The Connecticut courant, and the weekly intelligencer — Hartford [Conn.], 1780-04-04 00:00:00, page 1

* lire lowing exp.<.ffi,n in Mr. Deang's letter,
'' I row fee, what I have for feme time fufpeAed, a
design to lead you into a breach of your national faith
and honor fotenly pledged," tends so dire&ly to
defry all cerfitece in our faith among the powers
of Europe, that it is not in credulity itfelf to believe
it was do.n without design. Lord Mansfield and
the Court of England ate new employing this asser
tion with all the Courts cf Et|r< ,: to prevent them
from negotiating with us. And Lord Mamfidd
himfe'f could not have deviled an argument mote
eff&al. Mr. Deane will not deny that when ^e
were fettling the treaty here, he bad a private con
ference upon matters unknown so one of your com
m ffimm a 4 ; e ift, with 2Mr Paul Wentworth, the
corrupt ^nd corrupting tool of Lord Man field. I
was informed cf this feme time after, and defi ed to
k^ of Mr, Deane the f^a of his conference,
who 'cld me it was 0 ly general profit ffions of wish.
er to ^ccemroodate. I own therefore that I canrot
help conniving this corfaience with a declaration
fc p vicious to our cute, and so direa to the pur
p^3 Monr e^my. Bit the f : &, are before you
f i < vwr own judgment
§ ^ ct this was written, 1 letter ofMr. Dent's,
in ^c p-la.d pub fhrd by theenfm% difiov^ed
to D . Lee who the Gentleman in Paris was that
M.D^ne alluded'o md produced the -letters re
f^r^l 3 in appends No. 1.
all public confidence aed hfety. lamat a loss to
conceive what can be more traiteroos to the com
inanity than fich conduct Nor is it p: ffible to de
vise a surer mehod of difo,pointing the negociati
on^ in behalf of tty S^r, by rendering the pe sons
©f the ve^otwo's odicas and fufyaed, than for a
ma who is blown to have b^en ir/hieh office; thus
to p blith sgataft (him the baftft and blacked accu
fationr. It imports not, as to the injurious eftea,
whether they be true or fdfe. The mifehief may
batten before it is p ffible to ,Q the frifehoad of
whw h Pledged. Far example, Mr. Deane fays,
" a Gentleman of charter in Paris told him, that
his c^ifoondent in E tgland saw a letter written by
me, dated the flight of finning the treaty, and giving
an eroupt of its being fiyned." HadM,. Dearie
named r^ ^n l,ragn o f charade? or big correfpon
dem, I or any other perfun could Save gone to him
to trace and refute the falsehood. But as it stands.
I can only ^7 that it is not trot; which puts it up
cm th, foot ff„ denial again# his affirmation, and
leaves the mind in doubt, but always tainted with
the fuipicion that there mnfl be femathiag in the ac
cufathtn, ora man would net hazard his name to it ;
with this dark covering are many of his accusations
closed, w^ich fh^ws the art and baseness with
which they are made. § Conpefs will now pernut
roe to fpeax to ihofe charges which he has made a
gamft me. AMfirfl Ido nipft solemnly decfc be
fore God and man, that every om of them is totally
and atfeiute!, falfe. His fi<d charge is, that "by
a war on difphy or my errand, I gave just cause cf
dfflrnft to the Court of Madrid" and was rcftri&ed
to Rift?.
EXTRACTS from a LETTER written to
t>C P RESI DENT cf CON 6 RRS 3, by the
HoN. A RTHURLEE, Esquire in
anfwer.to an ADORES S, pibiJhed in the
Pennsylvania Pack met, of the Fifth
of DECEMBER. 1778. By SILAS
DEANE, Esqu IRE.
SIR Paris, February io, ?779,
AL E TTER under the denature of Silas
Deane, and addressed to the citizens of A
merica, has biea pabhfh^d with great avidity by
our enemies and prepegated through all Europe. Of
the public <ff & d it is like to produce I flull only
fpeek in the werds cf a foreign Minifier here, “ that
he doubted whether any power in Europe would for
the future think itfelf fafe in treating with rs." *
Indeed it must be obvious, that if one who has been
intruded with a negotiation, is at liberty to reveal
to all the world, and m freprefent what has come to
his knowledge under that ugß ; there is an end to
TUESDAY, April 4, i 7 So. THE NUMBER^^
CONNECTICUTCOURAN
AND T HB
WEEKLY I NTELLIGENCE R.
