The meekness of the Quakers and their horrors of war (upon religious principle) were changed to loud acclamations of joy when the British occupied their town. Quakers shook their heads and looked religiously solemn whenever the patriots asked for money and provisions; but when the British presented their demands for supplies, the Philadelphia Quakers smiled graciously and gave without stint. The actions of many of these good people were very questionable during the trying times of the Revolution.
Into this atmosphere of Toryism Roderick Barclugh arrived from New York. Besides the secret instructions of the Governor of the Bank of England and the King’s Minister of War, Lord George Germaine, Barclugh brought with him a passport into the confidence of the leading patriots. The British secret agent had secured a letter of introduction to Charles Thomson, Secretary of Congress, from Benjamin Franklin. The French monarch had secured these credentials for Barclugh on account of the former fidelity of his family to the Pretender.
The letter was addressed as follows:
“Paris, Nov. 20, 1777.
“My dear Sir:
“With much personal satisfaction, the interests and influence of our friend M. Roderick Barclugh have been enlisted in our cause. He comes to us with the best of credentials of the French Monarch. He will represent the interests of some of France’s leading men of wealth, and is desirous of securing Letters of Marque and Reprisal from our Congress for the purpose of engaging in privateering.
“Your cordial co-operation in his affairs is solicited.
“Believe me, sir, with sentiments of unabated esteem,
“Your most obedient servant,
“B. Franklin.“Mr. Charles Thomson,
“Secretary of Congress,
“Philadelphia, Pa.”
Thus protected with the best passport obtainable, a representative of the Bank of England and of the War Lord took up his abode in Philadelphia.
Roderick Barclugh was at once introduced to the leading firm of traders and privateersmen, Milling & FitzMaurice. They received him very cordially, especially when he asked them if they would honor his drafts on account of his Bills of Exchange on the Bank of Amsterdam for twenty thousand pounds sterling. The senior member of this firm, Mr. Thomas Milling, was very gracious at once. He invited Roderick Barclugh to make any convenience out of his compting-rooms, at least, until such times as he could settle himself in his own quarters.
In 1777 Philadelphia contained about thirty thousand souls. Front Street, which ran parallel with the Delaware River, and Market Street, which ran at right angles to the river, were the principal thoroughfares for both business and residence. The merchants, traders, lawyers and doctors were principally to be found on Front Street and a few on Market Street. There were no banks in Philadelphia at that time. All the merchants had strong boxes of their own.
Roderick Barclugh engaged a house on Front Street near Market Street, one of those commodious Colonial houses used by traders at that time for both business and lodging purposes. The room on the first floor fronting on the street was used as an office for general business; and immediately in the rear of this room was the private office of Roderick Barclugh, wherein all the infamy of commercialism that “excludes alike the virtues and the prejudices that stand in the way of its interest,” held sway.
The second story of this building contained the sleeping apartments of the British agent. He had a clerk for his compting-room and a man-servant to be general lackey. He maintained no household as his meals were served him in a private dining-room at the Boar’s Head Tavern, next door. All of his affairs were maintained in great privacy. Therefore, the clerk and servant performed their daily services and lived apart from their master.
Thus situated, business began to open up for Roderick Barclugh, Financier. Characters through whom negotiations were to be developed were not lacking. Philadelphia society rankled with Toryism that threw itself into the dust at any pretext for aristocratic government. Even some of the leaders in the Whig party of the town openly supported Congress because it was to their interest, but privately could see no good in the advanced theories of democracy as upheld by Samuel Adams.