she may stand in need of; wherein I am confident your conduct will be approved by the Congress and your owners. Given at Passy, near Paris, this day of B. FRANKLIN. Minister Plenipotentiary from the United States of America at the Court of France. P. S.-The same request is respectfully made to the commanders of armed vessels belonging to France and Spain, friends of the said United States. B. FRANKLIN. To All Captains and Commanders of Armed Ships Acting by Commission from the Congress of the United States of America, now in War with Great Britain. GENTLEMEN:-A ship having been fitted out from England before the commencement of this war, to make discoveries of new countries in unknown seas, under the conduct of that most celebrated navigator, Captain Cook; an undertaking truly laudable in itself, as the increase of geographical knowledge facilitates the communication between distant nations, in the exchange of useful products and manufactures, and the extension of arts, whereby the common enjoyments of human life are multiplied and augmented, and science of other kinds increased to the benefit of mankind in general; this is, therefore, most earnestly to recommend to every one of VOL. VII.-29. you that, in case the said ship, which is now expected to be soon in the European seas on her return, should happen to fall into your hands, you would not consider her as an enemy, nor suffer any plunder to be made of the effects contained in her, nor obstruct her immediate return to England, by detaining her or sending her into any other part of Europe or to America, but that you would treat the said Captain Cook and his people with all civility and kindness, affording them, as common friends to mankind, all the assistance in your power, which they may happen to stand in need of. In so doing you will not only gratify the generosity of your own dispositions, but there is no doubt of your obtaining the approbation of the Congress, and of your own American owners. I have the honor to be, etc. At Passy, near Paris, this 10th day of March, 1779. B. FRANKLIN, Minister Plenipotentiary from the Congress of the United States to the Court of France. DCCLXII TO MM. HILLS, PARKES, ADAMS, DEGGE, BUCKLEY, EL WOOD, AND WARREN, OFFICERS ON BOARD THE 'ALLIANCE" PASSY, II March, 1779. GENTLEMEN:-I received your letters of the 7th of February and 2d of March. The application to me either for advance of cash or payment of wages to officers in the Continental service is quite irregular, as I am neither furnished with money nor authority for such purposes. And I believe it is the constant practice with all maritime powers to pay the ships in their service at home on their return, and not in foreign countries. I am sensible, however, of some hardships in your present circumstances relative to the high price of clothing in America, and as I respect your zeal for your country and readiness to engage in its defence, and hope I shall on those accounts be excused in doing it, I have this day, in a letter to the agent at Nantes, given leave to advance to each of you, and also to the warrant officers, a decent suit of clothing, suitable to your respective stations. But I must recommend it to you, and I flatter myself that you will not take it amiss, to be as frugal as possible for your own sakes, and not make yourselves expensively fine from a notion that it is for the honor of the States you serve. It seems not necessary that young and poor States, laboring, as at present, under the distresses of a most burdensome war in defence of their liberties, should vie in the dress of their officers with ancient and wealthy kingdoms who are in full prosperity. The honor of the States will be better supported by the prudent conduct of their officers, their harmony with each other, their ready obedience to the commands of superior officers, their reasonable and kind treatment of inferiors, and, above all, their bravery in fight and humanity to those they conquer. I am confident that you, gentlemen, have the same sentiments. If it should be in my power to do any thing further for you before you go, it will give me pleasure. But ex pecting daily a great number of prisoners in exchange from England, who will be in want of every thing, and our funds here being low, I doubt it can be but little. The greater advances made to the officers of the Boston at Bordeaux by the agent, which you mention as an example, were without orders from the Commissioners here, and were much disapproved when we saw the accounts. I wish that something handsome may fall into your hands on your return, and that you may have a happy sight of your friends and country. I am, gentlemen, Your most obedient humble servant, B. FRANKLIN. DCCLXIII TO ARTHUR LEE PASSY, 13 March, 1779. SIR:-Finding by a note of yours on the back of Mr. Williams' accounts, dated October 6th, but which I never saw till lately by accident, expressing that you are "perfectly satisfied, from his own accounts, that Mr. Williams has now, and has long had, in his hands upwards of an hundred thousand livres belonging to the public which have not been employed in the public use," etc., I have resolved to have those accounts carefully examined by impartial persons, skilled in such business; and if you have any other objection to them than what appears in your note, or any other reasons than what appears upon the face of his accounts, for believing such a sum in Mr. Williams' hands, I beg you will furnish me with them, that I may communicate them to the examiners. I wish justice to be done, and that you had shown your note either to Mr. Adams or me when you made it; the matter would not have been so long neglected. The The money, if due, ought to be recovered immediately. I have the honor to be, etc., B. FRANKLIN. P. S.-The persons I have requested to examine the accounts are the American merchants now at Nantes with our deputed commercial agent, Mr. Schweighauser. DCCLXIV TO MESSRS. W. BLAKE, D. BLAKE, J. JOHNSON, P. R. FENDALL, J. WHARTON, M. RIDLEY, I. ROSS, LLOYD, OGILVIE, AND J. D. SCHWEIGHAUSER, MERCHANTS NOW AT NANTES PASSY, 13 March, 1779. GENTLEMEN: Great objections having been made by the Honorable Mr. A. Lee to the accounts of Mr. Jonathan Williams, late agent for the Commissioners at Nantes, which are therefore yet unsettled; and, as not being conversant in mercantile business, I cannot well judge of them, and therefore, as well as for other reasons, I did not and cannot undertake to examine them myself, and they may be better examined at Nantes where the business was transacted than either here or in America, I beg the favor of you, |