The Compleated Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (1757-1790)

by Benjamin Franklin

  I ASKED CONGRESS TO SEPARATE US

  My colleague Mr. Deane had been recall’d by Congress, to be replaced by Mr. John Adams, who arrived on a continental frigate, the Boston (which took a prize with a cargo valued at £70,000). I believe Mr. Deane’s recall was the effect of some misrepresentations from an enemy or two at Paris and at Nantes. Having lived intimately with him for fifteen months, the greatest part of the time in the same house, and been a constant witness of his public conduct, I esteem’d him a faithful, active and able minister, who to my knowledge had done in various ways great and important services to his country, whose interests I wished might always, by everyone in her employ, be as much and as effectually promoted. However, Congress accused Mr. Deane of embezzling public money, or trading with it on his private account and employing it in stock-jobbing. I thought him a man of integrity, and innocent, but gave him up.

  To Mr. Lovell of Congress, I inquired into the intention of Congress whether to keep three ambassadors at the French court; indeed we had four with Mr. Izard, who continued in Paris and was very angry that he was not consulted in making the Treaty. We would have a fifth soon, for the envoy to Vienna, Mr. William Lee, was not received there and was returning. I assured Mr. Lovell that the necessary expense of maintaining us all was enormously great. But as to our number, whatever advantage there might be in the joint counsels of three for framing and adjusting the articles of the Treaty, there could be none in managing the common business of a resident there. And where everyone must be consulted on every particular of common business, in answering every letter, &c., and one of them is offended if the smallest thing is done without his consent, the difficulty of being often and long enough together, the different opinions, and the time consumed in debating them, the interruption by new applications in the time of meeting, &c. &c. occasion so much postponing and delay, that correspondence languished, occasions were lost, and the business was always behind hand. In consideration of the whole I asked Congress to separate us.

  We had no news from America but what came thro’ England. We learned that the English army was well worried in its march, and that their whole fleet and forces were block’d up in New York by Washington and Gates on the land side, and by Count D’Estaing by sea, and they would soon be in want of provisions.

  Chapter Seven

  Minister to France, 1779–81

  The War Continues

  MY APPOINTMENT AS MINISTER PLENIPOTENTIARY

  On the 11th of February, 1779, the Marquis de Lafayette arrived in Paris, covered with laurels, and brought me the news from the Congress of my appointment to be their minister plenipotentiary at the French Court, together with a letter to be present’d to his Majesty. This mark of public confidence was most agreeable to me as it was not obtained by any solicitation or intrigue on my part, nor did I ever write a syllable to any person in or out of Congress magnifying my own services or diminishing those of others. The commission of three persons was dissolv’d, my former colleagues having destinations to other courts in Europe. Mr. Adams took his passage to America to return immediately to Congress in Philadelphia. I wrote M. De Vergennes excusing my not going to Versailles on account of a severe access of the gout, but on Tuesday the 23RD of March, I thought myself able to go through the ceremony, and accordingly went to Court at Versailles, had my audience with the King in the new character, presented my letter of credence, and was received very graciously, after which I went the rounds with the other foreign ministers, in visiting all the royal family. The fatigue, however, was a little too much for my feet, and disabled me for near another week.

  After that I constantly attended the levee every Tuesday with the other foreign ministers, and took every proper occasion of repeating the assurances I was instructed to give, of the grateful sentiments of Congress, and their determined resolution to fulfill religiously their engagements. Much pain was constantly taken by the enemy to weaken the confidence of this court in their new allies, by representing our people as weary of the war and of the government of Congress, which they represented as distracted by dissensions &c. But all this had little effect. Notwithstanding the great losses suffer’d by the commerce of the kingdom of France, since the commencement of the war, the disposition of the Court to continue it (till its purpose of establishing our independence was compleated) had not in the least changed, nor their regard for us diminished.

  LAFAYETTE, HIS BRAVERY AND GOOD CONDUCT

  All our letters from different persons in Congress, the Army, and the government of separate states were full of Lafayette’s praises. By his bravery and good conduct he appeared to have gain’d the esteem and the affection of the whole continent of America. Gen. Washington sent me a letter of recommendation of the Marquis de Lafayette, tho’ his modesty detain’d it long in his own hands. We became acquainted, however, from the time of his arrival at Paris; and his zeal for the honour of our country, his activity in our affairs in France, and his firm attachment to our cause and to Gen. Washington impress’d me.

  WAR NEWS FROM HOME

  The Marquis de Lafayette spoke of the taking of Savannah by British troops, which made a noise in England and helped to keep up their spirits, but I apprehended that before the summer was over, they would find the possession of that capital of Georgia of as little consequence as their former possessions of Boston and Philadelphia; and that the distempers of that unwholesome part of the country would very much weaken, if not ruin that army. I was glad to see in news from home the American spirit rous’d again and I was much pleased with the subscriptions of the ladies and merchants. They confuted the assertion of the Scotch writer, who says that women have not the amor patrie and that merchants are attach’d to no country.98 I saw by the Virginia papers that the 6TH of February 1779, being the anniversary of the signing of the Treaty with France, was observed with great festivity by the Congress & at Philadelphia.

