To Benjamin Franklin from Joseph Conkling, 9 October 1780
From Joseph Conkling
ALS: American Philosophical Society
La float in Isle Deree8 9th. Octobr 1780
Sir
The Gentelman that Waits on Your Excelency With this Letter is An Officer with me in the Brign. Whim the Season Being fair Relapts so that in A few weeks more shall Not be Able to Git my Cargo from La. France this fall thair fore have sent Mr. Pinkham9 to wait on Your Excelency And pray Your Excelency to Asist him in Obtaining An Order as soon as posable for the Admeralty of Sab Daloon [Les Sables d’Olonne] to Deliver my Cargo Guns And Efects to me.
I have the honour to Be Sr. Your Excelencys most Obideant And Most Humble Servent
Joseph Conkling
Doctr Franklin
Addressed: His Excelency Doctor Franklin / at / Perace / fvord pr Mr. Pinkham
Notation: Joseph Conkling. La Flott Oct 9 1780
8. La Flotte is southeast of St. Martin-de-Ré.
9. As Conkling and his ship were from Connecticut, this may well be Sylvanus Pinkham, who had served in 1776–77 as a Connecticut Navy midshipman aboard the Oliver Cromwell: Claghorn, Naval Officers, p. 243; Louis F. Middlebrook, History of Maritime Connecticut during the American Revolution 1775–1783 (2 vols., Salem, Mass., 1925), I, 109.