To Benjamin Franklin from Castries, 16 February 1781
From Castries
LS: American Philosophical Society
A Versailles le 16 fevrier 1781.
Mr. De Sartine, Monsieur, par sa dépêche du 14 octobre 1779 à eu l’honneur de vous faire part de la reclamation de plusieurs marins qui n’ont point êté payés de leurs gages, et des parts qui leur reviennent dans les prises faites par le Corsaire le Revange sorti de Dunkerque sous le Commandement du Capitaine Cuningham.2 Vous avez pensé qu’on ne pouvoit prononcer sur la reclamation de ces marins que vous croyez avoir êté embarqués clandestinement, qu’au retour de Mrs. Dean et Lée interessés dans ce navire.3 Mr. De Sartine par une autre dépêche du 29 fevrier 1780. vous à observé que plusieurs de ces marins ayants êté compris dans le Rolle d’Equipage ils paroissoient fondés dans leurs reclamations, et que l’objection que vous lui avez faite ne pouvoit leur être appliquée.4 J’ai l’honneur de vous envoyer un nouveau memoire relatif à cette affaire,5 et je vous prie de vouloir bien me mettre à portée de faire une réponse satisfaisante.
J’ai l’honneur d’être avec la consideration la plus distinguée, Monsieur, votre trés humble et trés obeissant serviteur.
Castries
Prises
Mr. franklin
2. XXX, 534–5. We said that we did not know on what prize François Vermeille and his crewmates were captured. A comparison of the enclosure to the present letter and Stevens, Facsimiles, XVI, no. 1589, p. 4, convinces us they were the prize crew of the brig Northampton, recaptured by the British on July 26, 1777. In August, 1779, BF helped seven of them (the second, third, fourth, fifth, eighth, ninth, and sixteenth names on the list below) to reach Dunkirk after their exchange: XXX, 561; Alphabetical List of Escaped Prisoners.
3. XXX, 561–2.
4. XXXI, 567–8.
5. Twenty crewmen of the Revenge (mistranscribed as Benganza) wrote Castries around Jan. 30 (APS), complaining that they had been held in Forton Prison for 25 months, and after returning to France had been ignored by BF and Francis Coffyn. They asked help in obtaining their pay and prize money. (They sent a similar letter to BF; a copy in L’Air de Lamotte’s hand with BF’s endorsement, “Memoire from People at Dunkerque about Conningham,” is at the Hist. Soc. of Pa.) Sixteen Frenchmen captured aboard the Northampton signed; we read their names as Alexis Balle, Henri Thil, Alexandre (?) Titois, Aimable Titois, Jean Ricard, Francois Bandai, François Mulet, Michel Covin, Louis Comte (listed in Stevens, Facsimiles, as Le Comte), François Brozin, Joseph Verbal, Charle Ochard, Balthazar Bodin, —— Blanché (listed in Stevens, Facsimiles, as Nicholas), François Vermeille, and Pierre Mangon. Two others, James-François Crispin (who claimed to have been sergeant major and interpreter) and Mathieu Grabert, signed but are not on the Stevens list; two unnamed others are noted as being absent. Aimable Titoix and Crispin had written BF from Dunkirk on Nov. 28, 1780, asking for their prize money and wages, and threatening to take their case to the King if they did not obtain satisfaction (APS). See also Epidorge to BF, Feb. 12, 1781. A July 2, 1781, extract from the Dunkirk Admiralty clerk’s register indicates they were still petitioning for assistance (APS).