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Agitated betixt Hopes & Fears, I have been waiting with the greatest Impatience & Suspence of Mind, for the Event of an Engagement at New York, which the Papers I lately had the honor of transmitting you, an-nounced the Americans were in daily expectation of.
I have seen an Extract of a Letter dated Philadelphia 29 August, with the following Relation; that Twelve Thousand of the Kings...
Date: 29 September 1776
Volume: Volume 6
Dear Sir: Mr. [Robert] Morris has communicated to us the substance of your letters to him down to the 23d June, when you were near setting out for Paris. We hope your reception there has been equal to your expectations and our wishes; indeed we have no reason to doubt it, considering the countenance we have met with amongst the French Islands and their seaports in Europe. It would be very...
Date: 1 October 1776
Volume: Volume 6
We have this day received from the Honorable Congress of Delegates of the United States of America the important papers that accompany this letter being,
first, a Treaty of Commerce & Alliance between the Court of France & these Statesー
Second, Instructions to their Commissioners relative to the said Treatyー
lastly, A Commission, whereby you will see that Doctr. Franklin, The Honorable...
Date: 2 October 1776
Volume: Volume 6
We lately wrote you very fully by Mr Wm Hodge junr who went passinger in the Sloop Independance to Martinico from whence he wou'd proceed to France & deliver you sundry dispatches from this Committee, amongst the rest was the plan of a Treaty with the Court of France & In-structions of Congress relative thereto & this day we have enclosed you Instructions relative to Treaties with...
Date: 23 October 1776
Volume: Volume 6
We have already wrote you two letters of this date by different Conveyances, the present we send by the Andrew Doria, Isaiah Robinson Esqr Commander for St Eustatia from whence it will be sent to Wm Bingham Esqr at Martinico and by him be transmitted to you in a French Bottom. You will find enclosed Two Resolves of Congress passed yesterday, from one of them you will learn that Thomas Jefferson...
Date: 23 October 1776
Volume: Volume 6
We embrace this opportunity of Your Worthy Colleague & our mutual good Friend Doctr Franklin to transmit you Copies of our letters of the [illegible] Octr by the Sloop Independence Capt [John] Young to Martinico from whence they wou'd be carried to you by Mr Wm Hodge junr sent in said Sloop for that purpose, those letters Contained a Commission from the Congress appointing Doctr Franklin,...
Date: 24 October 1776
Volume: Volume 6
The Congress having Committed to our charge and Management their Ship-of-War Called the Reprisal commanded by Lambert Wickes Esq. carrying 16 Six Pounders and about one hundred and twenty men ー we have allotted her to carry Doctor Franklin to France and directed Captain Wickes to proceed to the Port of Nantes where the Doctor will land and from thence proceed to Paris, and he will either Carry...
Date: 24 October 1776
Volume: Volume 6
Above you will find Copy of my last Respects Since which have not had the Honor of receiving any of your esteemed favors — The Gentn at Bordeaux to whom I transmitted some of my Letters for you has acknowledged the Receipt of them & informs me that he had carefully forwarded them —
This I expect will be delivered to you by Mr Wm Hodge of Philadelphia, who is entrusted with Some important...
Date: 10 November 1776
Volume: Volume 7
Your much [es]teeme[d] favour of the 5th of Septr came to hand yesterday. I have the pleasure to tell you I ar[r]i[ve]d here the 26th Ulto after an agreeable passage of forty Six days. I am of opinion a House settled here by a person who has good connexions in America would answer very well on the plan you prop[o ]se, 5 P Ct will pay all the losses in Vessels trading from this to the States since...
Date: 26 November 1776
Volume: Volume 7
It is with a heavy heart I sit down to write to you, as the late unfortunate turn of American Affairs, leaves no room for joy in the mind of any true friend of our Country. — I am now the only member of Congress left in this City; & cannot pretend to give you a regular detail of our manifold Misfortunes, because my Papers are all sent with my Family into the Country; They commenced however...
