Edward Bancroft to William Temple Franklin, [between 21 March and 24 March 1779]
Edward Bancroft to William Temple Franklin
ALS: American Philosophical Society
[between March 21 and March 24, 1779]2
Dr. Sir
I have recd. the inclosed Lettres from Mrs. Bousie respecting the Passport—3 I have some Knowledge of Mr. Audibert Captain of the Port of Calais, & from his Letter have no doubt of Mr. Sartines having given the Pass port mention’d; however if the Doctor thinks it expedient he can make his Pass port conditional as suggested by Mrs. Bousie.4 I am Dr. Sir truly Yours
Edwd Bancroft
Addressed: A Monsieur / Monsr. Franklin / Le Fils / a Passy
2. Between the time Bancroft received Mrs. Bousie’s letter and BF’s issuance of the passport she wished; see the following notes.
3. Which she had requested Bancroft to procure for her; see his letter of March 20 to WTF. Apparently, BF was reluctant to issue the document until he had seen the passport that Mrs. Bousie claimed Sartine had granted. Bancroft must have written her the next morning because on a Sunday noon, undoubtedly of the 21st, she wrote to thank him for that morning’s note. She explained that she could not send him the passport because it had gone directly to the ship’s captain at Calais. In lieu of it she produced a letter she had received from Audibert l’aîné, captain of the port of Calais, acknowledging that the passport had arrived. Both of these letters are with BF’s papers at the APS; the former bears WTF’s notation, “Papers relating to a Pass port granted to a Vessell of Mr. Bousies.”
4. For the passport see our annotation to Bancroft’s letter printed under March 25.