Part 27

I am informd that General Clinton designs to send to the Governor or Assembly of each of the United States, Copies of an insulting Paper, called a Manifesto or Proclamation, calculated to promote a Rebellion, and that the one intended for this State is to be sent by Water up the Delaware. And as it appears to be the Design of the Enemy, as far as it may be in their power, further to pursue their barbarous practice of laying waste our Sea Ports, and that they would be particularly gratified by an opportunity of destroying this City; would it not be proper that one or two of your Gallies should be ordered to watch for them in the River, that they may seize their Vessel & bring the Men up, blindfold, to be confined & dealt with according to the Laws of Nature and Nations. You will excuse this Hint, and be assured that I am,

Your very humble Servt,

TO JAMES WARREN.

PHILAD Oct 17 1778

MY DEAR SIR

If I was to tell you that I wonder much at the Conduct of some of our Politicians it might discover my own Folly; for it is said a wise Man wonders at Nothing. Be it so. I am curious to know who made the Motion for the Admission of Gray, Gardiner & Jemmy Anderson? Which of the B[oston] Members supported the Motion? Are the Galleries of the House open? Do the People know that such a Motion was made? A Motion so alarming to an old Whig? Or are they so incessantly eager in the Pursuit of Pleasure or of Gain as to be totally thoughtless of their Country? I hope not. Gracious Heaven! Defend us from Vanity Folly & the inordinate Love of Money. Your News Papers are silent upon every Subject of Importance but the Description of a Feast, or the Eclat of some Great Man. Your able Patriot is wholly employd in spirited Exertions of the Military Kind, or surely he wd have pourd forth all his Eloquence against so detestable a Motion.--" The Motion did not obtain." I rejoyce in this; But Do you do Justice the House by so faint an Expression? I hope they rejected it with every Mark of Contempt & Indignation. Do the Gentlemen who made & supported this Motion know, that even in this Quaker Country, they are trying & condemning & I suppose will hang some of their considerable Men for Crimes not inferior to those of Gray & Gardiner. Jemmy Anderson I have forgot. I suppose he is a little Man & a Scotchman. It is the opinion of the People in this Country, that a Galloway could not atone for his publick Crimes with the Sacrifice of an hundred Lives. A Galloway, a Gray, a Gardiner! Examine them & say which is the greatest Criminal. Confiscation you tell me labors--"it labors very hard"! I have heard objections made to it, not in this Country, but in my own. But I thought those objections were made by interested Men. Shall those Traiters who first conspired the Ruin of our Liberties; Those who basely forsook their Country in her Distress & sought Protection from the Enemy when they thought them in the Plenitude of Power--who have been ever since stimulating & doing all in their Power to aid and comfort them while they have been exerting their utmost to enslave & ruin us. Shall these Wretches have their Estates reservd for them & restored at the Conclusion of this glorious Struggle in which some of the richest Blood of America has been spilled, for the sake of a few who may have Money in England & for this Reason have maintaind a dastardly and criminal Neutrality? It cannot be. I venturd to speak my Mind in a Place where I could claim no Right to speak. I spoke with Leave which I should have disdaind to have done, had I not felt the Importance of the Subject to our Country. I will tell you my Opinion. If you do not act a decisive Part--If you suffer those Traiters to return & enjoy their Estates, the World will say, you have no Sense of publick Injury & have lost your understanding.

Adieu my dear Friend,

TO MRS. ADAMS.

PHILADELPHIA Octob 20th -78

MY DEAR BETSY

A few days ago Mr Brown, a publick Messenger carried a Letter from me to you, which I hope you will receive before this reaches you. I feel a Pleasure when I sit down to write to you and omit no opportunity. My Boston Friends tell me with great Solicitude that I have Enemies there. I thank them for their Concern for me, and tell them I knew it before. The Man who acts an honest Part in publick Life, must often counteract the Passions Inclinations or Humours of weak and wicked Men and this must create him Enemies. I am therefore not disappointed or mortified. I flatter my self that no virtuous Man who knows me will or can be my Enemy; because I think he can have no Suspicion of my Integrity. But they say my Enemies "are plotting against me." Neither does this discompose me, for what else can I expect from such kind of Men. If they mean to make me uneasy they miss their Aim; for I am happy and it is not in their Power to disturb my Peace. They add, The Design is to get me recalled from this Service. I am in no Pain about such an Event; for I know there are many who can serve our Country here with greater Capacity (though none more honestly). The sooner therefore another is elected in my Room the better. I shall the sooner retire to the sweet Enjoyment of domestick Life. This, you can witness, I have often wishd for; and I trust that all gracious Providence has spared your precious Life through a dangerous Illness, to heighten the Pleasures of my Retirement. If my Enemies are governd by Malice or Envy, I could not wish them a severer Punishment than their own Feelings. But, my Dear, I thank God, I have many Friends. You know them. Remember me to them all as you have opportunity. I could say many more things to you, but I am called off. My Love to my Daughter & Sister Polly and the rest of our Family and Connections. Adieu. Your most affectionate,

TO JOHN ADAMS.

