The Pennsylvania packet, or, The general advertiser — Lancaster, Pa.;Philadelphia, Pa., 1779-02-16 00:00:00, page 1

To SILAS DEAN E, Esquire.
AS character like trade is fubjert to bankruptcy, so
nothing sooner discovers its approach than a frequent
necessity of borrowing. I introduce this remark to ex
plain, what I conceive to be, the motive that induced Mr.
Deane, in his address of January 26th in the Pennsylva
nia Packet, to blend his own affairs with those of General
Wafhinjton and the President of this State. Those who
have read that address, will easily perceive that the allu
sions are too far fetched to be natural and the design too
obvious to be effectual.
Let Mr. De me and his affairs stand on their ewh merits,
®r fall in ' proportion to their own defects. If he has done
well he needs no borrowed credit; if he has done ill the
attempt will only precipitate difgra.e. Why ffiould mat
ter be involved with matter, between which th,ere is nei
ther affinity or correspondence ? You may, it is true,
confine them together in the fame letter, like fluids of
different weights or repuifiv'e qualities in the fame phial,
and though by convulsing you may represent a compound,
yet the parts having no mutual propensity to a union will
fepmate in a state of rest.
Mr. Deane in his address before-mentioned, fays, that
he " if fully confident that every intrigue and cabal form
ic ed against our illufirious Commander in Chief will prove
<< as ineffectual as those formed against Doctor F/anklia."
---This declaration comes with an ill grace from a man,
who not only threw out a proposal, but impliedly recom
mended a German Prince, Prince Ferdinand, to Congress,
to take on him the command of the American army; and
Mr. Deane can bcE explain whether the declaration he
now mikes is to be considered as an aft of penance or
conuramate effrontery.
But Prince Ferdinand is not the only one whom Mr.
Deane has flily intimated to Congress for a Commander
in Chief, neither dares he either personally or in writing
contrad^ me ; he has, it is true, set Philalethes to do it,
but he dares not do it himfelf; and, I would aik, what
fort of principles must that man be governed by, who will
impose on the ignorance of another to advance a falsehood
for him.
No belief or dependence can be placed in him, who,
through the agency of another, will deny his own hand
writing; and that ! may not appear even to intimate a
charge without a fufficient foundation, I (hill furnifh. the
Public with an extrad from Mr. Deane's letter to the Fo
reign Committee, dated Paris, December 6th, 1776.
" I submit the thought to you whether if you could
" engage a great General of the highest character in Eu
'' rope, such for infiance as Prince Ferdinand or M— B—
" or others of equal rank to take the lead of your armies,
''whether such a step would not be politic; as it would
" give a character and credit to your military, and firike
" perhaps a greater terror into our enemies. I only fug
" geft the thought, and leave you to confer with B— K—
' " on the fubjeß at large."
S. DEANE.
Yet the writer of this letter is the fame Mr. S. Deane,
who, in his address of January 26th in the Pennsylvania
Packet, fays, that “ he is fully confident that every in
" trilgue and cabal forked against our illustrious Com
<cmander in Chief, will prove as ineffectual as those
" formed against Doctor Frauklih."
What Mr. Deane meins by cabals formed agaimft Dr.
Franklin I am wholly unacquainted with. I know of
none. I have heard of none. Neither has Mr. Deane
any right to blend himfelf with that Gentleman any more
than with General Washington. Mr. Deane will never
be Doctor Franklin, nor Doctor Franklin Mr Deane.
They are con flitutionally different both in principle and
praAice ; and if my suspicions of Mr. Deane are true, he
will, in a little time, be as strongly reprobated by'his
venerable friendl as by either of the Mr. Lees or Mr.
Izard. The course of this letter will explain what I mean
without either suggestion or implication.
Quitting, in this place, Mr. Deane's last address as a
matter of very little importance, I now mean to draw
his hitherto confufed affairs t{o' a closer investigation than
I have ever yet done.
The Continental Public, who can have no other object
in view than to dpunguiih right from wrong, will have
their minds and their ears open, and unfettered by preju
dice or felfifh intcreft, will forintheir judgment as mat
ters and circumfiances sh ill appear. Mr. Deane may in
terestedly inlink himfelf with Members of Congress, or
with persons out of it, till involved,with them and they
with him, they mutually become the pillows and bolsters
of each other to prevent a general difeovery. With such
men, reasoning his no effect. They seek not to be right
but to be triunebant ; and the fame third of interest that
induced them to the commission of one crime, will provoke
them to a new one, in order to efure success and defeat
deteaion. There are men in all countries in whom both
viee ¥id virtue are kept Subordinate by a kind of coward-
X Mr. Deane in his addrefsof December gtb carefully
Jbelters bimfelf under Do&cr Ercnkim by the file 0, bis
" Deferable friend,"
TUESDAY,
IW^ m^^^ ^)/^
^w^ww^
O R
GENERA L
[Price Fifteen Pence single, One Shilling by the quantity. Published every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.]
ict, ivhich often forms a great part of that natural charac
ter stiled moderatim. But this is not the case with Mr.
