31From Benjamin Franklin to La Vauguyon, 6 December 1779 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Library of Congress It gave me great Pleasure to understand by the Letter your Excellency has done me honour of writing to me, and which I have just now received that Mr. Jones has conducted himself in holland to your satisfaction. This is a Circumstance that will ever do as much honour to his Prudence, as his Conduct in Fight has done to his Valour. I have the fullest Confidence in your...
32From Benjamin Franklin to Sartine, 6 December 1779 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Library of Congress I have immediately given, and send inclos’d, the Order to Capt. Jones, which your Excellency has done me the Honour to demand of me. I have received a Letter from Mr Dargent, Deputy of Trade for the Province of Picardy, enclosing a Memorial, which I beg leave to submit to your Excelly’s. Consideration. With the greatist Respect I am. Y. Excelly: m. o. & m. h. S. We...
33Political, Miscellaneous, and Philosophical Pieces, 1779 [7 December 1779] (Franklin Papers)
Political, Miscellaneous, and Philosophical Pieces; … Written by Benj. Franklin, LL.D. and F.R.S. … Now first collected, With Explanatory Plates, Notes, And an Index to the Whole . London: Printed for J. Johnson, No 72, St. Paul’s Church-Yard. MDCCLXXIX. (Yale University Library) Benjamin Vaughan began to collect Franklin’s published political writings shortly after American independence had...
34From Benjamin Franklin to Lafayette, 8 December 1779 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Biblioteka Czartoryskich, Cracow I am much oblig’d by what you have said at Vs. Enclos’d is the Speech. We just now hear, that a Vessel is arriv’d at Nantes which left Philade. the 26th. Octr.— The Frigate Confederacy sail’d with her, but parted the first Night, M. Gerard was on board the Confederacy, and Mr Jay with his Family appointed for Spain as Minister.— Count D’Estaing was at...
35From Benjamin Franklin to Vergennes, 8 December 1779 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Library of Congress As Baron de Holtzendorff has thought fit to trouble your Excellency with a Memorial to me, relating to his affairs and complains highly as I understand of the Congress & of me, I beg leave to acquaint you with a few Circumstances in our Vindication, most of which I have from himself in one of his former Papers. Mr. Deane soon after his Arrival here, is said to have...
36From Benjamin Franklin to [Dufourny de Villiers], 11 December 1779 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Bibliothèque Publique et Universitaire de Genève There is a great Variety of Paper Money in America, of which some has been counterfeited. I have not here the Register from which the Bills were cut; but if they were shown to me, I might probably be able to tell whether they are genuine or not.— I am glad to hear that a Reconciliation is propos’d between the Faculty and the Society. I...
37From Benjamin Franklin to Jean-Daniel Schweighauser, 20 December 1779 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Library of Congress I received duly your favour of Nov. 11. inclosing Capt. Samson’s Receipt for the Packets & Bills of Lading. This with your subsequent of Nov. 27. containing your accounts are now before me. I approve of your Charitable Care of the sick man Edward Slade and the poor Girl. Please to inform me if you know, how they came in to Europe. Is the Girl incapable of doing any...
38From Benjamin Franklin to Sartine, 21 December 1779 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Library of Congress I return herewith the Letters of Mr. de la Villehelis and de la Dame de st. Maurice which your Excellency did me the honour of communicating to me the 15th. Instant. I begin to have a bad Opinion of this Mr. Lock he has written me a Letter, in which he pretends to be an American, but it is so written as to make me suspect the Contrary. I knew nothing of the Damsel Des...
39From Benjamin Franklin to Count Andreas Peter von Bernstorff, 22 December 1779 (Franklin Papers)
Copies: National Archives, Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères, Columbia University Library, Library of Congress; AL (draft): Library of Congress; press copies: Library of Congress (two); transcript: National Archives I have received a Letter from M. De Chezaulx, Consul of France at Berghen in Norway, acquainting me that two Ships, viz. the Betsey and the Union, Prizes taken from the...
40From Benjamin Franklin to Sartine: Two Letters, 22 December 1779 (Franklin Papers)
(I) and (II) copy: Library of Congress They have written to me from England, that they propose to Send two Cartel Vessels with American Prisoners to Morlaix, one from Portsmouth, the other from Plymouth, in order to clear both Prisons at once. For this purpose they desire another Passport; which if your Excellency has no Objection to it, I Should be glad to send by the first Opportunity. I am,...
