The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution, Vol. 10
History
The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution, Vol. 10
United States -- Foreign relations -- 1775-1783; United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Sources
The aforesaid Minister relies entirely on the wisdom of Congress to
take measures suitable to the circumstance. It has not been owing to
him, that the author has not himself repaired the injury which he has
done, the Minister Plenipotentiary having hastened to convince him of
the wrongs of which he was guilty, when the first of these gazettes
appeared in public.
GERARD.
* * * * *
The passages referred to in the above were contained in a piece
published in the Pennsylvania Packet, under the title, "Common Sense
to the Public on Mr Deane's Affair," written by Thomas Paine, then
Secretary to the Committee of Foreign Affairs; and are as follows;
"If Mr Deane, or any other gentleman, will procure an order from
Congress to inspect an account in my office, or any of Mr Deane's
friends in Congress will take the trouble of coming themselves, I will
give him or them my attendance, and show them in a hand-writing, which
Mr Deane is well acquainted with, that the supplies he so pompously
plumes himself upon (namely, those which were sent from France in the
Amphitrite, Seine, and Mercury) were promised and engaged, and that
_as a present_, before he even arrived in France, and that the part
which fell to Mr Deane was only to see it done, and how he has
performed that service, the public are now acquainted with." The last
paragraph in the account, is "upon Mr Deane's arrival in France, the
business went into his hands, and the aids were at length embarked in
the Amphitrite, Mercury, and Seine." "I have been the more explicit on
this subject, not so much on Mr Deane's account, as from a principle
of public justice. It shows, in the first instance, that the greatness
of the American cause drew at its first beginning the attention of
Europe, and that the justness of it was such as appeared to merit
support; and in the second instance, _that those who are now her
allies prefaced that alliance by an early and generous friendship_;
yet, that we might not attribute too much to human or auxiliary aid,
so unfortunate were those supplies, that only one ship out of the
three arrived; the Mercury and the Seine fell into the enemy's
hands."
* * * * *
TO THE PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS.
Translation.
Philadelphia, January 10th, 1779.
Sir,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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