The Pennsylvania packet, or, The general advertiser — Lancaster, Pa.;Philadelphia, Pa., 1780-03-04 00:00:00, page 4

from London, and which weielong concealed from me ;
one contains the following remarkable piece of intelli
gence. " Lord North told Mr. Hartley last Saturday, the
3d of January 1778, that he knew of several persons
who had come to London from Mess. Franklin, Deane,
and Lee, and that Do^or Bancroft had been in London,
and he was informed had been sent by those Gentlemen
from Paris on Rock-jobbing business. " The f&a is,
that Dj&or Bancroft, then a&ing as Secretary to Me.
Deane, and living in the|houfe with the other commif
feneis at Paffy, went off express foi London the very
day the news of the Saratoga surrender arrived. Mr. Jo
nathan Loring Austin who brought the dispatches knows
this as does every American who was then in Paris or in
London. § The infamy of this tranfa&ion was visited
equally upon me.
The whole of this forgery is calculated to support his in
sinuation that I held a correspondence with the enemy,
and betrayed state secrets; and to confirm this, he refers
to a declaration of Charles Fox that the treaty was sign
ed. For this purpole too he has converted Charles Fex,
from a family foe as every one knows he is, into the
friend of Lord Shelburne. I is impnffible Mr. Deane
fliould be ignorant of what was the common talk, and
furptize of the time, that Mr. Fox expressly declared
that his information came from D dor Franklin. The
following ate his words as detailed at Urge in the courier
of Europe. Tuefdav, February 24 1778. Hcufe of
Commons, Tuesday, February 17. " I have seen a let
ter from Do&cr Franklin, in which that commissioner
of America lays expressly to his correspondent in Lon
don, it is ten days since the deputies of Congress signed
with the Minister of France a treaty of Commerce, in
which all the formalities that are praft ced between con
tra&mg nations have been folemniy observed."
To fix therefore this imputation upon me of having
betrayed to the enemy an important matter, that was
agreed to be kept a profound secret; he has recourse to
a gross falsehood and a most palpable miireprefentation
of a notorious fa&. But what will be the opinion ot him
when from the following declaration of Capt. Living
ston, which I have under his hard, a dirta >nd irrefut
able conclusion arises that Mr. Deane himfelf be rayed
this secret, not after but before the ten y ^3; finned,
which was ten times worse. P/ris, April „, 1,-78 Ido
certify that I w:s (hewn a letter ?r Lendo, dated the
27th of January last, " which I was told was vr tten by
Dc&or Bancroft to Mr. Wharton, in ormiig him that
he might depend upon it, he h d it from t^ very best
authority, that the treaty with the court of France was
to be signed the sth er 6th of February, and desiring
him to make his {peculations accordingly, in the above
words, or w^rds to that eff &. Ido allo certify, that
I have seen D &or Bancroft's hand writing on other
occasions, and that I believe the abeve mentioned letter
to have been written by him." (fi red)
Witness Geo: Dioges. M. LIVINGSTON.
Captain Livingston is a Gentleman of unimpcached
charter, was some time a Lieutenant cn board the
Button frigate, which he quited with a recommendation
from the commiffiuners to Congress. He now commands
the Governour Livingston, and I hope will reach Amer
ica to confirm personally whet he has given under his
hand. Doctor Bancroft lived with Mr. Deane as his
Secretary, and every one will judge who his best authority
<wa,. And since Mr. Deane chooses to deal in circum
hautial evidence, there is one circumstance very ftreng
to point this to him, which is, that from a mistake of
our banker, in having charged to the public account,
what belongs to the particular one of Mr. Deane, it ap.
pears that on the 17th of February 1778, Mr. Deane re
mitted to this Mr. Wharton, in London, from Paris,
19510. 14. It is proper to observe that this gaming
was by giving so much down to receive a certain sum,
on the happening of a stipulated event in a given time.
This made it necessary to remit. Mr. Deane may per
haps explain this away, but I beg it may be by well au
thenticated fads, not by mere assertions, as I think some
doubts have been thrown on his veracity.
