The Pennsylvania packet, or, The general advertiser — Lancaster, Pa.;Philadelphia, Pa., 1780-03-04 00:00:00, page 1

3 The following expression in Mr. Deane's le:ter, * Inow
fee, what I have for some time fufpe&ed, a design to lead
you into a breach of your national faith and honor solemn
ly pledged," tends so directly to defiroy all confidence in
our faith among the powers of Europe, that it is not in
credulity itfelf to believe it was done without design. Lord
Mansfield and the court of England are now employing
this assertion with all the courts in Europe to prevent,
them from negociating with us. And Lord Mansfield
himfelf could not have devised an argument more effeaual.
Mr. Deane will not deny that when we were fettling
the treaty here, he had a private conference upon matters
unknown to one of your commissioners at least, with a Mr.
Paul Wentworth, the corrupt and corrupting tool of Lord
Mansfiield. I was informed of this some time after, and
desired to know of Mr. Deane the fubjed of this confe
rence, who told me its was only general profeffions of
willies to accommodate. I own therefore that I cannot
help cohneaing this conference with a declaration so
perniciousto our cause and so direct to the purposes of our
enemy. But the fads are before you for your own judg
ment.
§ Since this was written, a letter of Mr. Deane's, inter
cepted and published by the enemy, difeovered to Dr. Lee
who the Gentlemen in Paris was that Mr. Deane allu
ded to, and produced the letters referred to a appendix
No. i.
X" Finding that our residence here together, is nearly
as expensive as if we were separate, and having reason to
believe that one of us might beufeful in Madrid, and a
notber in Holland and feme courts farther Northward,
we have agreed that Mr. Lee go to Spain, and either Mr-
Deane or myfelf to the Hague. Mr. Lee sets out to-mor
row".
SIR, Faris, February 10, 1779.
AL ETTER under the signature of lilas Deane, and
addressed to the citizens of America, has been pub
lished with great avidity by our enemies and propagated
through all Europe Of the publick effed it is likely to
produce, I shall only Ipeak in the words of a foreign Mi
sifter here, " that he doubted whether any power in Eu
rope would for the future think itlelf fafe in treating with
us." * Indeed it must be obvious, that if one who has been
intrufted with a negociation, is at liberty to reveal to all
the world, and to misrepresent what has come to his know
ledge under that trust ; there is an end to all public con
fidence and fafety. lamat a lots to conceive what can be
moretraitercus to the community than such conduct Nos is
itpcffible to devise a surer method of disappointing the
negociations in behalf of the States' by rendering the
persons of the negotiators odious and fufpeaed, than for
a man who is known to have been in high office; thus to
puolilh against them the basest and blacked accusations.
It imports not, as to the injurious effe&, whether they be
true or falfe. The mifehief may happen before it is pos
sible to prove the falfehood of what is alledged. For ex
ample, Mr. Deane fays, " a Gentleman of character in
Paris Id him, that his correspondent in England saw a
letter written by me, dated the night of signing the trea
ty, a " 'givingan account ofits being signed." Had Mr.
Deane named this Gentleman of character or Iris corre
spondent, I or any other person could have gone to him
to trace and refute the falfehood. But as it stands, I can
only fay that it is not true, which puts it dipon the foot of
my denial against his affirmation, and leaves the mind in
doubt, but always tainted with the suspicion that there
muff be Gmething in the accufaiion, or a man would not
hazard hisname to it; with this dark covering are many
of his accufatious eloathed, which shews the artand base
ness with which they are made.§ Congress will now per
mit me to speak to those charges which he has madeagainft
me. And firft, Ido most solemnly declare before God
and man, that every one of them is totally and absolutely
lalfe. His firft charge is, that "by a wanton display of
my errand, I gave just cause of distrust to the Court of
Madrid" and was reftrifted to Burgos.
With regard to “ the wanton display of my commis
sion” which Mr. Deane charges me with making; I af
firm that nothingcan be mere contrary to truth. I defy
him to produce the least tittle of evidence of what he aft
ferts, or in contradiction to what I declare; that I did
not communicate my mission to any one living, or had the
smallest intercourse with any person from Bordeaux to Bur
gos. It was impossible to conceal that I was going to Spain,
or prevent persons writing so to Nantzand Bordeaux; but
this was all they knew. By the ex ra& of our public
letter X it appears that it was the public good which cal
led upon one of us so go to Madrid, and it was certainly
that which animated me to travel night and day through
every inclemency of weather to accomplish this end. But
according to Mr. Deane, the faret purpose was to get
OO6)^^&O
ffig@W^^
^^^o^^^
EXTRACTS from a LETTER written to the
President of Congress, by the Hon.
