1The American Commissioners to [the Comte de Vergennes], 4 December 1777 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères We have the Honour to acquaint your Excellency that we have just receiv’d an Express from Boston, in 30 Days, with Advice of the total Reduction of the Force under General Burgoyne, himself and his whole Army having surrendered themselves Prisoners. General Gates was about to send Reinforcements to Gen. Washington, who was near Philadelphia...
2The American Commissioners to Vergennes, 8 December 1777 (Franklin Papers)
LS : Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères; two copies: Archivo Historico Nacional The Commissioners from the Congress of the United States of America, beg leave to represent to your Excellency, that it is near a year since they had the Honour of putting into your Hands the Propositions of the Congress for a Treaty of Amity and Commerce with this Kingdom, to which, with sundry other...
3The American Commissioners to Vergennes, 26 December 1777 (Franklin Papers)
LS : Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères We beg your Excellency’s Permission to make an appeal from the Judgment of the Admiralty at Nantes which ordains a confiscation of two Prizes (British Westindia Ships) taken legally on the high seas by two American Privateers, and that Your Excellency will be pleased to request his Majesty to suspend the Departure of those Prizes, and their...
4The American Commissioners to Vergennes, 3 February 1778 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères; copy: National Archives We have just receivd information that Mr. Thomas Morris, at Nantes, one of the commercial Agents of Congress, is at the point of death; and that his Papers, on that event, will be taken possession of by the Officers of the Crown. As some of these Papers may very materially concern the public business, we beg an Order...
5The American Commissioners to Vergennes, 10 April 1778: résumé (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères <Passy, April 10, 1778: Mr. Adams, appointed by Congress to replace Mr. Deane, has arrived and will wait on you as soon as he recovers from his voyage. He came on a continental frigate, which took a prize with a cargo valued at £70,000. Congress is detaining Gen. Burgoyne and his army for a breach of the convention, and has more than 10,000...
6Vergennes to the American Commissioners, 11 April 1778 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Harvard University Library J’ai recû, Messieurs, La lettre d’hier que vous m’avés fait L’honneur de m’ecrire et l’Extrait de la resolution du Congrès en datte du 22. novembre de l’année derniere que vous aves bien voulu y joindre. Agreés en tous mes remercimens. Je ne suis pas moins sensible Messieurs, a l’attention que vous avés de m’informér de l’arrivée de M. adams Votre nouveau...
7Vergennes to the Commissioners, 15 April 1778 (Adams Papers)
J ai lhonneur de vous renvoyér Messieurs, LEcrit Anglois et La lettre de Votre ami que vous m’avés fait Communiquér par M. de Sartine. Votre Correspondant Le qualifie exactement Lors qu’il le declare impolitique quant a la france et malignement insidieux par raport aux Etats unis de I amerique; Sous quelque Sens qu on Examine les Ecris, on decouvre par tout l’intention de vous séparér de vos...
I have the honor to return to you the English document and your friend’s letter which you communicated to me through M. de Sartine. Your correspondent is quite right in declaring it undiplomatic toward France and maliciously insidious toward the United States of America. Whichever way one interprets these documents, the intent of alienating your friends from you seems all pervasive. The...
9Vergennes to the American Commissioners, 15 April 1778: résumé (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Boston Public Library <Versailles, April 15, 1778, in French: I return you the document in English and the letter from your friend that you sent me by M. de Sartine. Your correspondent characterizes that document well, impolitic in relation to France and malignly insidious in relation to the United States; the intention of separating you from your friends shows throughout. Congress will...
10The Commissioners to Vergennes, 19 April 1778 (Adams Papers)
By sundry Letters from Merchants of Bourdeaux and Nantes, we are inform’d, that many Adventures to America are discouraged by the high Price of Insurance, and the Number of Captures made by the English, which together have an Operation almost equal to an Embargo; so that the Commerce which might be so advantageous, to both Countries, by supplying their mutual Wants, is obstructed, and the...