To Benjamin Franklin from Lafayette, [on or before 22 November 1782]
From Lafayette
AL: Library of Congress
[on or before November 22, 1782]4
Mis. [Marquis] de Lafayette’s Best Respects Waït Upon Mr franklin and Would Be Much obliged to His Excellency for a Copy of His Memorial to the french Court5 As He Intends Pressing Upon this Subject in a Letter to Count de Vergennes.
The Mis. de Lafayette Begs Also to know at What time Captain Barnay Has Set out for L’orient, and When His Courier is Expected Back—6 Count de Vergennes Appears Unwilling to Decide Any thing Before Chev de la Luzerne’s dispatches Have Been Received.
What is the day and Hour Which Mr franklin Has Appointed for a Meeting of the three Ministers Agreable to what He was pleased to say on Tuesday last.7
4. The date of Lafayette’s letter to Vergennes which he says here he intends to write. For that letter see Lafayette to BF, [Nov. 26].
5. BF to Vergennes, Nov. 8, above.
6. Barney was still in Paris on the evening of Nov. 17: Butterfield, John Adams Diary, III, 58. He arrived at Lorient on Nov. 22 and wrote BF the following day (below).
7. Probably Tuesday, Nov. 19, the day Lafayette took leave of the King and attended a dinner hosted by Vergennes for the diplomatic corps. (On this occasion Lafayette told JA that he had learned from Vergennes about Rayneval’s new trip to England.) JA reports having traveled to Versailles in Jay’s coach, but does not mention BF’s having been in attendance: Butterfield, John Adams Diary, III, 62. The meeting with the American commissioners took place on Nov. 23 at Passy; see our annotation of Lafayette to BF, [Nov. 26].