ARTHUR LEE, Esquire, in answer to an
ADDRESS, published in the PENNSY LVANJA
packet, of the Fith of DECEMBER,
1778. By SILAS DEANE, Esquire.
GENERAL
SATURDAY,
O R
[ Bublifhed every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. ]
rid of me, which though I have fofpeaed, I little ima
gined he would have had tne imprudence to declare, and
by that means point out the real cause of all the cabals
which have been constantly working to caluminate and vi
lify me since my return from Spain. As a cover for this,
I am represented as proclaiming my haired and contempt
of the French nation, and being fufpeded by persons in
high office from my connexion with Lord Shelburne. Si
tuated as I was; if I regarded only my personal fafery ; it
would have been little lhurt of insanity to have made such
declarations, whatever might have been my opinion. If Mr.
Deane means that I frequently exclaimed against those con
tradorsand jobbers, who, very much under hirinfluence,
were doing injustice to the public, he is right; and in no
other sense is therea colour of truth in the charge. I had
travelled three times before in France from my own in
clination ; was this like one who hated and despised this
nation ? If I was fufpeaed for my connection with Lord
Shelburne so long an able and avowed friend to t^e A
merican cause, how came it that Dr. Franklin, who was
known to be intimately connected with Lord Howe, Sir
Grey Cooper, Secretary to the Treasury, and Mr. Strach
an, the King's printer, the most ministerial servants and
enemies to America, should have escaped suspicion?
If I was fufpeDed, how came the court and Minister
here, to trust me with those of their proceedings which
they most with to be kept fecret' The truth is, that I
have been apprised often of Mr. Deane, by himfelf and
his agents, having endeavoured to excite this suspicion
in order to injure me. And so far did he flatter himfelf
he had succeeded, that it appears from the declarations
which many gentlemen, particularly Mr. Stevenson, §
heard Mr. Carmichael, once Mr. Deane's confident, re
peately make at Nantz, that he knew the excuse Mr.
Deane would make to Congress for his doing the business
of the commission without consulting me would be; that
the French Ministry had desired it. Mr. Carmichael ad
ded, that he did not doubt this arose from Mr. Dean's sug
gestions. I have written but two letters to Lord Shel
burne since my leaving England; of which I fend you co
pies. fl I owe this testimony to the honor of that noble
manfthat notwithstanding our former frilidfhip, he has ne
ver attempted diredly nor indirectly to get a line from me,
nor has he had one finee the above, one of which was writ
ten soon after my arrival here, the other to recommend the
business of our prisoners. lam next represented as ma
king the tour of Germany to arrive at Berlin in fafety,
" where I was unfortunate enough to do nothing but lose
my papers, difeover the secrets, and expose the measures
of my colleagues, so as to enable the British Ministry to
counteract the measures taken for your advantage;" That
my door and deik should be broke open in the midfl of the
city of Berlin in open day, was an outrage little to have
been expected, and whi.h no human prudence could have
prevented, When Mr. Deane imputes this to me as a
crime, he shews at once his candour and his fotgetfulnefs,
that a similar accident happened to us all, in France, when
our dispatches by Folger were robbed. Is it sure that the
enemy received no intelligence from that robbery ? Con
gress will fee by the enclosed letter from me to m, col
leagues, ^ the real ft te of the robbery at Berlin and the
early notice I gave them of that event to prevent any pos
sible ill cenfequences Let him point cut the meafurt or
measures for the public good, which it enabled our enemies
to counteract. Certain it is, that it did not interrupt that
foolifh and fatal bufinefsat Dunkirk, which was his entire.
Iy, as Doßor Franklin always declaimed it, and which
threw Mr. Hodge into the feaftile; * he fays I did no
thing at Berlin yet—(not only proofs of the untruth Of
§ See appendix No. 2.
Appendix No. 3.
ff " Two days ago while I was at dinner, my bureau
was broke open and some papers stolen out which were in
ray portefueil. The English Ambassador happened to be
in the hotel where I lodged when I difeovered the robbe
ry. Upon being informed I was gone to the Governor,
and that the suspicion fell upon one of bis servants, he went
away in great confufieu, and in halfan hear the portefueil
with all the papers were laid down at the door."
