361The Commissioners to Gabriel de Sartine, 17 November 1778 (Adams Papers)
We have received the Letter which your Excellency did Us the Honour to write to Us, on the 14 of this Month, and in answer to the Proposal Enquiry, contained in it, We beg Leave to acquaint your Excellency that there is not now in France, nor to our Knowledge, in Europe, any Frigate or other Vessell of War, belonging to the United States. If there was, We should not hesitate to order her,...
362The American Commissioners to Any Governor or Member of a Council or House of Representatives of an American State, 18 … (Franklin Papers)
LS : Massachusetts Archives; AL (draft): Massachusetts Historical Society; copies: National Archives (two), Pennsylvania State Archives, Public Record Office; two transcripts: National Archives <Passy, May 18, 1778: We have received reliable word that eleven British ships of the line are at St. Helen’s, near Portsmouth, bound for North America. You are requested to forward this letter as...
363The Commissioners to J. D. Schweighauser, 27 October 1778 (Adams Papers)
We have received yours of the 27th of September, and approve of your Proceedings relative to the Cargo of the Therese, and if any Thing further is necessary for Us to do in that Business you will be so good as to advise Us. We are of opinion that you should sign the Receipt to Mr. Williams, copy of which you transmitted Us, as far as the Words United States, inclusively—omitting all that...
364The American Commissioners to Samuel Tucker, 19 April 1778 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Harvard University Library The Bearer of this, Captn. Livingston, is understood by us to be well qualified for the Office of Lieutenant in your Ship. If upon discoursing with him, you should be of the same Opinion, you will fill up with his Name the enclos’d Commission and date the same upon the Day. We leave this Matter to your Judgment; for tho’ we have a good Opinion of the Gentleman...
We take the opportunity of Mr. Whitall’s visit to convey to you a leather-bound book containing 205 promissory notes, each worth 1,000 florins, making a capital fund of 205,000 florins lawful money of the Netherlands, to be paid on 1 January 1788 at your residence with, in addition, 10 coupons of 50 florins in interest for the year, the whole payable to the bearer and signed by us. You will...
366The American Commissioners to the Massachusetts Council, 22 September 1778 (Franklin Papers)
AL (draft): Massachusetts Historical Society; two copies: National Archives Mr. Jonathan Loring Austin who was dispatched the last year by your Honours with the glorious News of the Convention of Saratoga, being about to return home We think it proper to inform your Honours that his Behaviour since his arrival here has been entirely to our Satisfaction and to recommend him as a Gentleman of...
367The American Commissioners to Thomas Simpson, 3 June 1778: résumé (Franklin Papers)
AL (draft): Massachusetts Historical Society; copy: National Archives <Passy, June 3, 1778: We have had several letters from you and certificates from officers and others about the charge on which you have been confined. Our giving an opinion of it would be improper, but we have asked Capt. Jones to release you on parole, so that you may go to Nantes and take passage to America to stand trial...
368The Commissioners to the Comte de Vergennes, 29 October 1778 (Adams Papers)
We have the Honour to inform your Excellency that we are ready to execute and exchange the Declarations, concerning the Omission of the eleventh and twelfth Articles of the Treaty of Commerce, and to request your Excellency to appoint a Day to wait on your Excellency for that Purpose. We have the Honour to be with the most respectful Consideration Your Excellency’s most obedient and most...
369The American Commissioners to Ralph Izard, 25[–27] August 1778: résumé (Franklin Papers)
AL (draft): Massachusetts Historical Society; copies: National Archives (three), South Carolina Historical Society; two transcripts: National Archives <Passy, August 25[–27], 1778: We will propose tomorrow to the count de Vergennes the subjects of the loan in Genoa and the interposition of His Majesty with the powers of Barbary. P.S.: The count de Vergennes gave us no encouragement in the...
370The American Commissioners to the Massachusetts Council, 9 September 1778 (Franklin Papers)
ALS (draft): American Philosophical Society The inclosed Letter was delivered to Us by the Person intrusted with it for Inspection. We did not think it proper that a Letter should go through our Hands to America, from Mr. Hutchinson, without Examination. We accordingly broke the seal and found the two Powers of Attorney, and the Letter inclosed, of which Letter We have taken a Copy. We think...
