Benjamin Franklin Papers
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To Benjamin Franklin from Le Roy, [after 20 April 1779]

From Le Roy

AL: University of Pennsylvania Library

[after April 20, 1779]7

M. Le Roy prie son illustre ami Monsieur Franklin de vouloir bien s’intéresser auprès de M. De Sartine pour qu’il accorde à M. Wibert,8 Lieutenant-Colonel au Service des Etats unis, son passage sur le vaisseau qui portera M. Le Chr. De La Luzerne en amèrique. Monsieur Franklin se rappellera sans doute que M. Adams pendant son sejour ici a donné en plusieurs Occasions les tèmoignages les plus avantageux à M. Wibert9 et que cet officier ayant eté pris les armes à la main dans le fort Washington a eté depuis ce tems là Jusqu’au commencement de cette annèe prisonnier des Anglois qui l’ont traité avec toute la dureté possible comme ètant francois et pris au service des Amèricains. Enfin Monsieur Franklin se rappellera que c’est lui même qui a conseillé à M. Wibert de repasser en amèrique pour se faire payer de ses appointemens dont il n’a pas touché un sol depuis plus de trois ans ou depuis le tems qu’il a eté pris par les Anglois &c.

Notation: Le Roy.

[Note numbering follows the Franklin Papers source.]

7The date on which Sartine informed BF that La Luzerne would sail for America; see the naval minister’s letter of that date.

8The engineer Antoine-Félix Wuybert is identified in XXVIII, 428n. On April 20 BF had loaned him money to return to his regiment and endorsed the receipt, “Wuyberts Notes for 15 Louis.” APS. BF, in a letter now missing, instructed Landais to give the engineer passage; see Landais’ letter of May 8. As it turned out, La Luzerne and JA sailed on June 17 on the Sensible; Wuybert changed plans and joined John Paul Jones on the Bonhomme Richard as lt. col. of marines. Morison, Jones, p. 204.

9In fact, JA’s recorded opinion of Wuybert, set down while they were both in Nantes on May 7th or 8th, was not particularly favorable: “W. is silent; has something little in his Face and Air: and makes no great Discovery of Skill or Science” (Butterfield, John Adams Diary, II, 364). By May 22, however, after the Frenchman had complimented him on his French, JA changed his mind and conceded that the engineer “has a good deal in him of Knowledge” (ibid., 377–8).

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