1To Benjamin Franklin from ———: a Memorandum, [December? 1776] (Franklin Papers)
AD : Historical Society of Pennsylvania After Franklin reached Paris he received a number of unsigned, undated proffers of services or advice. Many may have gone into the wastebasket, but five that appear to have come soon after his arrival are among his papers. Three of these we have identified, if only tentatively, and discuss elsewhere. One of the remaining two is a brief note in English,...
2Two Notes to Franklin at the Hotel d’Hambourg, from Michel Adanson and John Greenwood, [between 30 December 1776, and 27 … (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society These brief communications, from men of some distinction, are undated, but have an address that provides a bracket of plausible dates. We know that Franklin was at the Hotel d’Entragues until December 29 and at the Hambourg by January 8; hence he moved at earliest on December 30. He arrived at Passy on or about Feb. 27. These notes might have been written...
3To Benjamin Franklin from William Alexander, 1 March 1777 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I got Safe here Wednesday evening, after one of the Pleasantest Journeys I ever made, and made the Girls very happy with the prospect of a visit from you. If the Business of that Musty Town you reside in can admit of a few weeks interuption you will find travelling infinitely more comfortable than when the Warm weather Sets in, besides when I was a young...
4To Benjamin Franklin from William Alexander, 7 April 1777 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society Your letter of the 4th came to hand this morning and I immediatly Called at the post office, where I found Monr. Dubourgs letter which woud have remaind there untill Doomsday as I am neither known, as Marchand, nor Americquain. The post goes only Tuesday So I expect to save a day by sending you this by my Friend Monr. de Montarché formerly intendant de St....
5William Alexander’s Draft of a Memorandum from the American Commissioners to the Farmers General, [before 24 February … (Franklin Papers)
Draft: American Philosophical Society; copy with one short omission: American Philosophical Society; copy with major omissions: American Philosophical Society; final memorandum: Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères The history of this memorandum can be reconstructed from the four versions that survive. Alexander, during his visit to Paris, first drafted it for the commissioners as...
6To Benjamin Franklin from William Alexander, 29 March 1777 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I leave no letter from you unanswerd, but wait your orders about what is to be done with the tobacco Contract which Lyes still here. There is a story current here that the British Ministry have applied to have a Mr. Dean deliverd up on a pretext that He was Concernd in Burning Portsmouth, which Calls to a mind a story that happend a good many years since. A...
7To Benjamin Franklin from William Alexander, 7 March 1777 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I thank you for returning me the letter that came to hand after my leaving Paris, and still more for letting me hear from you. That no news are Good News is an old proverb, very applicable to the present times. Your letter Coverd also a Blank Cover under which was an original of the Contract between Mons. Dubourg and the Farmers. I know not with what...
8To Benjamin Franklin from William Alexander, 22 December 1776 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society I can hardly express my surprise on first hearing of your arrival, And Altho’ motives are here assigned for your Journey which I will not beleive unless you Confirm them yourself, That safety is your object, and I will only believe you, because I think you one of the few Politicians, to whom Lying will be unnecessary. Be that as it will, my hypothesis is...
9[William Alexander]: Two Memoranda, [before 24 February 1777] (Franklin Papers)
(I) AD : Historical Society of Pennsylvania; (II) AD : University of Pennsylvania Library We have given both these documents titles supplied in the manuscripts in another hand, and date them on the assumption that they were written for the commissioners during Alexander’s visit to Paris in February, which probably ended on the 24th; for he reached Dijon on the 26th. While he was with the...
10The American Commissioners to Thomas Morris, 26 January 1777 (Franklin Papers)
AL : Library of Congress We have expected some Remittances from you to our credit, in consequence of the sales which have been made at Nantes. You must be sensible how very unbecoming it is of the situation we are in, to be dependent on the credit of others. We therefore desire that you will remit with all possible expedition the Sum allotted by the Congress for our expences. Notation: Mr. T....
