To John Jay from Silas Deane, 3 December 1776
From Silas Deane
Paris Decr 3d: 1776
Dear Jay
If my Letters arrive safe they will give you some Idea of my situation—without Intelligence, without Orders, and without remittances, yet boldly plunging into Contracts, Engagements, &. Negotiations, hourly hoping that something will arrive from America—1 By General Coudry I send 30.000 Fusils—200 ps. of Brass Cannon, Thirty Mortars 4000 Tents, &. Cloathg for 30.000 Men, with 200 Tons of Gun powder, Lead, Balls &c, &c; by which you may judge we have some friends here—2
A War in Europe is inevitable; The Eyes of all are on You, and the fear of your giving up or Accommodating is the greatest Obstacle I have to Contend with—Monsr Beaumarchais has been my Minister in effect, as this Court is extreme cautious, and I now Advise you to Attend Carefully to the Articles sent you, I could not examine them here, I was promised they should be good & at the lowest prices, & that from persons in such station that had I hesitated it might have ruined my affairs but as in so large a Contract there is room for Imposition, my Advice is that you send back to me samples of the Articles sent you—Cannon, Powder, &c Mortars &c are Articles known, but of the Cloths the Fusils &c by which any imposition may be detected—large remittances are Necessary for your credit &c the enormous price of Tobacco, of Rice, of Flour and many other Articles, gives you an Opportunity of making your remittances to very great Advantage, 20.000. HHds [hogsheads] of Tobacco are wanted immediately for this Kingdom, and more for other parts of Europe—I have wrote you on several subjects some of which I will Attempt briefly to recapitulate Tho I have but a drop of Ink having received none from your Brother—The destruction of the Newfoundland Fishery, may be effected, by Two or Three of your Frigates, sent there early in February, and by that means a fatal blow given to G Britain I mean by distroying the Stages, Boats &c & bringing away the People left there as Prisoners—Glasgow in Scotland, may be plundered & burnt with ease, as may Liverpool, by two or three stout Frigates, which may find a shelter & protection in the ports of France & Spain afterwards—Blank Commissions are wanted here to cruise under your Flag against the British Commerce This is a Capital Stroke & must bring on a War Hasten them out I pray you—France, & Spain, are Freindly, & you will greatly oblige the Latter, by seizing the Portuguese Commerce, Wherever it is found. I have had overtures from the King of Prussia in the Commercial Way & have sent a person of great Confidence [to]3 his Court in person, with Letters of Introduction from his Agent here, with whom I am on the best terms—4 A Loan may be Obtained, if you make punctual remittances for the sum5 now Advanced, for any sum at five per Ct. Interest perhaps for less—The Western Lands ought to be held up to View as an encouragement for your soldiers, especially Foreigners and are a good fund to raise Mony on—You may if you judge proper, have any number of German, & Swiss Troops, They have been Offered me but you know I have no power to treat—A Number of Frigates may be purchased at Leghorn, The Great Duke of Tuskany being zealously in favor of America, & doing all in his power to encourage its Commerce—Troubles are rising in Ireland & with a little Assistance much work may be cut out for G Britain there, by sending from hence a few Preists, a little Money, & plenty of Arms Omnia Tentanda is my Motto, Therefore I hint they6 playing their own Game on them by Spiriting up the Caribbs in St. Vincents, & the Negroes in Jamaica to revolt—On all These Subjects I have wrote to you—also on Various particulars of Commerce, Our Vessels have more Liberty in the ports of France, & Spain, & Tuscany, Than the Vessels of any other Nations & that Openly—I presented the declaration of Independancy to this Court after it had indeed become an Old Storey in every part of Europe, it was well received, but as you say you have Articles for Alliance under Consideration any resolution must be deferr’d untill We know what they are—7 The want of Intelligence has more than once well nigh ruined my affairs—Pray be more Attentive to this important Subject, or drop at once all Thoughts of a Foreign Connection—I must mention some Trifles—The Queen is fond of parade, & I believe wishes a War, & is our Friend, She loves riding on horseback, could you send me a fine Narragansett Horse or Two The present might be Money exceedingly well laid out—Rittenhouses Orrery—or Arnolds Collection of Insects8—a Phaeton of American make and a pair of Bay Horses—A few barrells of Apples—of Walnutts—of Butter Nutts &c would be great Curiosities here where everything American is gazed at and where the American Contest engrosses the Attention of all Ages, Rank & Sexes—had I Ten Ships here I could fill them all with passengers for America—I hope the Officers sent will be Agreable They were recommended by the Ministry here, and are at this instant really in their Army but This must be a secret,—Do you want heavy Iron Cannon, Sea Officers of distinction or Ships your Special Orders will enable me to procure them—For the situation of Affairs—in England refer you to Mr. Rogers Aid De Camp to Monsr. du Coudry9 I have presented a Number of Memorials10 which have been very favorably received, & the last by his Majesty but my being wholly destitute of other than Accidental & gratuitous Assistance will not permit my sending you Copies as they are lengthy—indeed I was obliged to make them as to explain the rise, the nature, and the progress of the dispute—I have been assured from the Ministers that I have thrown much light on the subject & have Obviated many Difficulties,—But his Majesty is not of the Disposition of his Great Grand Father Louis 14th—, If he was, England would soon be ruined;—Do not forget, or omit, sending me blank Commissions for Privateers, under these infinite damage may be done, to the British commerce, and as the prizes must be sent to you, for Condemnation, the eventual profits, will remain with you.—Tell Mrs Trist that her Husband, & Capt. Fowler, were well, the 16th instant I had a Letter from the latter—11 pray be careful who You trust in Europe one Williamson a Native of Pennsylvania is here as a spy, yet I believe he Corresponds with very good People on your side of the Water,12 The Villain returns to London once in about six Weeks to discharge his Budget—Doctr. Bancroft has been of very great service to Me, No Man has better Intelligence in England in my Opinion but it costs something—13 The following Articles have been shewn to me They have been seen by both the Courts of France, & Spain, & I send them to you for speculation—14
1st. The Thirteen United Colonies now known by the [Name of]15 the Thirteen United States of North America shall be acknowledged, by France, & Spain, and treated with as Independant States & as such shall be guarantead in the possession of all that part of the Continent of North America, which by the last Treaty of Peace was ceded, & Confirmed, to the Crown of Great Britain.
