The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1906-04-04

was also appointed on a committee to
give instructions to the minister to
SPAN, who was authorized to negotiate
a treaty with that country. Elaborate
instructions were given to the peace
commissioners appointed by Congress,
put all negotiations fell through. Mr..
Laurens then notified Congress that he
would repair to the Netherlands by the
hrst vessel and that he hoped to be
able TO leave Charleston on board the
French vessel, "Chimers" which was
the in the service of the State of
south Carolina. Before this vessel re-
turned to Charleston, however, the
English had succeeded in i~nterceptinp
it and had landed troops on Johns Is
and and ~endeavored to blockade the
city, several war vessels being off the
par. He then e~ndeavored to reach
North Carolina where there were some
vessels then bound to Europe, but was
frustrated in his designs. He wrote
Congress that if he should study his
own private interests and desires that
he should stay in Charleston and stand
or fall with his country. But the FL
nance Committee advised him that they
had already drawn bills on him, for cir
culation in the Netherlands. to the
amount of n hundred thousand pounds
MIR. Laurens then secured the service
OF a blockade runner, hoping to reach
one OF the West Indian Islands and
from thence reach France, and as Con-
gress had provided no means for his
transportation or support while abroad.
ne wrote the Finance Committee that
he proposed taking with him a cargo of
indigo which could be disposed of at
enormous profit in the European coun-
tries and that he would devote the pro-
fits thereof to the support of the Ameri-
can ministers abroad, being satisfied
that in their then condition it would
prove most acceptable to them. Fate
was again against him. Being unable
to get out of Charleston harbor he
went to Philadelphia and took passage
on August 18th in a small packet boat
called the Mercury under the CONVOY of
the sloop of war Saratoga, which, how
ever, returned five days after they were
at a The Mercury was sighted and
chased by the British Cruiser Vestal
and was captured September 3rd. Mr..
Laurens had with him a great number
of papers for use in his mission,
amongst them being a draft Of a treaty
with the Netherlands which had been
proposed sometime before, but never
adopted. These papers his secretary,
Mr.. Young, threw into a bag weighted
with shot which was thrown into the
sea, but by some means it was buoyed
up and being perceived by the British
officers was secured and turned over to
the British ministry. These papers
were subsequently arranged and bound
and afterwards returned to Mr.. Lau-
n The disclosures of the papers
thus seized, lead to the almost instant
declaration of war by the British
against the Netherlands and the cir
cumstances %attenning the seizure were
closely scrutinized. The Dutch ports
were ~blockaded blythe British and it's
navy prevented from going to sea; the
Golfers of the British cruisers were
filled with prize money from the seizure
of Dutch merchant vessels. Mr.. Lau-
rens was imprisoned in the Tower,
where he underwent close confinement
months. He was finally permitted to
see his son and some of his friends,
whose influence with the authorities Sc
cured for him a mitigation of his prison
discipline. Efforts were made looking
towards his exchange for Gen. Bur
goyne who had been captured at Sara
toga, but these efforts proved of no
avail. Mr.. Franklin, then at Paris,
who had been endeavoring to interest
Mr.. Edmund Burke in the matter of
the exchange, wrote to some friends of
Mr.. Laurens that he thought the Brit
ish preferred keeping Laurens until the
end of the War in order that he might
be hanged if the War terminated in
England's favor, and that the English
had no objections to Burgoyne's meet
ing the same fate at the hands of the
Americans as his absence was desired
more than his company. Mr.. Laurens
was now admitted to Jail but not al
lowed to leave the city. After the cap
ture of CORVALLIS at Yorktown an ex-
change was effected whereby he Sc
cured his release and Gen. CORVALLIS
resumed his seat in the House of Lords.
In the meantime the bills which had
been drawn on Mr.. Laurens in the
Netherlands were being extensively
circulated throughout those countries
and but for the generosity of a company
of merchants at Amsterdam, who hon
ored those bills, the credit of the Uni
ted States would have been seriously
effected, if not wrecked. After the
cessation of hostilities, Mr.. Laurens
was appointed one of the commissioners
to negotiate a treaty Of peace with
England, but on account of i'll health
brought about by his confinement in
the Tower he refused the appointment.
Nevertheless, Congress by unanimous
resolution declared that the services of
Mr.. Laurens in this capacity could not
be dispensed with. Mr.. Adams also
wrote an urgent letter from Paris inn
ploring him to join them. Although
scarcely able to leave his bed he took