  SOMETIMES I REGRET I WAS BORN TOO SOON

  At this time I did not totally neglect philosophy, though I had little time for it. I wrote a paper on the Aurora Borealis, One of the late Northern Lights. The paper, translated into French, was read in the Academy of Sciences and well received.

  I rejoiced to hear that Mr. Priestley was still employ’d in experimental researches into nature. The rapid progress true science now makes occasions my regretting sometimes that I was born so soon. It is impossible to imagine the heights to which the power of man may be carried over matter in a thousand years. We may perhaps learn to deprive large masses of their gravity and give them absolute levity for the sake of easy transport. Agriculture may diminish its labour and double it produce. All diseases may by sure means be prevented or cured, not excepting even that of old age, and our lives lengthened at pleasure even beyond the antediluvian standard. O that moral science were as fair a way of improvement, that men would cease to be wolves to one another, and that human beings would at length learn what they now improperly call humanity!

  We make great improvements in nature daily. There is one I wish to see in moral philosophy: the discovery of a plan that would induce and oblige nations to settle their disputes without first cutting one another’s throats. When will human reason be sufficiently improv’d to see the advantage of this! When will men be convinc’d that even successful wars do at length become misfortunes to those who unjustly commenc’d them, and who triumph’d blindly in their success, not seeing all its consequences.

  AN AMERICAN PASSPORT FOR CAPTAIN JAMES COOK

  In March 1779, I sent letters to all the American cruisers then in the ports of France and Spain, with orders to our agents to communicate them to others, forbidding our American cruisers to intercept or molest Captain Cook, the celebrated navigator and discoverer, in case they should meet with him on his return.99 Capt. Cook had set out from England in 1776, before the commencement of the war, to make discoveries of new countries in unknown seas, an undertaking truly laudable, as the increase of geographical knowledge would facilitate the communication between
distant nations, the exchange of useful products and manufactures, and the extension of arts, whereby the common enjoyments of human life would be multiplied, and science of other kinds increased to the benefit of mankind in general. I also sent the letter to Holland, to be printed in the Dutch papers, as a means of making it more generally known to our cruisers at sea not to suffer any plunder, nor detain his ship, but that they should treat Capt. Cook and his people with all civility and assistance.

  It was to be Cook’s last voyage. In 1784, the Council of Royal Society voted me a gold medal on account of my letter in favor of Capt. Cook, and the Admiralty made me a present of his last voyage, which Lord Howe sent to me in France.

  WASTING OUR WEALTH ON PRODIGALITY

  My apprehensions of approaching distress regarding money matters grew stronger, and gave me a great deal of anxiety. We were under the necessity of supplies from Europe and the difficulty in making returns. The interest bills would do a good deal toward purchasing arms, ammunition, clothing, sailcloth and other necessaries for defense. Upon inquiring of those who presented those bills to me for acceptance, what the money was to be laid out in, I found that most of it was for superfluities, and more than half of it for tea! How unhappily, in this instance, the folly of our people and the avidity of our merchants concurred to weaken & impoverish our country! I formerly computed that we had consumed before the war, in that single article, the value of £500,000 sterling annually. Much of this was saved by stopping the use of it. I honoured the virtuous resolution of our women in foregoing that little gratification, and I lament that such virtue was of so short duration. Five hundred thousand pounds sterling annually laid out in defending ourselves or annoying our enemies would have had great effects. With what face could we ask aids and subsidies from our friends while we were wasting our own wealth on such prodigality?

  CORRESPONDENCE WITH MY DAUGHTER, SALLY

  With this in mind, I wrote the following letter to my daughter Sally, viz:Passy, June 3, 1779

  Dear Sally,

  I have before me your letters of Oct. 22, and Jan. 17TH: They are the only ones I received from you in the course of eighteen months. If you knew how happy your letters make me, and considered how many miscarry, I think you would write oftener.

  When I began to read your account of the high prices of goods, “a pair of gloves seven dollars, a yard of common gauze twenty-four dollars, and that it now requires a fortune to maintain a family in a very plain way,” I expected you would conclude with telling me, that everybody as well as yourself was grown frugal and industrious; and I could scarce believe my eyes in reading forward, that “there never was so much dressing and pleasure going on,” and that you yourself wanted black pins and feathers from France, to appear, I suppose, in the mode! This leads me to imagine that perhaps it is not so much that the goods are grown dear, as that the money is grown cheap, as everything else will do when excessively plenty; and that people are still as easy nearly in their circumstances as when a pair of gloves might be had for half a crown. The war indeed may in some degree raise the price of goods, and the high taxes which are necessary to support the war may make our frugality necessary ; and as I am always preaching that doctrine, I cannot in conscience or in decency encourage the contrary, by my example, in furnishing my children with foolish modes and luxuries. I therefore send all the articles you desire that are useful and necessary, and omit the rest; for as you can say you should “have great pride in wearing anything I send, and showing it as your father’s taste,” I must avoid giving you an opportunity of doing that with either lace or feathers. If you wear your cambric ruffles as I do, and take care not to mend the holes, they will come in time to be lace; and feathers, my dear girl, may be had in America from every cock’s tail.