41From Benjamin Franklin to John Dalton et al., 22 December 1779 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Library of Congress I received yours of the 9th. Instant. Herewith you have the Order of Mr. de sartine for your Discharge. For your present Relief, and to bear your Expences to Nantes, you may draw a Bill upon me for two Hundred and forty Livres, which shal be paid here upon Sight. Be frugal and make the most of it. Your friend and servant. Sartine must have acted immediately on BF ’s...
42From Benjamin Franklin to Jonathan Williams, Jr., 22 December 1779 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Library of Congress Ever since September 18, when Franklin had forwarded to Vergennes Congress’ invoices for military supplies and clothing, he had been awaiting the French government’s response. At long last, it came. When Franklin wrote the following letter, he must have just received Vergennes’ promise of a new loan of 3,000,000 l.t. The sum was generous, but did not come close to...
43From Benjamin Franklin to Jonathan Williams, Jr., 26 December 1779 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Library of Congress I received yours of the 16th. with one from Mr. Mazzey. I have known him a long time and have always esteemed him an honest worthy man, and a man of substance. I know nothing of his present Situation but what he writes me. I think he is not well us’d by the Gentlemen in whom he had a Credit. But I am too much embarrassed by the multiplicity of Demands upon me to...
44From Benjamin Franklin to Dumas, 27 December 1779 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Library of Congress I received yours of the 15th with Letters from Commodore Jones and Capt. Conyingham. I would write to them and send to Capt. C. a Letter I have from his wife for him, but suppose the Ship has left Holland. I Send you one of our latest papers from America containing an Account of the Conquest of the Iroquois County by our army under general Sulivan, and some other...
45From Benjamin Franklin to J.F. Frin & Co., 28 December 1779 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Library of Congress I return your 49 Bills accepted, as of the Day on which they were presented. The obligations of Congress, mentioned to you by Messrs. Cromelin and fils ought not to have been brought to Europe, their Operation is in America and they must be returned thither and produced annually to the Treasurer in order to receive the interest. As the Obligations are if I am not...
46From Benjamin Franklin to Joshua Johnson, 29 December 1779 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Library of Congress I am much obliged by your kind attention in sending me from time to time the American newspapers that have come to your hands. Please to accept my thankful Acknowledgements. I have the Pleasure now to acquaint you that tho’ my application at your Request for arms or a Loan of money for your Province in particular was not attended with success the Opinion here being...
47From Benjamin Franklin to Arthur Lee, 31 December 1779 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Amherst College Library I have not at present any Public Money in my hands; and all that I can expect will be necessary to pay Congress Drafts, and other indispensible Orders and Engagements. I have the honour to be, with very great Respect Sir, Your most obedient and most humble Servant Addressed: To / The honourable Arthur Lee Esqe. / Paris. / [ in another hand: ] a lhotel notre Dame /...
48From Benjamin Franklin to John Rutledge, [1779?] (Franklin Papers)
AL (draft): Library of Congress The Bearer M. Savarit goes to America, with a View of establishing a House there, for Supplying the Country with Arms of various kinds of the Manufacture of Charleville, which is reckon’d one of the best in France: He is recommended to me as a Gentleman of excellent Character, by Persons of Distinction here; and I beg leave to recommend him to your Excellency,...
49An Arabian Tale, [1779?] (Franklin Papers)
Printed in William Temple Franklin, ed., Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Benjamin Franklin, L.L.D., F.R.S., &c … (3 vols., 4to, London, 1817–18), III , 326–7. It should come as no surprise that Franklin would try his hand at a genre of story-telling so popular during his lifetime: the oriental or pseudo-oriental tale. Ever since Antoine Galland published the first ten volumes of Les Mille...
50A Turkish Apologue, [1779?] (Franklin Papers)
AD (draft): American Philosophical Society Abdéllamar was young, strong & handsome. He had studied all the fine Arabian Writers, and was Master of all their Science. He was vain of his Knowledge, and said within himself, Behold, I am a reasonable Being! Why has God given me the Passions and Appetites of Animal Nature? They debase me. I ought to subdue them. God was offended; and said to an...