When Mt. Deane asserts "that frequent bickerings
and disputes happened between MrLee and him for his
attenti n to the public service," he commits a little mis
take. It was because he was facrifiring the public to
private views, and ufupping the sole management of that
bufmefs in which I was equally authorized and equally
interested; and because the public money was expended
without any fpecifick accounts or vouchers, and I had
reason to believe was very improperly (pent. I have
Do&or Franklin's testimony that he did the business
without me, as he fays in his letter to his nephew " Mr.
Deane generally consults with me (net with his col
league^) and has fly approbation. Indeed it may well be
conceived that notwithstanding the modesty and unassum
ing diffidence so conspicuous in Mr. Deane's character;
yet as he conceived t\m{M saddled with me, the mo
ment! was appointed, he would find out some means pf
relieving himfelf from the burthen The Madrid scheme
it seems I maliciously difappdintrd by proclaiming my
commission along the road; he therefore cut the matter
short by setting the power of Congress at defiance, and
usurping that commffioa with which they had jointly
intrufted me. I beg the particular attention of Congress
to one observation, the truth of which the cent &s, ap
pointments, and banker's accounts will (hew, that
though the public money was equally in my disposal, I
never disposed of 50 pounds without their concurrence,
nor did one livre go through the hands of any relation
orconne&ion of mine. That no contrast, nor place
wis ever given to one of my recommendation. The
graciousness and the advantages of these things, my
colleagues, their friends and relations enjoyed exclusive
ly and entirely, One would have imagined this might
hive kept them in good humour with me, but unhappily
it did not. I come now to one cf the weakest confef
fions of criminality, on the part cfMr. Deane, that ever
§ See appendix letter a at the end of the appendix.
PHILADELPHIA: Printed and Sold by JOHN DUNLA P, io Market-Area,
“ Dr. Berkenhout, fays Mr. Deane, hath since fa'<d,
that he had letters to the Hon. Richard Henry Lee,
Esq ; from the Hon. Arthur Lee, Esq ; joint Commis
sioner of the United States at the Court of Versailles,
and sole Commissioner of those States at the Court of
Madrid." Before whom did Dr. Berkenhout fay this 1
Was it to General Maxwell nr to the Council which ex
amined and rdeafed him? Did providence reveal this
also to Mr. Deane ? Was it revealed before or after the
Doctor's departure ? Wherefore was it that Mr. Deane,
who knew of his being in Philadelphia, who had as he
pretends, suspicions of my correspondence with him,
and of my defigfas against the independency of my
country in favorof the English ; did not give informa
tion against the Doctor when in custody, and have him
examined as to this particular and important poin ?
What was it sealed his lips till opening them could be
of no use, hut that of afperfing those he hated, and had
infinite reason to fear ? Particulars are not for Mr.
Deane's purpose: They would endanger his flubborm
and undeniablefaEls. General slander, vague, and dark
accufitions are at once his dart and his defence. His
malice gives a certain force to his accusations, and peo
ple are apt to milake, at firft, the venom of the fhaft
for the vigor of the bow.
When slander is his object no name escapes him.
When evidence is required, his delicacy about names
is invincible. I not only never wrote a line by Doctor
Berkenhout to my brother, or any other perlon in A
merica, but neither be, nor Mr. Temple ever apprised
me of their indention of going. I was informed efit by
others, just about the time of their failing, and had
some correspondence on the fubje& of which I fend co
pies. As to my being at once "joint Commissioner at
the Court of Versailles, and sole Commissioner at the
Court of Madrid," it is a willful and fh^melefs perver
sion of truth for as fhameful a purpose—that of deceiv
ing the public and calumniating their absent servant. I
have seen Mr. Deane read my commission more than
once. He knew that when I became Commissioner at
the Court of Madrid, I ceased to be fueb at the Court
of Versailles: Nay, that the moment I quitted Paris
to enter upon the commission at Madrid, my powers as
Commissioner here ceased and were no more. The words
are ''Provided always, that the laid Arthur Lee (hall
continue to be possessed cf all the powers heretofore gi
ven him as a Commissioner at the Court of France from
these States, so long as he (hall remain in and be present
at the said Court." Thus the exifteace of the one was
incompatible with that of the other commission, and
they could not possibly take place in me at the fame timer
Thus too, Congress had a person ready to embrace the
firft favourable moment of negotiating with Spain,
without any additional expence, which must necessari
ly have been double, had they appointed another per
son, Yet this wife and oe-onomical measure of Congress
excited infinitely Mr. Beane's spleen, because either in
his mifeonception or misrepresentation, it shewed an
extraordinary confidence in the man he hated and whose
ruin he meditated. Hine frargere <voei;
Invulgum ambiguas, et quarere confeius arma.
