The Life Of Thomas Paine, Vol. 2. (of 2): With A History of His Literary, Political and Religious Career in America France, and EnglandConway, Moncure Daniel
History
The Life Of Thomas Paine, Vol. 2. (of 2): With A History of His Literary, Political and Religious Career in America France, and England
Conway, Moncure Daniel
Paine, Thomas, 1737-1809
"All the English East India ships put into St. Helena, off the coast
of Africa, on their return from India to England. A great part of their
ballast is saltpetre. Captain Jones, who had been at St. Helena, says
that the place can be very easily taken. His proposal was to send off
a small squadron for that purpose, to keep the English flag flying at
port. The English vessels will continue coming in as usual. By this
means it will be a long time before the Government of England can have
any knowledge of what has happened. The success of this depends so much
upon secrecy that I wish you would translate this yourself, and give it
to Barrère."
In the next volume (38) of the French Archives, marked "États Unis,
1793," is a remarkable document (No. 39), entitled "A Citizen of America
to the Citizens of Europe." The name of Paine is only pencilled on it,
and it was probably written by him; but it purports to have been written
in America, and is dated "Philadelphia, July 28, 1793; 18th Year of
Independence." It is a clerk's copy, so that it cannot now be known
whether the ruse of its origin in Philadelphia was due to Paine or to
the government It is an extended paper, and repeats to some extent,
though not literally, what is said in the "Observations" quoted above.
Possibly the government, on receiving that paper (Document 39 also),
desired Paine to write it out as an address to the "Citizens of Europe."
It does not appear to have been published. The first four paragraphs of
this paper, combined with the "Observations," will suffice to show its
character.
"Understanding that a proposal is intended to be made at the ensuing
meeting of the Congress of the United States of America, to send
Commissioners to Europe to confer with the Ministers of all the Neutral
Powers, for the purpose of negotiating preliminaries of Peace, I address
this letter to you on that subject, and on the several matters connected
therewith.
"In order to discuss this subject through all its circumstances, it
will be necessary to take a review of the state of Europe, prior to the
French revolution. It will from thence appear, that the powers leagued
against France are fighting to attain an object, which, were it possible
to be attained, would be injurious to themselves.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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