101Marquis de Lafayette to John Adams, 9 April 1784 (Adams Papers)
A friendly letter I wrote You, and the One I Receive is not so affectionate as usual. The Value I set By Your Esteem, the Consequent fear least my Conduct Be Misrepresented to You, Such were the Motives that Actuated me— As to the institutions Alluded to, I only Need Saying that My principles are known— if You Have writen Nothing, I did more, for whatever I thought Ought to Be Amended, I...
102To George Washington from Lafayette, 9 April 1784 (Washington Papers)
Among the Numberless Applications I Have Had for our Society, there is One which, in duty to My feelings, I Cannot decline to present, on my first Voyage to America, Monsieurs de Mauroy, Lesser, Valfort, and du Boismartin were with me, and Altho these Meritorious officers Had an Engagement with Mr Deane, Congress did not think it in their power to Employ them —My instructions Being positive, I...
103To Benjamin Franklin from the Marquis and Marquise de Lafayette and Jean-Baptiste de Gouvion, 27 March 1784 (Franklin Papers)
L : American Philosophical Society Mr et Mde. La Marquise De lafayette et Mr. De Gouvion profiteront avec grand plaisir de l’Invitation de Monsieur Franklin et auront l’honneur de Diner chez lui Dimanche. The earliest possible year, though the note could also have been written in 1785. Lafayette’s former aide Gouvion ( XXIII , 160–1n) was in America on March 27 from 1777 through 1781 ( XXXVI ,...
104To George Washington from Lafayette, 9 March 1784 (Washington Papers)
Your Excellency Has Been Acquainted With my first Measures Respecting our Society—To My Letter Xbr the 25th I Beg Leave Particularly to Refer and Entrust this with Major l’Enfant Who is Returning to America. Having in a Body Waited Upon Count de Rochambeau, we delivered Him and His officers the Marks of the Assossiation—A Resolve of theirs for a Volontary Subscription Will Arrive in time to Be...
105To George Washington from Lafayette, 9 March 1784 (Washington Papers)
Mr du Bouchet formerly a Major in our Service Having Presented me With His Claims to Our Assossiation, I found Myself Obliged to tell Him that His Pretensions Were Groundless—So far was He Convinced of it, that He did not think it Proper to Apply to our Committee, But Has determined Upon Going Himself to America—I Candidly Represented Him that there Was a Good share of Madness in His plan, and...
106To George Washington from Lafayette, 9 March 1784 (Washington Papers)
Altho I Write You another Private letter, I Must Confidentially Let you know My opinion Upon Matters Relative to the Society. The Captains in the Navy Have Been Much Mortified to be left out in the Institutions—they Rank as Colonels, they Have Rendered Great Services, and it is Expected Here they Will be Admitted into the Society—Some of them Came with Count d’Estaing Among Whom are Suffrein,...
107To George Washington from Lafayette, 9 March 1784 (Washington Papers)
Had I Not So perfect a Confidence in Your friendship, I Would Very Much fear to tire You with My Scribbling of this day—But Cannot leave My Penn Before I Have Again Mentionned My tender Respectfull Affection to My dear General—I want to tell you that Mde de lafayette and My three Children are Well, and that all of us in the family Heartly join to Present their dutiful Affectionate Compliments...
108Marquis de Lafayette to John Adams, 8 March 1784 (Adams Papers)
Before I Had a Pointed Reason to write, My friendship for You, and our Common zeal for the Public Had dictated it— But I must Begin with the Article that in My Mind Creates some Uneasiness it is writen from Amsterdam that M r John Adams is very Violent Against the Society of the Cincinnati and Calls it a french Blessing— and that He says, altho’ I Have long Announced an intention to Go to...
109To George Washington from Lafayette, 10 January 1784 (Washington Papers)
The departure of the Washington Has Been So Sudden that I Could not get in time on Board the Particular letter which you ought to Have Received—So that My Correspondance Has Been Confined to an official Cincinnati letter, and a Bill of plated wares, which was not By Any means my intention —inclosed I Send you a duplicate of the letter Respecting our Assossiation —Major L’enfant tells me a...
110To George Washington from Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette, 25 December 1783 (Washington Papers)
On the Receipt of Your Excellency’s letter, I took Measures to fulfill the intentions of the Society in which I Have the Honour to be a Member. As our institution was differently interpreted, I wrote a letter to Count de Vergennes of which the inclosed is a Copy, and the Account I gave was printed in a Court Gazette which I Have also the Honour to send—at a King’s Council, this day was a week,...