But admitting two commissions had been aaually con
fided in me at once, how came this to give such an alarm
to Mr. Deane's virtue, when it was not Chocked in the
the blindness of p:ffion and page of accusation produced.
He informs the public that he received the 4th day of
March, the resolution of Congress, which he quotes at
large, recalling him and appointing another commissi
oner in his place. Yet with his recall and annihilation
as one of your commissioners in his peffeffion, heimpef
ed himfelf upon his colleagues, upon the Court of
France, and upon all Europe, as still a representative
of the United States. He was publicly presented on the
20th of March to the King and Court of Versailles, as
still bearing that character; and this was announced
to all Europe, He disposed of the public money to
others, and tock largely of it to himfelf, as will appear
by the following articles in the banker's account.
March 15. Assignation de M. )
Silas Deane a J Barnet f 2 '°
March 17. Autre du meme aB. Nicholson, 240
ditto 25 & 27. A ffignation deM. S. Deane,7
aH. Johnson and J. All, J
March 17. Compte de M. Silas Deane fur recu 4800
dtto24. ditto a ditto ditto 2400
ditto 30. ditto de ditto ditto 26715
ditto Payea ditto ditto 48^0
Thus Mr. Deane no longer a Commissioner, takes
out of the public treasury intrufted to your Comnuffion
ers only, in the space of thirteen days, 38,715 livres,
or 17c# pounds sterling to his own use. It may be i
mrgined this was to pay the necessary expences he had
incurred here. But I appeal to the banker's accounts,
to the Hon. Mr. J. Adams and young Mr. Franklin,
whether his house rent, his furniture, his carriage, and
even the wages ot his servants, have not been paid since
out of the public money. Neither can he pretend it
was for the expences of his voyage, since that was de
frayed by his most Christian Majesty. That he conceal
ed his recall from his colleagues will appear from the
following letter of Dr. Franklin. As I had heard a re
port ot Mr. Deane's recall, and Mr. Adams's appoint
ment, I thought it more delicate to inquire about the
fa& from Dr Franklin than from Mr. Deane ; and
therefore wrote to the former to know whether there
was any intelligence received at Faffy of the recall cf
one of the Commissioners. To this I received the fol
lowing answer:
Dear Sir, Passy, March 13, 1778.
" I have been told that some passengers landed at
Orient, from an American ship report, that Mr. Adams
is coming-out to replace Mr. Deane ; but I have receiv
ed no advice of that kind from Congress, and suppose
that, if true, he will bring their orders with him."
I have the honor to be, &c.
(Signed) B. Franklin.