Deane. His conduct, since his return to America, has
been excessive. His address to the public of Dec. sth is
marked with every feature of extraordinary violence.
His inventions to support himfelf have been numerous,
and such as honefly did not require ; and having thus re
linquished all pretensions to a moderate character, he must,
of consequence, be looked for in one or other of the ex
tremes ofgood or bad.
Several things however are certain in Mr. Deane. He
has made a rich and prosperous voyage to France, and
whether fairly or unfairly he has yet to answer for.
He has wrote and beeh concerned in the writing of let
ters which contradict each other.
He.has afted a double part towards his brother Com.
missioners in France, Doctor Franklin and Arthur Lee
Esq ; as appears by a comparison of his own letters with
those of the Commiffianers jointly, of which himfelf was
one.
He has given the public no in formation of the loss of the
dilpatches of OH. 6 and 7, 1777, nor of any circumstances
attending it, notwithstanding, he can but know, that he
lies under a strong fufpicioh of having embezzled them
himfelf or of his being privy thereto, in ordar to prevent a
difeovery of his double , dealings, and to promote the pay-'
ment of a very large him of money. To all those matters
I thrill speak as I proceed.
Mr. Deane firft made choice of the public papers, and
I have only followed, him therein. The people fufficient
ly feel that something is wrong, and not knowing where
it lies, they know not where to fix their confidence, and
every public man undergoes a th ire of their suspicious.
Let it therefore come out be it where it will, so that men
and measures being properly known, trust and tranquility
.be again restored. It has ffrangely happened that where
ever Mr. Deane has been, there has been confuhon. It
was so in France. It is so here. The Commissioners, in
that country, were as much disjointed as the Congress in
this; -and such being the case, let every man's conduct
answer for itfelf.
In the Pennsylvania Packet of January 2d I acquainted
the public with the loss of the dispatches of October 6th
and 7th, and gave such an account of that affair as had
been related to me while at York-Town; namely, that
they were Helen by some Britilh cmiffary in France and
carried over to the enemy in England. The account was
far from being properly authenticated ; however, I chose
to give it, in order to fee what notice Mr. Deane would
take of it. He let it pass in silence, and I observed that I
was immediately after attacked from all quarters at once;
as if emboldened to it by the account I had given and ap
peared to believe. As their publications were of use to
me I thought it best to reserve my suspicions, excepting
to a few particular friends, as well in Congress as out.
In the Pennfylvamia Packet of January 26, I, for the
firft time in public, informed Mr. Deane of my suspicions
thereon in the following words---
" Every day opens something new. Thedifpatches of
" October 1777, which were (aid to be stolen, are now he
<' Lieved by some and cqnjeflured by others, not to be tn
" the bands of the enemy. Philalethes, (in the Pennsylvania
“ Packet of January 23) fays, that they contained no
“ such secret as I have pretended. How does he know
c£ what secret I have pretended, as I have net disclosed
<c any, or ever will r The duplicates of those difpat hes
' c have arrived since, and have been in my hands, and
<' I c^n fay t us much, that tuey contain a paragraph,
« which is, I think, a flat contradiction to one half what
“ Mr. Deane wrote while a separate agent; and if he,
“ when in conjunction with his colleagues, had to sign
< 6 that which disagreed with what he had before written
<c and declared since, it was fortunatefor him that ibeffr
" patches ace'ejioen, unfortunate that the duplicates ar
“ rived. —In short had Mr. Deane or his friend W. D. in
" Mr. Holt's p^frrof the nth instant (January) one half
<< as much cause tor suspicion, as I have, concerning the
“ loss of those difp rtches, they would ground thereon a
“ heavy and positive charge."
On the appearance of this intimation, Mr. Deane arid
every Other of my opponents, unanimously deferred the
news-papers and futfered it to pass unnoticed. I have
waited three weeks to afford Mr. Deane an opportunity of
removing the suspicions alluded to, and to furnilh the pub
lic with what he might know on that fhbje&. He has net
done it. I shall, therefore, lay open the principal circum
stances on which that intimation was founded.
In a country so rich, extensive, and populous as France,
there can be no cause to doubt either the ability or incli
nation of the wealthier inhabitants to furnifh America with
a gratuitous supply of money arms and ammunition. The
English had supplied the Cerficans, by aTubferipfton opened
for that purpose in London, and the French might as
confidently do the fame by America. I therefore, think
it unnecessary to fay any thing farther on this point, than
to inform,, that in the spring 1776 a fubfeription was rai
led in France to fend a present to America of two hun
dred thousand pounds sterling in money, arms, and aty
rounition. .And all that the.fupplyers wanted to know,
tHb
ryWWal
^EBRUARY 15, 1779.
Biliiißll
THE.
