. Fage’s parole, Oct. 1, above.