HAR TFORD : Printed BY HUDSON amd GOODWIN, nzar the Great-Br^e.
With regard to •< to the wanton display of my
comm ffiou" which Mr. Deane charges me with mak
ing ; I affi m that nothing can be more contrary to
truth. I udy him to produce the le&A tittle of evi
w.ence cf waat he &&rts, or in contradi&ion to what
I declare ; that I did not communicate my m'lfon
to any one living, or had de smallest interconrfe
with ary person from Bordeaux o Barges, It was
imp^ffiGle to conceal that 1 was going to Spain, or
prevent psfons writing from Nantz to Bureaux;
but this war all they knew. By the extrza of our
public letter f it appears that it was the public good
which called upon onaof us to ; o to Madrid, end
it was certainly that which animated me to travel
night and day through every inclemency of weather
to accrrop:fn this end. Butaccording to Mr. Deane
the secret purpose was to get rid of mg; which
though 1 have fufptQed I little imagined he would
have had the imprudence to declare and by that
means point cut the real cause cf all the cabajs which
have been conflantly working to calumniate and vi
lify me since my return fern Spain, As a cover
for this. I am rrp.ef<nted as proclaiming my hatred
and contempt of the French parity, and being fuf
peeled by p& sons in high office from my conntaion
with Lord Shelburne. Situated as I rar ; if I ie
garded cniy my perform! faffly, it would have been
little short cf infinity to Lave made fech dtthrai
ons $ whatever might have keen my opinion. If Mr.
Deane means that I frequently exclaimed a^a^a
thole contractors and jobbers, who, very much un
der his inflaence, were doing injafiice to f e pub
lie, he is right: and in no other fofe i, there a co
lour of truth in she charge. I bad travelled three
times before in France I^^ fry cw n inclination ;
was this like one who hated and defp fed this nation ?
It I was fefpr&ed for ray connection with Lord
Shelburne, so long an able and avowed f iend to the
American cause, hew came it that Dr. Franklin,
who was known tn be intimately conneaed with
Lord H.we, Sir Gray Couper Secretary to the
Tmfary, and Mr. Strachan, the Kmg% printer, the
raoft niiGibenal feiyants and enemies to America,
fhonld have escaped fafpicion?
If I was fafpeAed, hew came tie Caurt and Mi
nister here, to trust me with tbofe of t eir procted
ings which they most w.& to be kept secret ? The
tr^th is, that I have fen apprised eften ofMr. Deane,
by binuelf and his agents, having endeavoured to
excite this suspicion in order to injure me. And
fc far did he flatter himfelf he had succeeded, that
it appears from the declaration; which many grn¥|e
men, particularly Mr. Stephenson, $ heaid Mr.
Carmichael, orce Mr. Dearie's confident, repeated
ly maleat Nantz, that he knew the excofe Mr.
Draft would mah to Cengrefs for his doing thebu
finefa cf tie commission without ccafulting me
would be; tl at the French Minifry had desired it.
Mr. Cmnchad added, that he did not doubt this
arose fem Mr. Deane's fafge^ions. I have written
but two letters to Lord Shelburne ficce my leaving
England ; cf which I fend you copies. § I owe this
tefimony to the bener of that nobleman, that not
wrhiiarding cur former friendflup, he has never
attempted dite&y cr fndirealy to get a line from
rr% ror has he had one fir.ce the abeve, one of
which w?s written fcon after my arrival here, the
other to recommend the bufirefs ofcur pri fonert. I
am irfxt represented at making thi four of Germany
to arrive ai Beilin in fafety, ^ where I was unfortu
mate trough to do nothing but left my papers, dis
cover the secrets, arid expose the meafurps of my
colleagues, so as to enable the British Miniflry to
counterafi the measures taken for your advantage."
f " F,odin, that cur residence here together; is
nearly as exftfive as if we were fepaute, and hv.
in, reason to believe that rre cf ur might be ufeful
in'Mtthid and another ir Holland and feme Courts
farther Northward, we havr agreed that Mr. Lee,o
to Spain, and either Mr. Deane cr rrj fejf to the
Hwe. Mr. Lee sets oat to morrow."
I See appendix No. 2,
§ A,,^ x No. 3.
