Part 32

MY DEAR SIR

I embrace the opportunity which now offers of writing a few Lines to you. In my last I told you I had many things to say particularly concerning A L & S D Esqrs 1. If I could have the Pleasure of sitting with you by a fire Side, I would more freely open my Mind to you than I chuse to do upon Paper, considering the Risque of its falling into wrong hands. One of these gentlemen, as I was informd in the year 74 by some who were well acquainted with him, was of a dubious political Character, and was appointed a Delegate in Congress by a Majority of only one of the Electors; it being thought that his own Vote turnd it in his favor. In 75 he was again elected; and he very early attachd him self to Men of different Sentiments from those which most if not all your Delegates brought with them from your Country & strenuously maintained. This Difference of Sentiment was said to arise from local Attachments, but in Reality they arose from different Principles & Views. What Mr Ds political Principles were if he had any I never could learn. His Views always appeard to me commercial & interrested. Whether I was mistaken or not Time perhaps will soon discover. He was very little known in America till the year 75, if at all in Europe.

The other took an early, decided and active Part in Support of the great Cause. In London he had a great Share in the open Opposition made to the Tyranny of the British Court & their Measures respecting America. There he turnd his Attention from the Practice of Physick to which he had been regularly educated in Edinburgh, to the Study of the Law. This he did by the Advice of some of the most able Advocates for the Liberties of America, from an Opinion they had conceivd of his promising Usefulness to that Cause in that Way. He answerd their Prospects. He constantly aided your Agent the late Mr De Berdt2 to whom his Knowledge of Affairs renderd his Services essential. That his Pen was employd for America in General, his Junius Americanus abundantly testifies; and that, and his other Publications witness his Attachments to Massachusetts Bay & South Carolina in particular. His private Letters to his Friends are written with that Freedom as well as Zeal which would have exposd him to the Risque even of his Life from the Resentment of an unprincipled & nefarious Court, if any of them by Accident or Design had fallen into their Hands. This I know to be true. I must conclude at present with giving it to you as my fix'd Opinion, founded on particular observations, that there is a joynt Combination of political & commercial Men to exclude all vigilant Patriots from publick Councils & Employments knowing that Vigilance & unimpeachd, unsuspected Fidelity will be an effectual Bar to the carrying such politico commercial Plans into Execution. I will write to you again by the first good Opportunity. In the mean time I am with perfect Esteem,

Yr affectionate Friend,

1 Arthur Lee and Silas Deane.

2 Cf. Vol. I., page 89 et seq.

TO JAMES WARREN.

PHILADE Jan 6 -79

MY DEAR SIR

In your last you desire to know how Matters have operated since the Recall. I will answer this Question at another Time when I have more Leisure; and at present only say, that Mr Dean arrivd here, I think in July, and in August he was admitted into the House, or to use his own Phrase had an Audience, in which, with as much Vanity as I ever saw in a Man of Sense, he assumd to himself almost the whole Merit of all the Services which had been renderd at least by Americans in France; as if he would have it to be believd that one of his Colleagues had done but little if any thing, the other worse than Nothing, himself every thing. And with as much Spleen & ill Nature he would even go out of the regular Path of Decency & Propriety to draw in Invective and diminish the Characters of the two Mr Lees & Mr Izard.1 In short the publication which you have seen is a Specimen of his Narrative. I have before given you my opinion of that Performance, and shall not trouble you further upon that, than just to remark that his insinuating that Mr W L2 still remains an Alderman of the City of London, because his Name is inserted in that List in the Court Kallendar of 78 discovers something more than Childishness and Folly. His design seems to be at once to prejudice the Reputation of that Gentleman in the Minds of his Countrymen and to hold up the Appearance of glaring Impropriety of Conduct in Congress, in appointing the Alderman of London an American Commissioner; and that this was done through the undue Influence of family Connections; for he takes particular Care to inform his Readers, that the two Brothers in Europe have two Brothers in Congress which cannot be denied. Neither can it be denied, that they are a Family, who have been as early, as uniform, as persevering and as able Patriots as perhaps any in the United States. Mr A L, you are fully sensible was most indefatigable in supporting our Cause in England. By penetrating into the Designs of a most unprincipled Court, he was able to give us the most timely and important Intelligence, which he did at the Risque of his Life; while Mr D was, in the Opinion of some of his own Countrymen as well as others, of a doubtful political Character. Mr Lee continued to transmit to our Friends in France as well as to Congress before he left England, the most accurate Accounts of things there. Such was the opinion entertaind by Congress of his Abilities his Integrity, his Zeal and Attachment to his Country which indeed had been long experiencd, that he was employd as a most useful & necessary Man. The vigilant Eye of so consistent a Patriot, may be formidable to a Combination of political & Commercial Men, who may be aiming to get the Trade, the Wealth, the Power and the Government of America into their own Hands. He must therefore be hunted down; and the young as well as the old Hounds are all ready for the Game.

Adieu,

1 Ralph Izard. Cf. Wharton, Revolutionary Diplomatic Correspondence, Vol. I , p. 589.

2 William Lee. Cf.., Ibid., p. 586.

TO SAMUEL COOPER.