371The American Commissioners to Ralph Izard, 13 October 1778 (Franklin Papers)
AL (draft): Massachusetts Historical Society; two copies: National Archives We have the Honour of enclosing to you a Copy of M. de Sartines Answer to our Application in Support of your Demand of your Baggage taken on Board the Nile. We have agreable to your last Letter written again to Mr. De Sartine requesting him to Stop the Sale of the Things till you can make your Objections to their being...
372The American Commissioners to the President of Congress, 19 May 1778: résumé (Franklin Papers)
AL (draft): Massachusetts Historical Society; three copies and transcript: National Archives <Passy, May 19, 1778: We enclose for the consideration of Congress a copy of a letter from the comte de Vergennes, and of a letter enclosed with it.> Published in Butterfield, John Adams Diary , IV , 103. That above, May 15, about the misconduct of an American privateer.
373The American Commissioners to Sartine, 17 September 1778: résumé (Franklin Papers)
AL (draft): Massachusetts Historical Society; copies: National Archives (three) <Passy, September 17, 1778: We received today your letter of the sixteenth relative to the recapture of the Isabelle . We agree with your Excellency’s sentiments on reciprocity between the two nations. Unfortunately we have no access here to United States’ law. A copy of your letter and our answer will be sent to...
374The American Commissioners to Vergennes, 17 November 1778 (Franklin Papers)
AL (draft): Massachusetts Historical Society; two copies: National Archives We communicated to Dr Smith, the Letter which your Excellency did Us the Honour to write to Us concerning his Goods. Since which he has inclosed to Us, the Certificate, of Mr Anthy Paine, which We have the Honour to inclose to your Excellency.— If there are two offices, one in which are deposited, Goods Seized, the...
375The American Commissioners to John Gilbank, 10 November 1778 (Franklin Papers)
AL (draft): Massachusetts Historical Society; two copies: National Archives We have receivd your Letter of October the Sixth, and wish it was in our Power to do more for officers in your Situation than We do, altho that amounts in the whole to a large Sum. But as We have already lent you as much Money as We have been able to lend to other officers of your Rank and in your Circumstances, we...
376Vergennes and the American Commissioners: An Exchange of Declarations, 1 September 1778 (Franklin Papers)
(I) D (draft): Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères; two transcripts: National Archives; (II) D (draft): Harvard University Library; copy: Historical Society of Pennsylvania; two transcripts: National Archives; (III) AD (draft): Cornell University Library; two transcripts: National Archives On August 3 the commissioners finally received the anticipated permission to delete articles 11...
377The Commissioners to John Ross?, 9 September 1778 (Adams Papers)
Yours of the 29 of August We duely received. We return you the Contract inclosed in it. We are neither instructed nor authorised, to discharge your Debts, whether contracted in a private Capacity or otherwise, and if We were, our Finances would not enable Us to do it, at present. In one of your Letters you Say you have certain Merchandises on Hand to ship to America, which you will not ship...
378The American Commissioners to Gentlemen at Nantes, 27 [i.e., 28] November 1778 (Franklin Papers)
AL (draft): Massachusetts Historical Society; two copies: National Archives We are desired by the Ministry to inform ourselves as precisely as possible, at what Time the Vessells bound to America will be ready to Sail.—it is Said that upon a former Occasion the Convoy was obliged to wait a long Time, an Inconvenience that it is wished may be avoided upon this occasion. We beg your earliest...
379William Stevenson and the American Commissioners: An Exchange of Three Letters, 4 January 1778 (Franklin Papers)
(I) AL , (II) L , (III) AL : Harvard University Library We print the letters together because they are an entity: the first elicited the second, the second the third, all on the same day. The first was to the commissioners; the second was from, and the third to, Franklin and Deane alone. This was the second quarrel between Lee and his colleagues over who should carry copies of the...