PHILADA Octob 25, 1778

MY DEAR SIR/

Your Favor of the 24th of May did not reach my hand till yesterday. The Gentleman who brought it, Mr Archer, tells me he had a Passage of Eleven Weeks. I will show him the Respect due to the Character you give him, & properly regard such future Recommendations as may come from you.

I suppose you have been fully & officially informd of the State of our military Affairs since the Enemy evacuated this City and met with a Drubbing at Monmouth. And as publick Letters will doubtless be forwarded by this Conveyance, it is needless for me to give you a particular Detail of what has happend since. By those Letters you will be informd that Dr Franklin is appointed Minister Plenipotentiary at Versailes. It is not yet determind how you will be disposd of; but as Congress entertain great Expectations from your Services, you may depend upon Employment being allotted for you somewhere. The critical Situation of the Powers of Europe in general, renders it somewhat difficult for us to determine, to which of them to make our Addresses at present. Every Cabinet I suppose is busily engagd in making the necessary Arrangements and preparing for the opening of a Campaign, if War should take Place. In this Case, I should think France must be our Pole Star, while it continues, and our Connections must be formd with hers. In the mean time however, Holland, whose Policy is always to be at Peace, may be open for a Negociation; and in my opinion, we ought to take the earliest opportunity to tempt her.

The two main Armies at & near New York have been quiet since the Enemy retreated to that City. We have made another Expedition against Rhode Island. Our Arms were not disgracd, though we did not succeed to our Wishes. Genl S behavd as usual with Bravery; but some will have it that there is a Mixture of Imprudence in every thing he does. He promisd himself to share with Gates in the Glory of Victory, and as an officer of Spirit, no doubt he felt vexed with the Disappointment; but he was too sanguine in my Opinion when he expected that the Count D Estaing would remain there, in the Circumstances which he was thrown into by a violent Storm he met with when in Pursuit of Lord Howe. This unforeseen & unavoidable Accident left him too much inferior to the British Squadron to run the Risque with any Degree of Prudence. It was a Misfortune which we all regret, but must bear. Knowing the high Temper of the People of my native Town, I immediately upon hearing it, wrote to some of the principal Men to prevent Blame being cast on the Count for leaving Rhode Island; a Disposition which I apprehended the artful Tories (for such there are even there) would encourage with a View of discrediting our new and happy Alliance, in the Minds of injudicious Whigs. I am happy to be informd that the Count and his Officers, and indeed every french Gentleman is treated there with the highest Marks of Respect and Friendship.

For some Weeks past there have been Reports here that the Enemies Troops at N York were about to embark, as they gave out on a grand Expedition, and we are now assured that Sixteen Sail of the Line and about one hundred and fifty Transports put to Sea on Tuesday the 20th Inst. Various are the Conjectures of their Destination. Whether to Boston, South Carolina or the West Indies, a few Days will decide. The Count D Estaing has sufficiently securd his Ships in Case of an Attack on them; and if they land their Troops with Intent to march them to Boston, it is my opinion they will repent of their Expedition. It appears to me most probable that the Troops are bound to the West Indies, and that the Ships of War, after having convoyd them to a certain Latitude will return for the Protection of the Garrisons which I suppose are to be left at Newport and New York. The Enemy will be 10th to quit the small Portion of Land they possess within the United States, for though they must despair of subduing us by Arms, it will be necessary for them to oblige us to continue the Expence of large Armies in order to nonplus us in the Art of financiering. This may be a Method of carrying on the Contest, the most puzzling to us; but I trust we shall disappoint them.

The Marquiss De la Fayette whose extraordinary Merit is fully known to you, does me the Honor of taking the Care of this Letter, and will deliver it to you.

I am, my dear Sir, with the greatest Sincerity

your affectionate,

TO ARTHUR LEE.

PHILADELPHIA Octob 26 -78

MY DEAR SIR

Your several Letters dated as in the Margin,1 with the Inclosures came to my Hand. And although I have not hitherto acknowledgd to you the Receipt of them, I assure you I have been and am still improving the Intelligence you have given me, to the best of my Power, for the Advantage of this Country. From our former Correspondence you have known my Sentiments. I have not alterd them in a single Point, either with Regard to the great Cause we are engagd in or to you who have been an early, vigilant & active Supporter of it. While you honor me with your confidential Letters, I feel and will freely express to you my Obligation. To have answerd them severally would have led me to Subjects of great Delicacy, and the Miscarriage of my Letters might have provd detrimental to our important Affairs. It was needless for me to run this Risque for the sake of writing; for I presume you have been made fully acquainted with the State of our publick Affairs by the Committee, and as I have constantly communicated to your Brother R. H. the Contents of your Letters to me, it was sufficient on that Score, for him only to write, for he thinks as I do.

The Marquiss De la Fayette, who does me the Honor to take this Letter, is this Moment going, which leaves me Time only to add that I am and will be your Friend, because I know you love our Country and Mankind.

I beg you to write to me by every Opportunity.

Adieu my dear Sir,