To Benjamin Franklin from ——— Lefébvre, [before 24 January 1778]
From ——— Lefébvre5
AL: American Philosophical Society
[Before January 24, 17786]
Monsieur de Franklin, et Monsieur son petit fils sont prié par Lefébvre de luy faire l’honneur, et L’amitié de diner chez Luy mardy 27. vingt sept Janvier. Il est Bien faché que ses Messieurs soient engagés pour samedy 24. devant avoir ce même jour Messieurs Les Marêchaux de Clermont tonnere, et de Brissac; 7 Il a L’honneur d’assurer Messieurs de Franklin de son Respect.
Addressed: A Monsieur / Monsieur de Franklin / A son hotel / A Passy
5. We know nothing about him except that he seems to have had an active social life; see the next note. He may have been the “M. Le Fevre” whom Adams met with Le Veillard at a dinner party the following April: Butterfield, John Adams Diary, II, 303.
6. Clermont-Tonnerre, mentioned here, died in 1781 (above, XXIII, 517; otherwise the year could be 1784. Another invitation from Lefébvre to BF and WTF, this time for two dinner parties (APS), could also belong to either year; but we prefer 1784 because BF is addressed as “Commissaire plénipotentier.”
7. Both were dukes as well as marshals, and were old: Clermont-Tonnerre was born in 1688 and Brissac in 1698. “Il paraissait que c’était un brevet pour vivre longtemps que d’être maréchal de France.” Croÿ, Journal, IV, 210.