teaft, at having air hundred committed to the three,
which according totheir plan were soon appropriated to
my two colleagues, and were likely to vest in Mr. Deane
alone. I was dtfpatched to Madrid. Dr. Franklin or
Mr. Deane was to go to Holland# Suppose it had been
the former, then Mr, Deane, whose acquaintance with
Europe, its language, courts, and politics, was of two
whole months Handing, and who had travelled quite
from Bordeaux to Paris, might have had at once the
negotiations to manage with the Courts of Versailles,
Vienna, Ptu ffia, Portugal, Sardinia, Naples, Tafcany,
Russia, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, the Swift Cantons,
all the Eledors and Sovereign Princes of the empire,
those of Italy, the Grind Seniour, the Emperor of
Morocco, and the Barbary Stites. Yet I do not remem
ber that the modesty and diffidence of Mr. Deane ex
pressed the le^ft apprehenfibn at the probability of so
much power devolving upon him alone. His mind seems
to have been entirely employed in providing against the
poffibihty of so unequal a weight falling upon my fhcul
ders, We are not to search too deep for the motive of
so obliging an a&. Mr. Deane's piece was published on
the sth of December. On the 24th of September pre
ceding, Dr. Franklin was chosen Minifler Plenip ten
tiary here, and consequently I was no more a C mmif
fioner at the Court of Versailles. If it were possible to
conceive that Mr. D ane, though refiling in Philadel
phia, and attentive to the proceedings of Congress,
could be ignorant of this, his own advices to France
announcing it, would prove that when he pu lifted to
the people, on the 5 hos Decembei, that I was joint
Commissioner at the Court of Versailles, and sole Com
missioner at the Court of Madrid, he affei ted that which
he knew to be untrue. }
And this with the worst and basest of all purpofe#—*
the imputing upon the public, to induce them to cen
sure Congress and myfelf unjustly.
Mr. Deane informs the people that " unfortunately
for them, I gave universal disgust to the nation whose
assistance we (elicited " He had taken so entirely the
business of the commission into his own hands, thstnot
a millionth part of the nation knew that I was a com
m ffioner, or even, that I existed. Of all the letters ad
dressed from different parts of the kingdom, there war
not one in a hundred which bore my name. The fob
lowing passage in a letter hem the Mess. Delaps of Bor
deaux will /hew the hft and the reafen of it.
(To be Continued)
Philadelphia, February 2%, 1780.
To be SOLD by Public Vendue,
On Wednesday the fifteenth of March, at Twelve
o'clock, at the Coffee house,
ALE ASE for eleven years, from the fi ft cf April
next, of twenty acres of good LAND, for the
most part but few years cleared, with a stone house
about eight years built, about thirty-three feet front by
seventeen feet deep. There is a fine spring near the
door, with a house over it. A stream of water runs
through part of said place, with the privilege of railing
and taking out the water, if needful. When the wood
is cleared < ff, the low part may make a considerable
meadow. The whole is fubj^a to a rent of only 61.
currency per annum. Situate in Radnor township, a
few perches from the fourteen mile stone on the Lan
caster road, joining the Widow Thomas's and Adam
Siter's land, and the street adjoining Radnor Meeting
house. Attendance will be given at the time of sale.
Wanted, a quantity of cedar RAILS, and cedar,
white oak or chefnut POSTS.
Several lots on Tinicum Island to be let; an 4 a place
below Bristol, en the river Delaware, banked in, some
part of which is improved. For terms ?ppl* to
JAMES HUNTER.
Philadelphia, February 28, 1780.
To be SOLD by Public «?lu&ion,
At the Ceffee-Houfe, on Saturday, the 4th day of
March inff. at fix o'clock in the evening,
A TRACT or piece of patented LAND, situ
" ated on the waters of Tunkhannock, in the coun
ty of Northumberland, containing three hundred and
twenty-four acres and a quarter.
Also a certain piece or parcel of L A N D, situate in
Lower Providence township, in the county of Chester,
containing forty-two acres and thir y perches.
AL L persons haying any demands against
the fubferiber, are desired to bring in their ac
counts that they may be fettled ; and all persons who
are indebted to him either by bond, note or book debt,
are requested to make immediate payment.
To be SOLD, half a share of the Miffifippi Lands,
to the amount of 800,000 or 1000,000 acres, cf an ex
traordinary foil, laying on the river ; either by quarter
or half snares, or by a company. Apply to the sub
scriber, in Grey's Alley, between Chefnut and Walnut
ftreets, or at his store between the Old and New Ferry
houfes, in Water-street, Philadelphia.
LEVI MARKS.
\T OTICE is hereby given, That the fubferiber
is about leaving Philadelphia, and desires all persons
to whom (he may be indebted to bring in their accounts^
and those who are indebted to her are also desired to
make immediate payment.
MARY DESILVIER.
The HTG H EST~FkI C E°
IS GIVEN FOR
CLEAN LINEN RAG S,
B Y
JOHN D U N L A P.