Date: 20 December 1776
Volume: Volume 7
. . . I have pro.cured an Account from a Certain infallible Source; a Source from which a great part of the Contents of this Letter is derived, & from which most useful intelligence may be hereafter obtained, if we do not imprudently use what is given to us so as to lead to improper discoveries — you will recollect what I have before mentioned about a certain Ministers private Secretary — he...
Date: 8 November 1776
Volume: Volume 7
I have just arrived on board the 'Reprisal,' Captain Wickes, a small man of war belonging to Congress. We lie in the bay of Quiberon, awaiting a favourable wind to go to Nantes. We left the Cape on the 29th October and have only taken 30 days from land to land. I staid on board three days after we anchored, hoping to be able to proceed to Nantes with the vessel; but, the wind continuing contrary...
Date: 4 December 1776
Volume: Volume 7
. . . This has been a day of Fasting & Prayer for the Subjugation of America — I have however in defiance of the Royal Proclamation been dining at Mr [Horace] Walpoles with some well disposed Friends & making merry. — I am however very uneasy at the Long delay of the Masts Spars & Lumber; as it certainly has given Administration an Opportunity of advising Ld Howe of the Matter, &...
Date: 13 December 1776
Volume: Volume 7
. . . I sent you in my last news of the departure of the Amphitrite on Saturday the 14th at midday. She might have left sooner if M. Du Coudray had not had many letters to write, which detained him from 10 o'clock at night when he went on board, and made her lose several hours' favourable wind. As nothing has been heard of her since, it is to be hoped that she has got out of the Channel. It is...
Date: 18 December 1776
Volume: Volume 7
I have written you along letter on the present State of public affairs & intend this on Commircial matters. Your favour dated paris 30th Septr last is the only one I have from you and from the tenor of it I judge that several of yours to me & mine to you must have miscarried. I have long been aware that you wou'd suffer vexations for want of remittances & have often told the Committee...
Date: 11 January 1777
Volume: Volume 7
There have been a Number of Privateers lately fitted out of the English Islands, which greatly annoy & molest our Trade — They carry no Commissions, but make Prizes of our Vessels under the Authority & Sanction of the Kings Proclamation, which dooms us to be the Prey of every Invader; — The English Admiral on the Station has seized upon several of their Prizes in the Kings Name, & a...
Date: 2 February 1777
Volume: Volume 7
I have not received any Goods from you or him 2 Neither have I heard of any being sent by you either for this place or the West Indias, if you have from any cause that I am unacquainted with Neglected doing it, You may have leisure to repent hereafter that you missed so fine an opportunity of making a Fortune, the prices of all Imported Articles have been enormously high, I coud have...
Date: 27 February 1777
Volume: Volume 7
Above is Copy of my last Respects, Since which have none of your Favors to acknowledge; the 18 Inst arrived here the Ship Seine Capt Morin from Havre de Grace; a Vessel taken up on Account of the Continent, laden with Arms, Ammunition &ca; She was blown off the Coast of America in a hard Gale of Wind, where She met with a continual Succession of bad Weather; As this Cargo is exceedingly...
Date: 21 March 1777
Volume: Volume 8
Above is Copy of my last Respects & am still without any of your esteemed Favors; there have been no Accounts lately from America, & very little News that can be depended upon . . .
The Ship Seine will sail to morrow for the Place of her Destination; I have taken out of her One hundred Bales of Camp Equipage & Cloth, & Two hundred & Seventeen c:;ases of Fusils, which I Shall...
Date: 29 March 1777
Volume: Volume 8
Let me assure you nothing could give me more uneasiness than the singular & secret manner in which I was obliged to leave France, and being in such Circumstances as not to be able to inform you when nor how, for I was strongly suspicious, that if it came to Beau Marchais's Years [sic ears] he would do his utmost to detain poor Du Coudray who let me assure you is most sincerely attached to our...
Date: 12 April 1777
Volume: Volume 8