“With great regard, I have the honor to be, &c.
B. FRANKLIN.”
On the 14th of May, 1781, he writes to the President of Congress.—“Agreeable to the vote of Congress, I have requested the assistance of this (the French) Court, for obtaining the release of Mr President Laurens. It does not yet appear that the thing is practicable. What the present situation is of that unfortunate gentleman, may be gathered from the enclosed letters.”
The letters here alluded to are, one from Sir Grey Cooper, dated November 29th, 1780; and another from Charles Vernon, Lieutenant Governor of the Tower of London, dated November 27th. They may be found in Dr Franklin’s Correspondence under these dates.
[ [78] “In Congress, September 17th, 1782.—Resolved, That the honorable Henry Laurens be informed, in answer to his letter of the 30th of May, 1782, that the reasons which induced the United States in Congress assembled, to appoint him to be one of their Ministers Plenipotentiary for negotiating a peace still existing, his services in the execution of that trust cannot be dispensed with.
“Resolved, That the honorable John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, and Henry Laurens, be respectively informed, that it is the pleasure and express direction of Congress, that they punctually attend and assist in the negotiations for peace; and that each of them be instructed, upon receiving information of the time and place appointed for opening the negotiations, immediately to give notice thereof to the rest, that may be in Europe, in order that each may have a seasonable opportunity to take part in the trust reposed by the said commission, and earnestly enjoined by this act.”
Transcriber's Notes:
Antiquated spellings have been preserved.
Typographical errors have been silently corrected but other variations in spelling and punctuation remain unaltered.