Jany 6 -79

MY DEAR SIR

I wrote to you on the 3d Inst by Express and then promisd to write again by the first good Opportunity. The Bearer of this Letter is a young Gentleman of your Country who is passing thro this place in his way home. He appears sensible, tells me he was educated at H. College, has since studied Physick, was taken at Sea & carried into England, was liberated or made his Escape & went over to France, from Paris he went to Dunkirk on the Encouragement of Mr Dean & enterd Surgeon on board the Revenge Sloop, built by order of a Come of Congress authorizd thereto & at the Continental Expense, and till lately supposd to have ever since remaind Continental Property, but now so invelopd in political Commercial Mystery as that it cannot be ascertaind whether she is ownd by the United States or private Persons, or whether she is the property partly publick & private. I will tell you more of this Matter when the Mystery shall be unraveld if it ever is; in the mean time remember my dear Sir what I said in my last of commercial Combinations.

In the latter End of 75 one of the Characters in my last was left out of the Delegation of the Colony he had represented, and a Number of his Friends gave him a sort of Certificate or Letter of Recommendation as they had before done to one of your Delegates,1 which led me to think it was their Opinion he needed a Prop in his own Country. Soon after, the Congress appointed a secret Committee of Commerce, with a View of procuring from abroad the necessary Articles for carrying on the War. They also appointed a secret Committee of Correspondence. Their Business was to form political Connections abroad & to feel the pulsations of foreign Powers & particularly France. The first of these Committees engagd Mr ------ to go to that Kingdom for the purpose of their Commission & the Corresponding Come took the Advantage of his intended Residence there to facilitate the salutary Purpose of their Appointment. At the same Time they wrote a Letter to Mr ---- then in England from whom the Congress had before receivd the most accurate Intelligence, requesting a Correspondence with him & pledging Secrecy & Confidence. Mr ---- arrivd in France in June 76. Thus you see we had an Intelligencer to let us know what was doing or meditating against us in England; and a political Commercial Agent who was to inform us what was doing or could be done for us in France. The one had before settled a Correspondence & formd Connections in several parts of the Continent of Europe & particularly France; the other was a perfect Stranger in every Nation in Europe, but bearing Letters to considerable Men there. The one was altogether the political Man, the other had to do with Commerce as well as politicks. The one by his Address obtaind in England such Assurances as satisfied him that France would afford such Aid to America as she could consistently, the other was better skilld in the commercial Part of his Agency than the political. The one in London in the Months of March and April discoverd that he might successfully & actually did treat with a Merchant in France of no Capital but a favorite at Court for a Supply to the Value of L200,000 sterling--the other arrivd in the Month of June following, found him out & was somehow concernd in forwarding the Supplys thus contracted for. I dare say you are apt to draw this Conclusion that the one was the political Negotiator in this Instance & the other the Commercial Agent only--yet, will you believe it, it is positively affirmd that the one did every thing & the other Nothing. I will explain it to you in my next.

1 Cf. Vol. III., p. 269.

TO SAMUEL COOPER.

Jany 19-79

MY DEAR SIR

Inclosd is the Newspaper of this Day. Philalethes in attempting to show that the Supplys from France were not a Present from that Court, which nobody that I know of has asserted, has abundantly proved one thing which Common Sense has insisted on viz that A Lee had been negociating with Mr Beaumarchais for those Supplys, before Mr Dean arrivd there. No one I suppose would have thought of weighing Mr Deans Merit so critically, had he appeard content with his full Share of it. But when he takes so much Pains to represent his Colleagues as having done Nothing, it becomes a Piece of Justice to enquire whether they have in Reality been such unconcernd or impotent Spectators of their Countrys Misery and Want. Dr Franklin has the Honor of being Mr Deans venerable Friend; Mr Lee, an insignificant or troublesome Colleague. And yet Mary Johnsons assiduous Applications procurd the sending a Ship loaded with Merchandise & Stores to the Value of twenty five Thousand Pounds Sterling; and this Negociation was settled before Mr Deans Arrival in France. Mr Lee acted as the political Minister. He pressd on Mr Beaumarchais "the maintaining the War in America as the great Object." And indeed it was so. Mr Lee and every Man of Discernment knew, that it was the Policy of France to consider it in this View. On this Consideration he succeeded, and yet, says Mr Beaumarchais, "the Gratitude of Congress is due to the indefatigable Pains Mr Dean has taken thro' the whole of the Commercial Transaction." The Truth is, as I suppose, that Mr Dean did not care to return without some such Letter of Recommendation; and it was probably as easily obtaind as the other which I mentiond in my last. Mr Beaumarchais is a Man of Ingenuity & Wit. Horace was the Delight of the Court of Augustus. A Royal Letter & a Snuff Box, as I once told one of my Friends, are Things of Course, especially in the Honey Moon of National Matrimony. A Monarch politely compliments thro' the Minister the Ministers Sovereign. When the Merchant and the Courtier unite in one Man, the Courtier is safe in imitating his Master, and pays his Compliment in the Stile & Manner of the Merchant.

Mr Deans Friends are in hopes he will be sent to Holland as a Reward for his good Services, from whence he may probably send or bring another mercantile Letter of Recommendation. Doubtless deep Commercial Connections may be formd there. They are willing Mr J A should go to Spain. The Design of this is to get Mr A L removd from thence. Others are for sending Mr A to Holland leaving Mr L in Spain, to whose Influence in that Country our Armies are indebted for Supplys of Blanketts Shoes and Stockins. I am sorry to be obligd to think, that a Monopoly of Trade, and not the Liberty of their Country, is the sole Object of some Mens Views. This is the Cake which they hope shortly to slice and share among themselves.

Adieu,

TO JONATHAN TRUMBULL.

PHILAD Feb 6 -79

SIR