From Benjamin Franklin to Vergennes, 28 September 1784
To Vergennes
LS:9 Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères; AL (draft): Library of Congress
Passy, Sept. 28. 1784.
Sir.
I communicated immediately to Mr Williams the Letter your Excellency did me the Honour of writing to me the 26th. Instant, with the Memorial of Mr Denevers which accompany’d it.—1 I inclose a Letter from him to your Excellency, by which it will appear that the Complaint is not well founded;2 and I am persuaded that Mr Williams has hitherto given no undue Preference to any of his Creditors, and that it is his fix’d purpose to pay them all in equal Proportions as fast as he shall be enabled by the Receipt of his Debts. With great Respect, I am, Sir, Your Excellency’s most obedient and most humble Servant3
B Franklin
His Excelly. the Count de Vergennes.
Notation: M. De R.
9. In the hand of BFB. BF added the last eight words of the complimentary close and the line below his signature.
1. At this point, BF had originally written, “He assures me that the Supposition of his having given a Preference to some of his Creditors is without Foundation, and that Mr. Denevers must have been misinform’d.” That sentence was crossed out, and, perhaps after JW wrote the letter mentioned below (dated Sept. 27), BF completed the draft and added the dateline.
JW had moved into BF’s wing of the Hotel de Valentinois on Sept. 13. L’Air de Lamotte believed that he wanted to keep BF company in WTF’s absence: L’Air de Lamotte to WTF, Sept. 15, 1784 (APS). In fact, Sept. 13 was the day JW’s lettres de surséances expired and he became vulnerable to arrest by his creditors; he was evidently protected as long as he was under BF’s roof. JW returned to St.-Germain in December for the birth of his daughter (see his letters of Dec. 3 and Jan. 2, below), but went back to Passy in January: JW letterbook, passim, Yale University Library.
2. JW, stating that BF had showed him Vergennes’ letter and Denevers’ petition, protests that Denevers was treated no differently from other creditors, and denies having given preference to any of them. He leaves it to BF, who has heard all the details of this matter, to say what his conduct has been: JW to Vergennes, Sept. 27, 1784, AAE.
3. On Oct. 1, Denevers came to Passy and received from JW one quarter of what he was owed. For the remainder, JW convinced him to agree to the arrangement that the majority of creditors had already subscribed to: JW to Vergennes, Oct. 1, 1784 (AAE).