ADVERTISER
was, thro' /hat channel it Should be remitted. The place
was fixt upon.'
Having said thus much, I think it hece^ry to mention,
that if Congress, chufe to call spoil me for my proofs,
which I prtfame they will not do, I am ready to advance
them. Ido not publish this in centraoi&icn to their
resolution of January- 12th because that refers to supposed
presents from the Crown only, which is a fubjed 1 never
touched upon; and tho' Congress have thought proper to
introduce my name therein and perverted my expressions
to give a countenance thereto, I leave it to their own
judgment &c. to take it ou&again. I believe future Con
gresses will derive no honor from, that resolution. And
on my own part, I conceive that the literary Cervices I
have hithcriw rendered, and that without thelea ft profit
or reward, deferred from that body a different treatment
even if I had in this instance been wrong. But the envy
of some little and ungenerous wits in that House will ne
ver fubtide.
’ Scon after this offer was made Mr. Deane Was sent to
France as a Commercial Agent tinder the authority of the
Committee which was then filled '' The Committee f®r
Secret Correfpondflice," and since changed to that of
“ The Committee for Foreign Affairs."
On Mr. Deane's arrival at Paris, the whole affair took
a hew ground, and he entered, according to his own ac
count, into, wh-.t he calls, a commercial cencem, with Mr.
Beaumarchais of Paris, for the fame quantity of Applies
which had been before offered as a present, and that thro'
the fame person of whom Mr. L'eane now fays he purcba
icd them. It may not be improper in this placebo men
tion, that Mr. Beaumarchais, was only an agent on the
part of the fupplyers, as Mr. Deane was an agent on the
part of the receivers.
In December following (1776,) Dr. Franklin and Ar
thur Lee, Esq ; arrived likewise in Paris, under a new
commission, appointing them, together with Silas Deane,
Ef<l; j^int Commissioners from toe United States. Yet
it does net appear that Mr. Deane made either of those
gentlemen acquainted with the particulars of any com
mercial contrad made between him and Mr. Beaumar
chais, neither did he ever f nd a copy of any such to Con
gress or to the Committee for foreign affairs.
In September 1777, Mr. Francy set off from France tp
America, as an agent from Mr. Beaumarchais, ,to dem^
and fettle the mode of ^yment for those Applies. Yet
the departure as well as the business of this gentleman ap
pears to have been concealed from Dr. Franklin and Mr.
A. Lee,- and to have been known only to Mr. Deane;
which must certainly be thought inconfiflent and impro
per, as their powers ware equal and their authority a joint
one.l.'
That Mr. Deane was privy to it, is proved by his fen
dingaletter by Mr. Francy dated Paris; Sept. 1 th, 1777,
recommending him as Mr. Beaumarchais Agent, and
prefling the execution of the business which he (ameupen.
And that it was unknown to Doctor Franklin and Mr. A.
Lee is circumstantially evidenced by Mr. Francy bringing
with him no difeatchek from the Commimoners jointly,
and is afterwards fully proved by their letter of the 16th
of Feb. following in which they fay '' We bear Mr.
' Beaumarchais has sent over a person to demand a large
" sum of money of you on account of arms ammunition
“ &c. We think it will he belt for you to leave that
“ matter to be fettled here, (France) as their is a mixture
“ of public and private which you cannot so well develops."
And what must appear very extraordinary to the reader,
is, that, notwithstanding Mr. Deane was privy to Mr.
(Concluded in the laji Page.)
1 In the Penufylyahia Packet of Jan. 23d, in a publica
tion signed Philalethes, is the following Certificate, viz.
"The military and other ffores dipped by Roderique
" Hortalez and Co. in confequer.ee oj the contract made
“ by them with Silas Deane, Esq; Agent for the United
“ States of America, were flapped onboard eight vessels.
" &c &c. &c.
“ Certified at Philadelphia, this 13th day of January
“,779- L. de FRANCY,'
“ representing the Hotife of Roderique Hortalez & Co."
Whether this certificate was publiflied with or without
the consent of M. Francy is not very material. Buta^mv
only design is to come at the truth of things, lam neces
sarily obliged to take notice of it. And the course of the
publication I now give will, I presume, furnifh M. Fran
cy with circumstances v/hich he niuft before have been un
acquainted with.
The certificate fays, " That the Applies were fllipped
by Roderique xlortalez & Co. in confluence oj a c nt^afl
made by them ^tb Silas Dane, Esq , T know that Mr.
Roderique H rtalez was employed, or appeared to e so,
by some public spirited gentlemen in France to offer a
prefect to America, and I have seen a contrad for freifyi
age made with Mr. Monthieu, bnt I know of no cOTraa
for the Applies themselves. If there is such a contrast,
Mr. Deane has concealed it ; and why he has done so must
appear as extraordinary as chat he made it.
N. B. M.r. Beaumarchais and R. Hortalez are one and
the fame person..