2d The United States, shall guaranty, & Confirm To the Crowns of France, and Spain, all, and Singular, their Possessions, and Claims, in every other part of America, whither North, or South of the Equater, & of the Islands, possess’d by them in the American Seas.
3d Should France, or Spain, either, or both of them, possess themselves of the Islands in the West Indies now in possession of the Crown of Great Britain (as an indemnity for the Injuries sustained in the last War in Consiquence of its being Commenced on the part of Great Britain in Violation of the Laws of Nations The United Colonies shall assist The sd. powers in Obtaining such satisfaction, and Guaranty & Confirm to them the possession of such Acquisition.
4. The Fisheries on the Banks of Newfoundland, of Cape Breton, & parts adjacent commonly known, & called by the Name of the Cod Fishery shall be equally Free to the Subjects of France, Spain, and the United states16 of North America and to the subjects of no other State, or Nation. And the Islands of Newfoundland & Cape Breton, equally free to either for curing, and carrying on such Fisherys, under such regulation as may prevent the utmost possibility of any Misunderstanding on the subject—
5. There shall be free Liberty of Commerce, between the subjects of France, and Spain, and the United States respectively, and they shall mutually engage to protect and Defend each other in such Commerce
6 The more effectually to preserve this Alliance & to Obtain the great Objection Viz it shall be Agreed, that any and every British ship or Vessel found, or met with, on the Coasts of North America, of South America, or of the Islands, adjacent, and belonging thereto, within a Certain Degree or Distance to be agreed on, shall be for ever hereafter considered as Lawfull prize, to any of the subjects, of France, Spain or the United Colonies, and treated as such as Well in Peace as in War. Nor shall France, Spain, or The United [Colonies]17 ever hereafter admit British Ships into any of their Ports in America North or South, or the Islands, Adjacent This Article never to be altered, or dispenced with, but only by and with the Consent of each of the Three Contracting States—
7 During the Present War, between The United States, and Great Britain France and Spain, shall send into North America and support there a Fleet to defend, & protect The Coasts, and the Commerce of the United States in Consequence of which if the Possessions of France or Spain shall be Attacked in America by Great Britain or her Allies, The United Colonies,18 will Afford them all that Aid & Assistance in their Power—
8 No Peace or Accomodation shall be made with Great Britain, to the infringment or Violation of any one of These Articles—
I have sent you this in secret hand, & am with the utmost impatience to hear from you Dear Sir Your’s
S. Deane
ALS, NNC (Copy A) (EJ: 12764). Endorsed. Second ALS (Copy B), NNC (EJ: 7774). Tr, NN: Bancroft (EJ: 1103). One copy of this letter was delivered by Nicholas Rogers after a long delay. See Rogers to JJ, 4 June 1777, below.
1. For Deane’s correspondence with JJ, and through him with the Committee of Secret Correspondence, see JJ to Robert Morris, 15 Sept. and 6 Oct. 1776; Morris to JJ, 23 Sept. 1776; and Deane to JJ, 2 Dec. 1776, above. Although JJ had not attended Congress since May 1776, Deane assumed that JJ was still privy to his dispatches to the Committee of Secret Correspondence.
2. Jean Baptiste Tronson du Coudray (1738–77) was selected to supervise the shipment of arms to the U.S. in late 1776. Deane agreed to commission du Coudray as a major general in the Continental army before du Coudray’s voyage from France. Such appointments, conflicting as they did with American military appointments and rankings and not being explicitly sanctioned by Congress, provoked Congress and contributed to its recall of Deane in 1778.
