Colonel Laurens's embarkation on board a frigate for this place, with money, is also announced, and I hope she will speedily arrive. The Boston account of the 16th of August, mentions the arrival of the Magicienne in fifty days. If Colonel Laurens had then sailed, he must now have been out sixtytwo days, which is a very long period for a single frigate to be engaged in that voyage. If that frigate arrives safe, with five hundred thousand dollars, which is, as I am informed, on board of her, it will relieve me from many very great difficulties, which I have now to struggle with, and give a much better appearance to our affairs, as it will enable us to operate with far more vigor and activity.
It is now a very long time since we have had any tidings of Mr Adams. We have indeed been informed, though not from himself, that he had opened a loan for a million of florins; but we are much in the dark as to the success of it, as well as many other particulars relative to his situation, which would be very interesting.
September 7th, 1781. Since writing the above letter, Colonel Laurens has come to this city from Boston, at which place he arrived in the Resolve, with the two store ships under her convoy, after a passage uncommonly tedious. It is certainly unnecessary to mention how great pleasure we have received from this occurrence.
Another equally pleasing, is the arrival of the Count de Grasse in the Chesapeake Bay, on the 30th of August, with twentyeight sail of the line, viz. one of one hundred and ten guns, three of eightyfour guns, nineteen of seventyfour guns, four of sixtyfour guns, and one of fifty guns. The Count de Barras sailed from Rhode Island on the 24th, so that probably he has before this made a junction with the Count de Grasse, although he had not on the 31st of August. A detachment of about seven thousand men is on the way to Virginia, of which about two thousand and five hundred were at the head of the Elk. As many more must have arrived there this evening, and the remainder tomorrow. There are landed from the fleet, three thousand men, and we are told these will receive an addition of one thousand and five hundred marines, besides the army under the command of the Marquis de Lafayette, which was before in Virginia, and consists of about five thousand, including the militia. Lord Cornwallis was entrenched at York, in Virginia, with five thousand men. General Washington takes the command of the southern army in person. The fleet under the Count de Grasse took on its way a packet from Charleston to Great Britain, on board of which was Lord Rawdon. From this combination of circumstances, you will perceive, that we have reason to flatter ourselves with the expectation of pleasing occurrences.
With the greatest respect, &c.
ROBERT MORRIS.
TO THE PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS.
Office of Finance, August 28th, 1781.
Sir,
My circular letter to the Governors, of the 25th of July, a copy whereof was sent to Congress on the 6th of August, contains a solemn assurance, that all the accounts of the several States with the United States should be speedily liquidated, if I could possibly effect it, and that my efforts for that purpose should be unceasing. If after this declaration, I could possibly have forgotten it, the reference made to me, on the 23d instant, of two letters from the State of Massachusetts and a report on them of the 14th instant, would have called for an immediate attention.