Weekly national intelligencer., 1853-12-03
BEAUMARcHAIs AND THE UNITED STATES.
FROM THE BOSTON DAILY ADVERTISERS.

we gave rev weeks since In the Advertiser some ex-
tracts from article in the Revue des Deux Mondes
the life and times Of BEAuAARcHAIs, in which his
actions with the United States Government were alluded
to, and light thrown upon unsettled ques-
ton The number Of the Revue for August l5 recent
y received n this country has continuation of this
tce, in which the writer gives detailed Of the
transactions between Beaumarchas and the French and
American Governments he has been able to discover
them from careful examination of the papers which the
French merchant author left behind him. This history
too long for columns and the principal facts of it
probably known to persons familiar with the history
our country. We copy, however the final summary which
the writer NJ Louis LoMEaE, gives of the matter and
his opinion upon it. After narrating the of the
various negotiations public and private, of the affairs
of Beaumarchais, he says:
In 1916 the Government of the United States through
Mr. GALLATIN inquired of the Duke RcHELIEU then
Minister of Foreign Affairs if the French Government
would consent to declare formally that the million paid
June 10, 1776, Beaumarchas had nothing IN common
cih The supplies furnished 10 the United States. The Duke
de Rcheeu supported by the official note addressed
Congress by Mr.. Gerard in l77S did not hesitate
the desired declaration This was only o9ciaty exact
but it if this declaration ought to have suced
to finish the debate for admitting that Beaumarchas
had drawn all his money from the Golfers of the State
there is certainly something strange and unworthy in the
attitude of a nation which has become powerful which,
after having received from individual at period Of
extreme distress the most signal services persists say
ing to this individual and his heirs:
"Who gave you the money with which you helped me so
opporunely and which you have asked for in
years? beieve that you this money as
sent for me- Your has addressed to me on this
subject between l78 and l763 two declarations (which
as positively that ought pay you your supplies
and the other leads to think that the wish your
Government to make present Of the value Of million Of
these supplies Since this period your declares
constantly that it has part in your commercial operations
cabinet mystery in his prefer to admit that the
you rendered me was gratuou and that ought not pay
neither Government which does claim the payment
you who claim with the support of your Government
Such evidently the position in which the United
States Government placed by the formal declaration
of the Duke de Richelieu in 1916. That Government
nevertheless persisted in rejecting the claim and notwh
standing the favorable opinion of several eminent Amer
can lawyers Notwithstanding the presence Of the daugh
ter of Beaumarchas who in lS24 accompanied by
Of her sons to solicit Congress in person. every time
the debate was resumed there found nfexibe
ory for setting aside the claim 1t was not until 1885
when the famous affair of the twenty-five millions pre-
sented for the second time and when the somewhat violent
proceedings of President Jackson had taught that the
American Government creditor less patient than
were it thought proper to allow the debt of the
Beaumarchas heirs to into the claim
ed in the name Of France but this claim singulary
reduced. Thirty-six years before, the family of Beau
marchas claimed at the least 400 900 francs which
stipulated in the report Of Mr.. Hamilton in 1893
in 1885 they offered their choice between eight hun
dred thousand francs nothing They preferred the eight
hundred thousand francs and this long difficult suit
between Beaumarchais and the United States finally
settled as many lawsuits are settled, in the lump.
have attempted to explain it with entire impartiaty.
think have proved that the accusation made against
Beaumarchais in Americas of having deceived the French
Government by making it believe that the supplies for
which he demanded payment had been gratutousy
to Congress, is completely false. Admitting that
the thing possible which it is not it is evident by
the letters from NJ de Vergennes aud by those of Beau
marchais well the explanations called for from the
French Ministry by Congress several occasions that
from the beginning the end of the operation the Minis
ters constantly kept informed Of the pretensons of
Beaumarchas and that if they had dsapproved of
nothing would have been more easy than oppose them
even without throwing off the mystery which before the
rapture with England necessary and which became
still necessary after that rupture. have been
obliged nevertheless to reesabsh contrary the very
sincere opinion Of the Beaumarchas heirs and the deca
ratons of various ministers since 1778 all based on the
official declaration of NJ de Vergennes truth the
fact of the famous Million which nconesbly given
by the Government not for secret political service, for
egn 10 The American supplies, but for these very supplies
And now must 90 further.
On undertaking this study of much illuminated man.
but certainly not either sage hero in undertaking
1t especially as the means of penetrating intimately
into the manners and spirit Of the eighteenth century,
have proposed to be every where and always
vocate Of de Beaumarchais shall say then sacrificing
to an absolute duty of sincerity the danger Of woundng
perhaps in the feelings worthy to be re-
spected, of family which has been kind confde
to me the papers Of their ancestor, must say that
have found recently apart from the papers which
confded to me- documents Of ncontestibe authentc
y, which prove not that the claim Of Beaumarchas
unfounded in reference to the United States lin this point
Of view it seems always legitimate to me but that his
debt taken in itself perhaps less interesting than at
first thought it, and this is the Starting with the
idea that he had received from the French Government
only grant Of million for Of the most dangerous
operations, it appeared to MUST nthe highest de-
gree that this grant having had for result the drawing
him into expenditure of more than five millions,
Beaumarchas, after having been paid very ILL., and hardly
half these five millions should have many difficulties
to encounter to obtain the payment Of the remainder
found it hard to explain the attitude Of NJ de Vergennes
for side the Minister seemed to clearly that 1t
the intention of the Government leave TO Beau
marchas at the time with the chances Of failure
the chances of any benefit that might arise from the
dertakng and, the other hand he hardly sustained
him in his claims Contenting himself Nth not furnishing
arms against him. he appeared to keep sort of neutrality
between the provider Of the supplies who solicited his
payment from the United States and that Government
which, notwithstanding the first official declaration Of the
Minister kept constantly asking they refused payment
it true that this is real debt? This GOODNESS the
part Of NJ de Vergennes compared with the zeal mani
tested Mt later period in favor of the claim by many
other Ministers who did not know the bottom Of the thing
seemed to me inexpcable New researches have given
the to this enigma is that NJ de Vergennes
had allowed to his agent better bargain than had sup
posed Not only Beaumarchas had received million
on the 10th Of June, 1875, but the million from Spain
which had at first considered at least doubtful be-
cause found trace of il in the papers Of the author Of
the Barber Of Seville this million had really been fur
nshed by NJ. dc Aranda However TO guarantee the Sc
crecy Of the operation, this million had made little cir
cult The Spanish Ambassador had paid into the public
treasury Of France he had received acknowledgment
Tor IT from the Treasurer he had given this acknowledge
ment to NJ de Vergennes who had transmitted to Beau
marchas in exchange for the receipt which copy word
for word from the original:
have received from his Exceency tho Count de Yer
genncs the acknowledgment OF million yres current money
which NJ Duverger had given TO the Spanish Ambassador