11The American Commissioners to Vergennes, 18 March 1777 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères; copy: Archivo Historico Nacional On March 14 the commissioners received their first dispatches from America. Among them was the letter above of December 30 from the committee of secret correspondence, enclosing the Congressional authorization to offer Versailles territorial inducements to enter the war. Deane promptly informed Vergennes that...
12Agreement between the American Commissioners and Louis-Guillaume-Servais des Hayes de La Radière, 17 February 1777 (Franklin Papers)
AD (draft) : American Philosophical Society Whereas le Sr. Laradiere Major du Corps Royal du genie, in the Service of his most Christian Majesty, not having obtain’d his Leave of Absence when the Agreement between us and Messieurs le Chevalier du Portal, de Laumoy, and Gouvion, was concluded, viz. on the 13th of this Instant, could not become a Party by signing the said Agreement, but having...
13The American Commissioners to the Comte de Vergennes, 23 December 1776 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères We beg Leave to acquaint your Excellency, that we are appointed and fully impowered by the Congress of the United States of America, to propose and negotiate a Treaty of Amity and Commerce between France and the said States. The just and generous Treatment their Trading Ships have received, by a free Admission into the Ports of this Kingdom,...
14The American Commissioners: Proposed Memorial to Lord George Germain, 7 February 1777 (Franklin Papers)
DS : Library of Congress; ADS (draft): Library of Congress Whereas the Snow Dickenson with her Cargoe, which was the property of the Congress of the United States of America, was by an Act of Piracy, in some of her Crew, carried into the port of Bristol in England, and there as we are informed, was converted to the use of the Government of Great Britain; and the perpetrators of so base and...
15The American Commissioners to Lord Stormont, 2 April 1777 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : the Johns Hopkins University Library; AL (draft): Library of Congress; copy: Public Record Office. We did ourselves the Honour of writing some time since to your Lordship on the Subject of Exchanging Prisoners. You did not condescend to give us any Answer, and therefore we expect none to this. We however take the Liberty of sending you Copies of certain Depositions, which we shall...
16The American Commissioners to the Committee of Secret Correspondence, 8 February 1777 (Franklin Papers)
ALS and copy: National Archives Since Our last We have received the inclosed Intelligence from London, which we take the earliest Opportunity of forwarding, in hopes it may be received with Our other Letters by Nantes. A Vessel from So: Carolina, loaded by that state, which sailed the 20th December, is arrived at L’Orient with Rice and Indigo. As We were particular in Our last which was sent...
17The American Commissioners to Lord Stormont, 3 April 1777 (Franklin Papers)
Printed in The London Chronicle , November 4–6, 1777. In answer to a letter which concerns some of the most material interests of humanity, and of the two nations, Great Britain, and the United States of America, now at war, we received the enclosed indecent paper, as coming from your Lordship, which we return, for your Lordship’s more mature consideration. The paper was the reply, written on...
18The American Commissioners: Receipt for Money from the French Treasury, 17 January 1777 (Franklin Papers)
ADS : Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères We the underwritten, Ministers plenipotentiary from the Congress of the United States of America, do hereby acknowledge, that we have received of Mons. Micaut d’Harvelay, Garde du Tresor Royal, the Sum of Five Hundred Thousand Livres, Money of France. Witness our Hands, The loan discussed in the preceding letter. Joseph Micault d’Harvelay...
19The American Commissioners and the Farmers General: Contract for Tobacco, [24 March 1777] (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Library of Congress; copy: National Archives In the light of the previous negotiations, this is a remarkable document for the commissioners to have signed. It passed over in silence two main points on which they had been seeking concessions: insurance and transportation; by agreeing to deliver the tobacco in France they tacitly assumed the risks of the sea and responsibility for shipment...
20The American Commissioners to Baron Schulenburg, 19 April 1777 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: National Archives; two copies: Harvard University Library We received the letter which you did us the honour to write to us of the 15th Ultimo and should earlier have replied particularly thereto, but from the daily expectation we had of recieving orders from Congress of the United States on this important subject. We have their commands to inform his Prussian Majesty’s Ambassador here,...