That my dope arid drfk sh >uld be broke open in the
midst of the city cf B%iaiin open day was an oat<
rage little to be ex[ &ed ad ^; cb 1 o human pre
dence could have p evented. When Mr Dct e im
putes this to me as a crime, he sh wrat o r ce hit
candour and hi# forgetfulnefs that a similar accident
happened to as all in F arce when our dfoaiches
by Folger were robbed. Is it fare that the enemy
received no intelligence by that obbery ! Co^efs
will fee by the cnclcfed leuer fem me to my col
leagues, fl rhe real Bate cf the robbery at Behn and
the early 1 o ice I gave them cf that event to prevent
any pcffible ill cenfequences. Let him point cut
the me#fure or meafiues for the public good, which
it enabled our enemies to countetaA Certain it is,
that it did not interrupt that foobfh and fatal bvfinelf
at Dunkirk, which was his entirely as D-. Franklin
always declaimed it, and which threw Mr. Hdge
into the Bafiile ; * he fays I did nothing at Berlin
yet— (not only proofs cf the untruth cf his charft
but the cleared proof that Ms. Deane kew it was
untrue when he published on the 5 h cf D cerober,
1778, is to be found on ti e files of Ccr^uf, and
would moQ certainly have been publ fh*d bu+ for
reasons similar to riofe already :ffi#cd Tie artfice
% " Two days ago while I was at dinner, my
turesa was broke open and force papers fclen cut
which were in ny portefueil The R. ,1 sh Arabaf
fador Hfpened to be in tie hotel where I lodged
when I chfccvcied the rrlbery. Upon being infor
med I was ,cne to the G verier, ard that the fuf
p cion fell upon one cf his Servants, he went away
in great con^ufion, and in half an hour the pertrfu&l
with all the papers were laid down at the Ycor."
* Mr Hedge being bound on a voyage to Europe
in 1776 he was employed by the secret committee
to purchase two well aimed fwift failing cutters fit
ted to make cruizers on the American ccafl, and to
fend them loaded with floras for the rmy as soon as
pe ffibfe. He was to be advised ly Mr Deane, and
if he coeld obtain leave he was to pure! :fe ard fit
out a frigate from 20 to 40 guns, for cruifi: g in the
European ftas. Mr Deine was confuted, and hew
was this bifincfs executed ? Infixed cf obtaining
leave the firongefl prohibitions were used by the
Court, and in drfiance of these as well as in con
tempt cf the infill&icns given to Mr. Hedge by the
fearer committee ; 92 292 livres of the public money
were employed in puichafrg and fitting cut firfta
lugger, and then a cutter to make prizes in the Eu
ropean feat. The public money was vfed, b,t pri
vate perfens were made joint owners cfthe cutter
with the public. Mtffi'rs. Deane and Cunynghme
tock a quarter, Mr. Hodge a quarter, and the pub
lie was pacici fly allowed the half of a veflal par
chafed with its cwn money. This vtfel being pct
tocruife ir Europe embroiled our affairs firft with the
Court of Fiance, and then with the Court cf Spain.
She continued cruising thirty one months, teck
tl irty prizes, cf which Seventeen arrived fafe in port
though no more than fix were ccifartd to public
agents, or applied to public use, and theft were of
to little value that the cofl cf repairing the cutter ge
nerally exceeded the value of the prize. When the
cutter arrived at Philadelphia after thirty cne months
ciuife: Though Mr. Deane was in the city yet he
never explained the myflery cf this jobbing cer cern
and the yeffel was fold at public anAion. Fer the
purchase and fitting this vessel. Mr. Deane ordered
tie public money from the banker, but baa brought
no credit to the public for the private Iharas admit
ted or prizes taken. For preef of tire whole of this
jobbing, dis, raceful and reprehepfive proceeding,
fee letters of inffruaioD from the secret committee
to Mr. Hodge of May 2d, 1775. end OAober 3d,
1776. Mr. Hedge's letter to Ccmm'ffioners Frart
l:n Adams, and Lee, dated July loth, 1778, with
his account : Mr. Grand the public banket'a account;
Letters fiem the Mmifler to Mtffi'is. Franklin and
D are, and to Monsieur Giand ; Deane's narrative
tr. Cerf's: Captain Cunynghame's narrative to
Marine Committee, all among the records cf Con
grcf%