* Mr. Hodge being bound on a voyage to Europe in
1776, he was employed by the secret committee to pur
chase two well armed fwifi failing cutters fitted to make
cruisers on the American coast, and to fend them loaded
with stores for the army as soon as possible. He was to
be advised by Mr, Deane, and if he could obtain leave he
was to purchase and St out a frigate from 20 to 40 guns,
for cruising in the European seas. Mr. Deane was con
futed, and how was this business executed? Instead of
obtaining leave the strongest prohibitions wereu'ed by the
court, and in defiance of these as well as in contempt of
the inftruCtions given to Mr Hodge by the secret com
mittee; 92,292 livres of the public money were employed
in purchasing and fitting out firft a lugger, and then a
cutter to make prizes in the European teas. The public
mosey was used, but private persons were made joint ow
ners of the cutter with the public, Mess. Deane and
Cunynghame took a quarter, Mr. Hodge a quarter, and
,/#A^Waao3^^
THE
^^w^w
ADVERTISER
this charge, but the cleared proofthat Mr. Deane knew
it was untrue when he published on the gth oi December
1778, is to be fouhd on the files of Congress, and would
mod certainly have been published but for reasons similar
to those already assigned. The artifice and wickedness of
Mr. Deane is fully manifefted io this iuftauce as well as in
that of Burgos, and clearly jufiiSes the idea of a well in
formed writer in the Pennsylvania Pack t who signs him
felf Rowland when hefays on these occafioDS “ instead of
faffs he is prompted to supply their place with the highest
wrought execrations upon a man who Knew he was deli
vering in both instances the most downright falfehoods
which no one could prove by producing vouchers without
running into an indiferetion greatly criminal both in re
gard to Spain and Prussia Have I not fays that writer
produced enough on other points to fliew that I can com
mand the most authentic papers? Will nota sensible pub
lic readily conceive that the dfpofition ofSpain and Prus
sia is to be declared by themselves in their own time? I
fliall only now assert that Doctor Lee was in both cases an
able judicious agent. The time may come when I may
tell what great things Mr. Lee had done within the com
pels of Mr. Deane's knowledge at the time of his publica
tion," Penpfylvamia packet, August 31, 1779.)
I have already bad the honour of fending Congress a re
futation of ties charge, as of many others, which they had
in their possession at the time it was made. My corre
fpGudence with Doffer Befkenhont is bis next charge ; he
is however obliged to confix I communicated a part of it
to my colleagues. How he came to know there was more
than was communicated^ when he knew nothing about it
but by that communication, is a myft ry. But his vera
city has been and will be fufficiendy proved He forgets
to add, that I also laid it before the French Minifiry and
that my answer was made by their unanimous advice;
Doffor Brrkenhout's reply, and his declining to proceed
any farther was not owing to the news of General Howe'd
success, as will appear by hfs letter.f It was that the En
glish Ministry understood there was a difference between
Dr. Franklin and me, which rendered it useless to treat
with us; this report had been industriously propagated,
both here and in London, by Mr. Deine's cabal to injure
me. Mr. Deane asserts that about " the time of the ar
rival of thenews of General Burgoyne's surrender (the
4th of December 1777) my Secretary went to and from
London charged with, affairs which were secret to you#
other commissioners." Congress will be aftonilhed to hex
that I had no Secretary at that time, nor at any time be
fore it, except Mr. Sayre who left me at Berlin, and has
not been in Paris since.
Let Mr Daane raine, if he can, who that Secretary or
person was; the firft Secretary I ever had here was Ma
jor Thornton, who entered upon that office latein Jin.
1,78. At the time Mr. Deane mentions, Major Thorn
ton was cholen by toy colleagues, I never having seen or
heard of him before, to carry our letter to Lord North
about the prisoners, and to visit and relieve them ; this
will be seen by Doffer Franklin's letter introducing him
to Sir Grey Cooper and announcing his business. ,
Among other letters of information which he urote us
the public was graciously allowed the half of a vessel pur
chased with its own money. This vessel being put tocruife
in Europe embroiled our affairs firft withihe court of France,
and then with the court of Spain. She continued cruising
3 i months, took 30 prizes, of which 17 arrived fafe in port
though no more than fix were consigned to public agents,
or applied to public use, and these were offo little value that
the cost of repairing the cutter generally exceeded tkev^-
lue of the prize. When the cutter arrived at Philadelphia
after 31 months cruise: Though Mr. Deane was in the
city yet he never explained the mystery of this jobbing
concern and the veffei was fold at public auftion. For the
purchase and fitting this vessel, Mr. Deane ordered the,
public money from the banker, but has brought no credit
to the public for the private ffiares admitted or prizes ta
ken. For proof of the wholeof this jobbing, difo raceful
and reprehensible proceeding, fee letters of inftrufyon
from the secret committee to Mr. Hodge Of May 2d 1775?
and Odober 3d 1776. Mr. Hodge's letter to Commissi
oners Franklin, Adams, and Lee, dated July ipth, 1778,
with his account: Mr. Grand the public banker's account:
Letters from the Minister to Mess. Franklin and Deane,
and to Mons. Grand: Deane's narrative to Congress .•
Captain Cunyaghame's narrative to Marine Commit
tee, all among the records of Congress.
f An authentic copy has been sent to Congress.
X Receiving frequent accounts by American prisoners
who have escaped from your jails, of the miserable fix
ation and hard treatment of their countrymen at Ports.
mouth and Plymouth, we have prevailed with a Gentle
man, Major Thornton (to us very much a firanger, but
who appears a man of humanity) to visit the prisoners
and give from us some relief to those unfortunate men.
Paffy December 11, 1777. Signed, B. Franklin. An
authenticated copy was ferit to Congress.
March 4, 1780.
(Continued in the Fourth Page)
T 11 £