The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-04-11
BEAUMARCHAIS.

he Did for Us in Revolutionary Days, and how
ne wns Requited-A Lecture by Hon. John
BIRelOw.
At the recent monthly meeting of the New
York Historical Society, an address was deli
vered by the recent Minister to France, Hon.
John Bigelow on the subject of ''Beaumar-
chais, the Merchant" He said:-
There are few who have not heard of the
Barber Of Seotlle, and still fewer, perhaps,
who know anything of the part played by its
author in the struggle of the American Colo
MES for liberty. 1t was his influence more
than ANYTHING else which made Louis XVI
favorable to the colonial side, and it was he
who, at his own risk, planned, and to his own
loss executed, the ingenious scheme by which
aid, in the form of supplies, was given the
Americans at time when they were impera-
lively needed. 1t was also mainly by his in
fuence that forty or fifty capable French
officers were led to embrace the colonial
cause. have some new evidence to offer of
the gratitude we owe him. Early in 1776 Beau
marc has invented the mercantile plan by which
France could 6ld the enemies of England
! without being herself numbered among them.
Under the name of Rodriguez Hortalling 4
! Co.. he entered "a the shipping trade. and in
the ships oi that finn supplies aud munitions
Of war we're sent to this couhtry. But mis-
! op6i atoms were of such mixed character
that Congress could moi understand them. 1t
! l. TO be regretted that he allowed the Sentl-
! mental ard commercial functions of his pro-
! ject to become so lneXtncabiy confused that
| IL was not TIL after ms death that Congress
voted the eparation due Tim. and that he
went 90 bis grave thinking himself the victim
oi republican iEgrahiude.
in I711. Beaumarchals had sent TO Con
,gress nearly 81 coo. 600 wOr il OF supplies, for
which he counted upon receiving prompt
returns i'll tobacco aud the other products of
this country. But the carSoes had IN many
cares been hurried on hastily at night, 50 thai
tho invoices were irregular, ani the somewhat
quixotio letters OF Beaumarcbais, in which
business aud sentiment we're mingled together
| With the miSre presentation OF Arthur Lee,
then American agent at London, made Con-
eress dstrustful of the whole affair. ana
Beaumarchas received neither money nor
produce III return for his cargoes, In the
embarrassment which the state Of things
naturally caused him, he sent TO this country
young confidential agent named De Francey,
to look after his suffering interests. The
letters sent by young De Francey to Beau
marchais have been preserved, and by the
politeness of M. Delarue Beaumarchais, the
son of our great benefactor, l have been
enabled to take copies of these.
Mr. Bigelow then read extracts from these
letters, many of, them very witty, giving a
vivid idea of the operations of Beaumarchais,
and of the state of the struggle which was
then going on in the country. De Francey
wrote that Beaumarchais had evidently been
misrepresented in this country; that he had
been met by suspicious augmented by the
facts that some vessels have been sent over
, without invoices and with other irregularities.
The misrepresentation which he finds to
/ have been circulated he ascribes to Arthur
: Lee. then American Agent at London, and as
it subsequently, appeared his suspicious were
correct. Lee had written confdentially tc
| Congress that the supplies sent by Beaumar-
! chais were sent by him as agent for the Gov
} eminent, and that he had been officially in
3 formed that no return was expected This
statement naturally led Congress to distrus
D Beaumarohais. De Francey says also that ht
9 believes that, in the letters of Lee, Beaurnar
t chais is painted in the blacklist colOrs, ans
5 that in anonymous letters his zeal for th'
colonial cause has been msrepresented anC
t, his character maligned.
9 De Francey's indignation at the individual
/, in Congress who had opposed Beaumarchal
1 knows no bounds, and he even rises to de
Q nunciation of Congress in general Mr.
s Robert Morris wished the returns not to b
o sent directly to Beaumarchais, but to agent
in London, who should sell the merchandls
I and give him the proceeds. Tnls De france
u thinks is because these are the agents whoL
10 MIR. Morris employs in this private business
AZ and that it will be of advantage to him t.
= throw such n goou tnlnS III tnelr way
~ members of Congress he divides int
~ two classes-those who have bounc
10 less self-conceit and those who have n
I'll will Of their own ''When | arrived
ss found, )" lie says "that Congress did not b
sc lieve that sny individual could have done :
OF much for this country as you have done
c- These Republicans have no principles. "
ne get many glimpses, too, of the state of IL
cd country and people from these letters.
nc the day De Francey landed the good news
Bmgoyne's surrender came But the enen
still held Rhode Island New York. and Phil
delphia, and General Howe had just arrive
to with reinforcements from England Co
va press had exhausted the resources of pap
is money, and Washington's army was freezlI
nd and starving at Valley Forge.
tv. He speaks of the great virtues of the pc
he pie of seeing soldiers in the bitterest cold
his January with nothing but blanket for cove
re- ing. without shoes or stockings, in snow l
1nt to their knees He regrets that such mob
,o neople should be SO badly led. De Franc
of returned to Europe in 1880. Have we do
ey onr duty as nation, asked the lecturer
of conclusion, by the memory OF Beaumarchai
has | fear that not only his services to tne eau
er. of American indepen ience, but his lltera
, a and diplomatic powers are, undeTated on u
bro side of the Atlantic. Shall posterity IN u
ed country do him the justice which his Anne
ms can contemporaries we're prevented frt
Wr doing him by an unfortunate combination
ed circumstances, or shall people always c