31The American Commissioners to the Committee of Secret Correspondence, 8 February 1777 (Franklin Papers)
ALS and copy: National Archives Since Our last We have received the inclosed Intelligence from London, which we take the earliest Opportunity of forwarding, in hopes it may be received with Our other Letters by Nantes. A Vessel from So: Carolina, loaded by that state, which sailed the 20th December, is arrived at L’Orient with Rice and Indigo. As We were particular in Our last which was sent...
32The American Commissioners to John Jay, 2 June 1777 (Franklin Papers)
Two copies: National Archives We refer the Committee to ours to You of the 26 ulto. of which we sent Duplicates, should either arrive, but apprehensive of the Contrary we send you the Substance in this. The Brittish Commerce in Europe, especially in the North, is unguarded, the Greenland Whale Fishery and the Hudsons Bay Shipps in particular. Could two or three of our frigates accompanied by...
33The American Commissioners to the Committee of Secret Correspondence, 6 February 1777 (Franklin Papers)
LS and copy: National Archives; copy: Harvard University Library Since our last, a Copy of which is enclosed Mr. Hodge is arrived here from Martinique, and has brought safely the Papers he was charged with. He had a long Passage and was near being starved. We are about to employ him in a Service, pointed out by you, at Dunkirk or Flushing. He has delivered us three sets of the Papers we...
34The American Commissioners to the Committee of Secret Correspondence, 17[–22] January 1777 (Franklin Papers)
LS and two copies: National Archives; copy: South Carolina Historical Society We joined each other at this place on the 22d. of December and on the 28th. had an Audience of his Excellency the Count De Vergennes, one of his most Christian Majesty’s principal Secretarys of State and Minister for Foreign Affairs. We laid before him our Commission with the Articles of the proposed Treaty of...
35The American Commissioners to the Committee of Secret Correspondence, 4 March 1777 (Franklin Papers)
ALS and copy: National Archives We send you herewith the Draught of a Frigate, by a very ingenious Officer in this service, which appears to Us peculiarly suitable for Our purpose, and We are in hopes of being able to ship Cordage and Sail Cloth, and Anchors &c. sufficient for Five or Six such Frigates, by the Time you can have them built. Though deprived of any intelligence from you since the...
36The American Commissioners to the Committee of Secret Correspondence, 12 March[–9 April 1777] (Franklin Papers)
LS : National Archives; L : British Library; copy: National Archives It is now more than 4 Months since Mr. Franklin’s Departure from Philadelphia, and not a Line from thence written since that time has hitherto reached either of your Commissioners in Europe. We have had no Information of what passes in America but thro’ England, and the Advices are for the most part such only as the Ministry...
37The American Commissioners to [the Committee of Secret Correspondence], 28 April 1777 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Harvard University Library We wrote to you pretty fully on the State of Affairs here, in ours of the 12th of March and 19th of this Month, since which there has been little Alteration. There is yet no Certainty of a sudden Declaration of War, but the Preparations go on vigorously both here and in Spain, the Armies of france drawing towards the Sea Coasts, and those of Spain to the...
38To John Jay from Aranda, 11 September 1782 (Jay Papers)
J’ai l’honneur de repondre á Votre billet d’hier que je me trouve avec les instructions suffisantes de ma Cour, et autorisè par elle pour conferer, et traiter avec Vous sur tous les points dont Vous en seriès instruit, et autorisè par Vos Commetans. Sitôt que Vous Voudrès me communiquer Vos propositions, nous les examinerons, et en consequence je Vous exposerai mes observations pour nous...
39To John Jay from Aranda, 27 June 1782 (Jay Papers)
J’ai l’honneur de Repondre à votre billet du 25. me faissant celui de m’avertir de votre heureuse arrivée à cette Cour. Je l’aurai egalement à vous Recevoir, quand vous jugerez qu’ainsi puisse convenir, et quand vous voudrez bien m’en prevenir; à fin qu’instruit de votre intention je puisse vous attendre a l’heure qui pourroit vous etre la plus comode. Je serai bien flattè de votre...