51Directions for Drawing Out the Tone from the Glass Armonica, [1779?] (Franklin Papers)
AD (draft): American Philosophical Society When I. Minis Hays catalogued Franklin’s papers at the American Philosophical Society in 1906, he grouped this one among the undated manuscripts from 1779. If he had a specific reason for doing so he did not explain it, and we have found none. We retain his dating, however, because if Franklin wrote these directions during his French stay, then 1779...
52From Benjamin Franklin to Anne-Catherine de Ligniville Helvétius: Two Editions of “The Elysian Fields”, [c. 1 January … (Franklin Papers)
(I) Printed by Benjamin Franklin, Passy [1780], Yale University Library; AL and copy: American Philosophical Society; copy: Yale University Library; (II) Printed by Benjamin Franklin, Passy [1780], Yale University Library For a letter of so ostensibly personal a nature, “The Elysian Fields” was widely circulated among the Auteuil circle and made public very quickly. Franklin himself, after...
53From Benjamin Franklin to Jonathan Williams, Jr., 9 January 1780 (Franklin Papers)
ALS (draft): American Philosophical Society; copy: Library of Congress I received your Letters with the Samples of Cloths, but the Shirt & Stockings are not arriv’d. Having no kind of Judgment in such Commodities, I can make no Choice. You have the precise & particular Orders of the Committee of Congress relating to the Soldiers Dress, to which you must conform as exactly as possible. I do not...
54From Benjamin Franklin to Brown, Collinson & Tritton, 10 January 1780 (Franklin Papers)
ALS (draft): American Philosophical Society I drew on you some time since for £70.8.0 in favour of Mr Caslon. I request a Sketch of my Account, containing all the Articles since my Arrival in France in December 1776. I am, Gentlemen, Your humble Servant The London banking firm added the third partner in 1778: F.G. Hilton Price, A Handbook of London Bankers … (New York, 1876; reprinted, 1970),...
55From Benjamin Franklin to Mary Hewson, 10 January 1780 (Franklin Papers)
ALS (draft): American Philosophical Society Your kind Letter of May 30. 79. came to my hands but a few days since, by Dr Ingenhausz, who has also brought the Milk pot. The Copper Vessel I received long ago. I hear that your Affairs are settled to your Satisfaction, on which I congratulate you with sincere Pleasure. You end your Letter with this endearing Expression of Friendship, “ I wish we...
56From Benjamin Franklin to Landais, 10 January 1780 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Library of Congress A Copy shall be made of the Paragraphs you mention, and delivered to you attested as you desire. As we have a great deal of pressing Business on hand, I am oblig’d to postpone your affair till this Day week, which I mention to save you the Trouble of calling on me sooner. In the mean time I wish you would peruse the enclosed memoirs from the Swedish Ambassador,...
57From Benjamin Franklin to James Woodmason, [10 January 1780] (Franklin Papers)
ALS (draft): American Philosophical Society I have lately receiv’d yours, without Date, acquainting me that the Paper I ordered is at length finished, & will be sent by the first Ship to Amsterdam, which I am glad to hear. If not already gone, please to insure it, and send me your Account. Present my affectionate Respects to your good Father, and believe me to be Sir, Your assured Friend &...
58From Benjamin Franklin to Vergennes, 15 January 1780 (Franklin Papers)
LS : Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères Je vous envoye une Epreuve de La traduction d’une Lettre du Congrès; et je vous prie de mettre au bas que vous ne vous opposez pas à son impression. Cette formalité Est nécessaire: Les censeurs ne veulent laisser paraitre qu’à cette condition, cet ouvrage dont il est bon pour nous que Le public n’ignore pas plus Long-tems Le contenu. Je vous...
59From Benjamin Franklin to Lafayette, 18 January 1780 (Franklin Papers)
LS : Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères; copy: Library of Congress Being unavoidably detained from going to Versailles to Day as I intended, I must beg of you when you present those Officers to M. De Vergennes, to say for me what I should have said if I could have been present, that I have been made well acquainted with their great Merit and the high Reputation they have acquired in...
60From Benjamin Franklin to the Prince de Montbarey, 18 January 1780 (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Library of Congress Monsieur Noirmont de La Neuville has produced to me a Number of Testimonies from American Generals and from the Congress, of his Valour and good Conduct in several important Actions of the War, by which he has acquired great Esteem in that Country; At his Request I have certified the Authenticity of Those Papers; and I beg leave to add, that I am persuaded, if his...