3. Supplied from Copy B.
4. In October 1776 William Carmichael traveled to the court of Frederick II at Deane’s request. Carmichael was “to give the necessary information of the state of the American dispute, and to endeavour to open a correspondence and commerce from thence for the benefit of the United States.” Carmichael returned to Paris in December 1776. , 3: 158.
5. “Sums” in Copy B.
6. “The” in Copy B; “they” in Copy A.
7. Deane presented a copy of the Declaration of Independence to Charles Gravier, comte de Vergennes (1717–87), the French foreign secretary, on 20 Nov. 1776. , 1: 358–59.
8. David Rittenhouse (1732–96), the Philadelphia clockmaker and astronomer, built his first orrery or mechanical planetarium, in 1767. Edward Arnold (d. 1780) of Norwalk, Connecticut, had assembled a private natural history museum containing a “Collection of Rareties in the Virtuoso way,” as John Adams described it, or, as Robert Treat Paine reported, a “very large Collection of Birds, Insects, Fossills Beasts Fishes &c. wch. he has been 7 yrs collecting.” Their descriptions derived from visits made to the museum by Massachusetts delegates en route to the Continental Congress. Arnold, who moved to Huntington, Long Island, during the Revolution, sold the collection to Loyalist governor William Tryon of New York. It was subsequently incorporated into Sir Ashton Lever’s museum in London, where Adams again saw it in 1783. Lever’s entire collection was dispersed by auction in 1806. Adams Family Correspondence, 2: 236, 237n; 3: 332, 333n; , 3: 151n; Stephen T. Riley and Edward W. Hanson, eds., The Papers of Robert Treat Paine (3 vols. to date; Massachusetts Historical Society, Collections, vols. 87–89; Boston, 1992–), 3: 44n; J. C. H. King, “New Evidence for the Contents of the Leverian Museum,” Journal of the History of Collections 8, no. 2 (1996): 167–86; J. L. Bell, “Curiosities in Connecticut,” Boston 1775, 5 May 2008, http://boston1775.blogspot.com/2008/05/curiosities-in-connecticut.html.
9. Nicholas Rogers was a Marylander Deane met in Paris, where he was finishing his education. Deane recommended him for the post of du Coudray’s aide. Rogers traveled to America with du Coudray and was given the rank of major in the U.S. Army in 1777 and promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1778. , 1: 366–67; André Lasseray, Les Français sous les treize étoiles, 1775–1783 (2 vols.; Paris, 1935), 2: 391–92.
10. “Memoirs” in Copy B. For examples of the memorials presented by Deane to the French government, see , 1: 184–95, 223–26, 252–85, 361–64.
11. Elizabeth House Trist, wife of Nicholas Trist, a British medical officer, was the daughter of Mrs. Mary House, proprietor of the boardinghouse where JJ, Deane, and many other congressmen resided when in Philadelphia. , 1: 25, 45; , 21: 199, 554.
12. Deane’s assertions concerning Dr. Hugh Williamson of Pennsylvania (1735–1819) derived from information received from Edward Bancroft, who claimed Williamson had written letters to the British ministry regarding Bancroft’s connections to Deane and urged that Bancroft be carefully watched. See Bancroft’s letter to Deane of 13 Sept. 1776, , 1: 240–41; and Julian P. Boyd, “Silas Deane: Death by a Kindly Teacher of Treason?” 16 (1959): 186. Williamson was traveling in Europe seeking funds for the Newark Academy. He returned to the United States, settled in North Carolina as a merchant and physician, and became a member of the Continental Congress, 1782–85, 1788; a delegate to the Constitutional Convention; and a member of the U.S. Congress, 1789–93.
13. Dr. Edward Bancroft (1745–1820) acted as an unofficial agent for Benjamin Franklin during Franklin’s stay in London in the 1770s; Deane’s instructions from the Committee of Secret Correspondence urged him “to procure a meeting with Mr. Bancroft.” Deane met Bancroft in Paris in the summer of 1776 and quickly came to rely on Bancroft’s advice. Bancroft was also in the pay of the British government and reported the details of his conversations to the ministry in London long before Deane’s dispatches could reach America. For background on the Deane-Bancroft relationship, see Boyd, “Silas Deane: Death by a Kindly Teacher of Treason?” 165–87, 319–42, 515–50.
14. These articles, purportedly “shewn to” Deane, were actually the same “Articles of a Treaty between France and Spain and the United States” that Deane himself had presented to Conrad Alexandre Gérard of the French Foreign Office on 23 Nov. 1776. These articles are reprinted in , 1: 361–64.
15. Supplied from Copy B.
16. At this point in Copy B, the rest of article 4 is omitted, and the last portion of article 5 is miscopied as the conclusion of the fourth proviso.
17. Supplied from Copy B.
18. “States” in Copy B.