R. H. LEE,
J. LOVELL.
TO THE COMMITTEE OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS.
Passy, 30th November, 1777.
Gentlemen,
In a former letter we acquainted you that we had engaged an officer, one of the most skilful in naval affairs this country possessed, to build us a frigate in Holland, on a new construction (drafts of which we sent you) and to go over in her to America, and enter your service. The frigate is almost finished. She is very large, is to carry thirty 24 pounders, on one deck, and is supposed equal to a ship of the line. But the infinite difficulties we find in equipping and manning such a ship in any neutral port, under the restrictions of treaties, together with the want of supplies from you, have induced us to sell her to the king, who, by a large pension offered to our officer, has engaged him to remain in his service, and pays us what we have expended on her.
We have built a small frigate at Nantes, which we hope to get away soon, laden with supplies of various sorts. We meet with difficulties too in shipping arms and ammunition in her, but hope they will be surmounted. Several other vessels, some under the direction of Mr Ross, others belonging to French merchants, are almost ready to sail for America, and we had thoughts of sending them in a little fleet, under convoy of the Raleigh, and Alfred, but on consultation, considering the spies maintained by England in all the ports, and thence the impossibility of making up such a fleet, without its being known, so as to give time for a superior force to be in wait for it, we concluded the chance better of their going off singly, as they should be ready. In these vessels are clothes, ready made, for thirty thousand men, besides arms, cloths, linens, and naval stores to a great amount, bought up by us and Mr Ross. The private adventures will also be very considerable. And as we shall continue our endeavor to complete your orders, we hope that if the ships have common success in passing, you will be better provided for the next campaign, than you have been for any of the preceding.
How we are enabled to make these supplies, must be a matter of some surprise to you, when you reflect that little or nothing from you has been received by us, since what came by Captain Wickes, till now by the arrival of the Amphitrite, and that the seeming uncertainty of your public affairs has prevented hitherto our obtaining the loan proposed. We have however found, or made some friends, who have helped, and will, we are confident, continue to help us.
Being anxious for supporting the credit of Congress' paper money, we procured a fund for payment of the interest of all the Congress had proposed to borrow. And we mentioned in several of our letters, that we should be ready to pay all bills drawn for the discharge of such interest, to the full value in money of France, that is, five livres for every dollar of interest due. We were persuaded, that thus fixing the value of the interest would fix the value of the principal, and consequently of the whole mass. We hope this will be approved, though we have yet no answer. We cannot apply that fund to any other purpose, and therefore wish to know as soon as may be, the resolution of Congress upon it. Possibly none of those letters had reached you, or your answers have miscarried; for the interruptions of our correspondence have been very considerable. Adams, by whom we wrote early this summer, was taken on this coast, having sunk his despatches. We hear that Hammond shared the same fate on your coast. Johnson, by whom we wrote in September, was taken, going out of the channel, and poor Captain Wickes, who sailed at the same time, and had duplicates, we just now hear foundered near Newfoundland, every man perishing but the cook. This loss is extremely to be lamented, as he was a gallant officer, and a very worthy man. Your despatches also, which were coming by a small sloop from Morris's River, and by the Mere Bobie packet, were both sunk, on those vessels being boarded by English men of war.
The Amphitrite's arrival, with a cargo of rice and indigo, near one thousand barrels of the one, and twenty of the other, is a seasonable supply to us for our support; we not having for some time past, (as you will see by our former letters) any expectations of further supplies from Mr Morris; and though we live here with as much frugality as possible, the unavoidable expenses, and the continual demands upon us for assistance to Americans, who escape from English prisons, &c. &c. endangered our being brought to great difficulties for subsistence. The freight of that ship too calls for an enormous sum, on account of her long demurrage.
We begin to be much troubled with complaints of our armed vessels taking the ships and merchandise of neutral nations. From Holland, they complain of the taking of the sloop Chester, Captain Bray, belonging to Rotterdam, by two privateers of Charleston, called the Fair American and the Experiment; from Cadiz, of the taking the French ship Fortune, Captain Kenguen, by the Civil Usage privateer, having on board Spanish property; and here, of the taking the Emperor of Germany, from Cork, with beef, belonging to the marine of France, just off the mouth of Bordeaux river. We send herewith the papers we have received, and answers given, relating to those captures, and we earnestly request, that if upon fair trials it shall appear that the allegations are true, speedy justice may be done, and restitution made to the reclaimants, it being of the utmost consequence to our affairs in Europe, that we should wipe off the aspersions of our enemies, who proclaim us every where as pirates, and endeavor to excite all the world against us.