Papers of John Adams, volume 8
1779-04-24
I am informed by a Letter from Nantes that the Alliance arrived there the 18th,1 and that she had 250 Men on board; she will therefore probably sail soon. My first Letter to you after your departure from hence2 desired that you would put the Letters addressed to the Committee, and to the Delegates from the State of South Carolina on board of some vessel that would sail before the Alliance. Your last Letter3 mentions nothing about them; and I hope you have kept them yourself, as I look upon that Frigate as the safest conveyance. I take the liberty of enclosing you another Letter for the Committee,4 and beg the favour of you to forward it as well as the others as soon as you arrive. Should you receive dispatches from Congress to keep you in Europe, you will be so good as to give my Letters into the particular care of the Captn. of the Alliance, and request him to forward them to Congress as soon as he arrives. Our Letters from London mention an engagement between Genl. Lincoln, and Genl. Prevost to have been fought, with considerable loss on both sides, without either being able to claim the victory. It does not appear to be certain that there has been any battle. If there has, I hope we have had the advantage, as the Gazette takes no notice of it.5 The Westerly Winds which have prevailed for some time, will I hope soon bring us good news, and compensate for the length of time we have been without any.
I heartily wish you a safe, and agreeable passage, and flatter myself with the hopes of seeing you in America before the expiration of many Months. My Wife offers her Compliments and I am Dr. Sr. Your most obt. hble Servt.
P.S. The enclosed6 is just received from Holland. I hope it may contain a Letter from America with agreeable news. Should that be the case, I should be glad to be informed of it. I wish to know whether it is true that the Alliance has got Two Hundred, and Fifty Men, and when you think she will sail.
On the 18th Capt. Landais arrived at Nantes; the Alliance was at St. Nazaire (from Schweighauser, 19 April, note 2, above).
That of 20 March (above).
Not found, but probably that of 12 April. See Izard to JA, 18 April (above).
Not found.
For the battle at Beaufort, S.C., on 3 Feb., see from Arthur Lee, 18 March, note 1 (above). A report from New York, similar to that given here, appeared in the London Chronicle of 17–20 April.
Not found.
1779-04-24
Philadelphia, 24 April 1779. Dft (ViU: Lee Papers). printed: The Letters of Richard Henry Lee, ed. James Ballagh, 2 vols., N.Y., 1914 (repr. N.Y., 1970), 2:46–49.
Given its date and its existence only in draft, this reply to John Adams' letter of 5 Aug. 1778 (vol. 6:350–352) probably never reached him. Lee commended Adams for his determination to remain outside the quarrels of the Americans in France and then turned to Silas Deane, whose address he believed would have no lasting effect, for Deane was universally censured. Lee thought the British success in Georgia would be temporary; expected that the Articles of Confederation would soon be ratified; and emphasized the need for a loan, which along with economy and taxation would place the currency on a firm foundation. He enclosed the pamphlet Observations on the American Revolution (Phila., Feb. 1779), consisting of selections from the Journals of the congress compiled by Gouverneur Morris, designed to counteract the falsities of the Carlisle commissioners (Evans, No. 16625;
JCC
, 15:1452; Burnett, ed., Letters of Members
, 4:59, note).
printed
The Letters of Richard Henry Lee, ed. James Ballagh, 2 vols., N.Y., 1914 (repr. N.Y., 1970), 2:46–49).
1779-04-24
I am sorry this Town has fewer Charms for you than a Ship of War,— You surely will have enough of the Sea on your Passage and methinks the Shore, now Nature is putting on her most agreeable Dress, is capable of giving you more pleasure. If you think the Situation of my House pleasant enough, you may be as compleatly Commander of it as you can be of any Frigate in the Service.
You may remember I mentioned to you how far I had interested myself for the Officers who came over in the Flagg. I inclose Doctor Franklins Answer, and one of them comes to you to lay before you how far they necessarily require releif.1 The next Step I think should be to let them go on board Ship directly to avoid any further Expence. But of this you are the best Judge.
Remember me to Jack. I am very respectfully & sincerely Dear Sir Your most obedt. Servt
The Post to day brings nothing certain, as there are some Paragraphs which if true are favourable to us, I send you the Courier de l'Europe. Please to return it after perusal.
Williams, who was at Nantes to clear up the questions raised by Arthur Lee about his accounts (see Jonathan Williams to Benjamin Franklin and JA, 31 Jan., and notes, above), had apparently discussed with JA his interest in the aid to be given the returned prisoners. He wrote to Benjamin Franklin regarding it on 7 April (
Cal. Franklin Papers, A.P.S.
, 2:57), and enclosed an extract of Franklin's reply of 20 April. Franklin expressed his concern about the welfare of the Americans who had been exchanged, but he also noted that limited resources and the difficulty of determining what was due each prisoner placed limits on his ability to provide relief. He hoped that by the time his letter reached Williams, the Americans would be on board the Alliance and referred Williams to JA, to whom authority to deal with the problem had been entrusted and to whom Franklin wrote on 21 April (see JA to Franklin, 13 April, note 4, above). There is no indication if one of the former prisoners came to see JA.