40To John Jay from Étienne d’Audibert Caille, 21 April 1780 (Jay Papers)
Par ordre de S. M. L’Empereur de Maroc, J’ecrivis le 6 Septembre de l’annee derniere a Mgrs du Congres des Etats Unis de l’Amerique Septentrionale par voie de S. Ex ce M. le Docteur Franklin leur Plenipotentiaire a la Cour de France pour leur faire scavoir les intentions pacifiques de ce Souverain. N’ayant point encore reçu aucune reponse de leur part Je crains que ma lettre ne leur soit point...
41To John Jay from Edward Bancroft, c. 12 August 1783 (Jay Papers)
I have long delayed doing myself the honor of writing to you, partly, because, in truth, since my arrival here, very little has occurred worthy of Communication— I have however watched & taken some pains to discover the views of Ministers here respecting our Country, & I am sorry to have learned within these two or three days from an infallible Source, that this Government is now much more...
42To John Jay from George Bascome, 5 April 1779 (Jay Papers)
On the Score of the Acquaintance which I had the Honor some Years past, during my Residence at New York, to have with you, I take the Liberty to solicit your Attention to the Application now about to be made to the Honorable the Congress of the American States, through you as President thereof, for the Necessaries of Life.— On its Success depend the Lives of near fifteen Thousand People. And...
43To John Jay from Anthony Benezet, 2 February 1779 (Jay Papers)
With affectionate respect, I hereby salute thee, & take the freedom to send thee the inclosed Pamphlet, containing Some Thoughts on War, Slavery &c. of which I earnestly request thy serious perusal. Indeed the subject is of the greatest weight to All, even as Human-Beings; but much more so to those who, indeed believe the great truths of the Christian Religion, God becoming Man, & dying for...
44To John Jay from Egbert Benson, 23 December 1778 (Jay Papers)
I embrace this Opportunity by M r : Sands of writing to You with respect to a Matter which I conceive extremely important and interesting— In Loudon’s last Paper we have M r . Deane’s Letter to the Public, which, as it is extracted from the Philadelphia Gasette You have undoubtedly seen— Altho I sincerely lament the Occasion which rendered this Publication necessary, yet from other...
45To John Jay from Egbert Benson, 30 September 1781 (Jay Papers)
You will observe I have deferred my Letter til the last day of the Month, in hopes that I should have had it in my Power to communicate Intelligence as agreeable as it would have been important— (When I wrote last Gen l : Washington with the Allied Army was in the lower part of West Chester County, waiting, as it was generally supposed, the Arrival of the French Fleet from the West Indies in...
46To John Jay from Egbert Benson, 25 April 1783 (Jay Papers)
You doubtless, my Friend will be surprized to receive a Letter from Me dated at this Place— I am here on an Errand from the State to the Delegates, too extensive to be the Subject of a Letter, and not proper to be entrusted to Paper— I sincerely congratulate You on a Peace— It is almost a Consummation of all my Wishes, and gives general Satisfaction here— A few Years of Wisdom and Virtue are...
47To John Jay from Egbert Benson, 23 June 1779 (Jay Papers)
I have frequently of late determined to write to You and have been as often interrupted; indeed this disagreeable Business, in which I am engaged, tho’ it is not sufficient to furnish Me with constant Employment yet is of ^ such ^ a Nature as to leave Me scarce a Moment which I can call my own or in which I am free from Interruption. We were flattered that when our Government was established...
48To John Jay from Egbert Benson, 6 July 1779 (Jay Papers)
Since I had the Pleasure of writing to You last the Committee of Congress have returned from Vermont, and they passed thro’ this place when I happened unfortunately not to be at home— Altho I have not had an Opportunity to converse with them yet from what has been communicated to Me by the Governor and the Papers which I have seen, their Embassy has not been productive of the Good I both...
49To John Jay from Egbert Benson, 19 March 1777 (Jay Papers)
We have this day wrote to Convention that Persons going to New York might be prohibited from taking all their Apparel and Furniture and you doubtless will hear the Letter read— We have not subjoined our Reasons as We proposed only to suggest the Matter and leave it entirely to be determined by Convention as they shall think best without an Attempt to influence their Judgment; It appeared...
50To John Jay from Egbert Benson, 4 September 1779 (Jay Papers)
I have stolen a Moment from the Business of the House to write You by M r : Phelps, who is dispatched some Hours sooner than I was apprised of or I should have wrote You more fully— He is the Bearer of our peremptory Instructions to the Delegates relative to the Affair of Vermont— This Business I must entreat Your utmost Endeavers to dispatch, for You will observe We are to continue sitting...