21The American Commissioners to the Baron de Rullecourt, 10 January 1777 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: University of Virginia Library This letter of appointment is the only dated record of one of the most bizarre schemes to which the commissioners ever lent themselves. A considerable amount of material about the plan is extant among Franklin’s papers in the American Philosophical Society: two letters from the Baron to the commissioners, a proposed agreement between him and Franklin, and a...
22The American Commissioners: Memorandum for Vergennes, 1 March 1777 (Franklin Papers)
AD : Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères In the several Memoires which Mr: Deane had the honor of presenting previous to the arrival of his Colleagues, the history of the dispute between the United States of America and Great Brittain was brought down to the Time of presenting the Memoires, the situation and resources of the United States justly stated; and Conjectures as to the...
23The American Commissioners to the Conde de Aranda, 28 December 1776 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Archivo Historico Nacional; draft: Harvard University Library We wish to inform your Excellency, that we are directed by the United States of America, to cultivate the Friendship of the Court of Spain, with that of France. For that purpose, as well as to pay our personal Respects to your Excellency, we purpose to wait upon you to-morrow, or on any other Day that will be more convenient,...
24The American Commissioners to Henry Johnson, 21 April 1777 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Public Record Office You are directed to call on Capt. Wicks on your return, and inform him that We have pursuant to his proposal, ordered the Lexington, under your Command to proceed with him on the Cruise on which he is bound; you will agree with Capt. Wicks, on the place of your Rendevouz, your Signals &c. which you are to take in writing, and carefully attend to. You will also follow...
25Agreement between the American Commissioners and Jacques Boux, 12 February 1777 (Franklin Papers)
DS : Yale University Library Jacques Boux had achieved an eminence in the French navy remarkable for one who was not of noble birth. The government had called on him in 1771 for advice in reorganizing naval administration, and the following year had promoted him to capitaine de vaisseau. In 1776, however, a new minister shelved his suggested reforms and substituted others. Boux, annoyed at...
26The American Commissioners to Thomas Morris, 30 January 1777 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: National Archives; copy: University of Virginia Library; AL (draft): Library of Congress We are inform’d that the Cargoes at Nantes, have been disposed of some time past, yet we are still without any remittance from you. The Congress directed you to pay Mr. Dean for the purposes of our Embassy the sum of ten Thousand pounds; this you must consider as the first and most Important...
27Agreement between the American Commissioners and Duportail, Laumoy, and Gouvion, [13 February 1777] (Franklin Papers)
Copy: National Archives; draft: American Philosophical Society; transcript: National Archives Franklin presumably approved this commitment to the three Frenchmen, and to La Radière four days later; but he soon came to regret the whole business. “I was concerned in sending the 4 Engineers,” he wrote eight months afterward, “and in making the Contract with them: but before they went, I had...
28The American Commissioners: Memorandum to Vergennes, 1 February 1777 (Franklin Papers)
ADS : Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères; copy: Harvard University Library This memorandum, most of it in Franklin’s hand, marks a distinct departure from the position that he generally maintained. He “was from the first averse to warm and urgent solicitations with the Court of France,” Silas Deane remarked years later. “His age and experience, as well as his philosophical temper,...
29The American Commissioners: Memorandum [for Vergennes], [12 March 1777] (Franklin Papers)
AD : Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères While Great Brittain engross’d the Commerce of the United States, merchandize imported from thence into France was considered as British, and Consequently subject to the same duties, Customs &c, as if imported direct from the Islands of Great Brittain or Ireland. Since the separation of those States from Brittain it is presumed their...
30The American Commissioners to Jonathan Williams, Jr., [25 February 1777] (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Connecticut Historical Society In answer to yours respecting the Fusils &c. we inform you that an offer being made by Mr. Montieu of the whole of his stock at Nantes at 200 and forty thousand livres made us think it worth inquiring into. Your answer and stating is particular. You say there are 15400 gun barrels for infantry 8200 ditto for Rampart Fusils &c. afterwards 7700 Rampart...