51To John Jay from William Bingham, 14[–15] August 1782 (Jay Papers)
Major Franks, on his Arrival here, the 1 st Instant, delivered me your Letter of the 8 th Septem r ., in which I find You do not acknowledge the Receipt of several that I had wrote You, which renders your Precaution very necessary— It is the prevailing Opinion in America that Negociations are on the Tapis for a general peace & y r . Departure from Madrid, to hold a conference (as is said) with...
52To John Jay from William Bingham, 17 February 1779 (Jay Papers)
Above is Copy of my last Respects, since writing of which the Continental Frigate the Deane, & the armed Brigantine the General Gates have arrived here, in order to careen & refit. I am sensible I shall expose myself to innumerable Difficulties in undertaking to supply these Vessels with what they stand in need of. Nothing but the Pain I must feel at seeing the Service suffer, could induce me...
53To John Jay from William Bingham, 6 June 1781 (Jay Papers)
Your obliging Favor of the 24th Nov r is the only one that has reached me since your Departure from Martenico— I the more regret it, as the Value I set upon your Friendship, makes me anxious oftentimes to receive the same flattering Marks of it— The object of my Wishes, concerning which I requested you to sound a particular Gentleman was, soon after I mentioned it to you, unsolicited for, in...
54To John Jay from William Bingham, 27 September 1782 (Jay Papers)
Under Date of August 4th I had the honor of addressing you, Since which we have the fullest Prospect of an approaching Peace, as it appears that the Negotiations in europe will most certainly terminate in that desirable Event There is a Point of the greatest Consequence for the Interests of the merchant states which is not consulted in the treaty of commerce with France , & which if unattended...
55To John Jay from William Bingham, 1 July 1780 (Jay Papers)
With great Difficulty & repeated Solicitations I procured permission from Congress to return here & arrived in the Frigate the Confederacy the beginning of May— Previous to my Departure, I addressed you several Letters from Martinico which I hope you have received— It has given me peculiar pleasure to hear of your late Arrival at Cadiz, & of the favorable reception you are like to meet with at...
56To John Jay from William Bingham, 3 February 1779 (Jay Papers)
I did myself the honor of writing to you on my arrival here, Since which have not had the pleasure of hearing from you— I imagine my Letter must have miscarried, or perhaps found you so busily engaged in public affairs as to prevent your paying any Attention to private Correspondence— Various Revolutions & Changes have happened since I last Saw you— Your being chosen President of the Hon ble...
57To John Jay from William Bingham, 25 February 1780 (Jay Papers)
I have greatly Suffered from the Consideration of the Inconviencies that both you & M rs Jay must have been exposed to on your Passage from hence, arising from the scanty Accommodations of the French Frigate— I trembled at the thoughts of it before your Departure, but I was fearfull of mentioning it, least I might anticipate that Uneasiness of Mind which I am confident you must have...
58To John Jay from William Bingham, 13 July 1781 (Jay Papers)
I did not know of Major Franks’s Intentions of embarking for Spain, untill this very Moment— I cannot suffer him to depart without addressing you a few Lines, should they only serve to congratulate you on the pleasing Prospect of our Affairs— In every part of the United States, the Enemy are now acting on the defensive & seem to have renounced the vain & hitherto transitory Idea of Conquest...
59Elias Boudinot to the American Peace Commissioners, 16 June 1783 (Franklin Papers)
Copies: Library of Congress (two), Massachusetts Historical Society, National Archives This letter from Elias Boudinot, president of Congress, not only announces the resignation of Minister for Foreign Affairs Robert R. Livingston, it also encloses a resolution of great importance to the peace commissioners. On February 5 John Adams had written to Congress that there no longer was a reason to...
60Elias Boudinot to the American Peace Commissioners, 15 July 1783 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: National Archives As Congress have not yet elected any Minister for Foreign Affairs, and knowing the importance of your Being fully informed of every public transaction relative to these States, I have concluded that you would not think it amiss to hear from me on the subject of the removal of Congress to this place, tho’ I cannot consider this communication as official but merely for...