  If you happen again to see General Washington, assure him of my very great and sincere respect, and tell him that all the old generals here amuse themselves in studying the accounts of his operations, and approve highly of his conduct.

  Present my affectionate regards to all friends that enquire after me, particularly Mr. Duffield and family, and write often, my dear child, to

  Your loving father,

  B FRANKLIN

  PITY MY SITUATION

  A merchant of Amsterdam had undertaken to procure a loan to us of 1,500,000 Florins at 6 per cent. But by what I learned and judged of that person, I thought there was little dependence to be had upon his success; especially as the English borrowed there at a higher rate, and the House of Hornica Fizeaux & Co. already engaged more than 6 per cent. After months of endeavouring to obtain such a loan, I had succeeded only to the amount of 51,000 Florins.

  I had in various ways and thro’ various channels laid before the French ministry the distressed state of our finances in America. There seemed a great willingness in all of them to help us, except in the controller, M. Necker, who was said to be not well disposed toward us, and was embarrassed by every measure proposed to relieve us by grants of money. Under the resolution, perhaps too hastily declared, of the King’s imposing no new taxes on his subjects for that year [1779], the Court had great difficulties in defraying expenses, the vast exertions to put the navy in a condition to equal that of England having cost immense sums. However, the King, to encourage our loan in Holland, engaged under his hand to be security for our payment of the interest of three millions of livres; but that loan amounted to no more than 80,000 Florins.

  As to our finances in France, I suffer’d anxiety and distress of mind lest I should not be able to pay our disbursements: Great quantities of clothing, arms, ammunition and naval stores sent from time to time; to our prisoners in England, and after their escape to help some home, and to other Americans in distress in France, a great sum, I cannot at present say how much; to commissioners Mr. William Lee and Mr. Izard £5,500 sterling; for the fitting of the frigates Raleigh, Alfred, Boston, Providence, Alliance, Ranger &c., I imagine not less than 60,000 or 70,000 livres each, taken one with another; for maintenance of the English prisoners I found 100,000 livres not sufficient, having already paid above 65,000 for that article; and then, the drafts on the treasury of the loans coming very fast upon me. To apply again to this Court for money was extremely awkward. I therefore repeated the general applications which we had made when together for aids of money, and received the general answers, that the expense of government for the navy was so great that it was exceedingly difficult to furnish the necessary supplies. Thanks to God, I did get over the difficulty as related to the bills, which were all punctually paid; but I warned the Congress that if the navy boards were to send more ships to France to be fitted, or the Congress continued to draw for the payment of other debts, I would probably be made a bankrupt.

  The Committee of Commerce sent me over an invoice of goods amounting, I guess, to more than twelve million livres. I was obliged to abridge it greatly, the sums granted me not sufficing. If Mr. Jay could have obtained a sum from Spain it would have helped to supply the deficiency. Pity my situation. Too much was expected of me, and not only the Congress drew upon me, often unexpectedly, for large sums, but all the agents of the Committee of Commerce in Europe and America thought they might do the same when pinch’d, alleging that it was necessary to the credit of the Congress, that their particular credit ought to be supported. The little success that attended the late applications of money mortified me exceedingly; and the storm of bills which I found coming upon me and John Jay in Madrid terrified and vexed me to such a degree that I was deprived of sleep, and so much indisposed by continual anxiety as to be render’d almost incapable of writing.

  I HAD LONG BEEN HUMILIATED BEGGING FOR MONEY AND FRIENDSHIP

  Our credit and weight in Europe depended more on what we did than on what we said. I had long been humiliated with the idea of our running about from court to court begging for money and friendship, which were the more withheld the more eagerly they were solicited, yet would perhaps have been offer’d if they had not been asked. The supposed necessity was o
ur only excuse. The proverb says God helps them that help themselves, and the world too in this sense is very godly.

  At length I got over a reluctance that was almost invincible and made another application to the government in France for more money. I drew up and presented a state of debts and newly expected demands, and requested its aid to extricate me. Judging from the letters from Mr. Jay that he was not likely to obtain anything from the court of Spain, I put down in my estimate the 25,000 dollars drawn upon him with the same sum drawn upon me, as what would probably come to me for payment. I had the pleasure of acquainting Mr. Jay that my memorial was well received in the kindest and most friendly manner; and tho’ the court was not without its embarrassments on account of money, I was told to make myself easy, for that I would be assisted with what was necessary. I ended my letter to Mr. Jay with the comment, “If you find any inclination to hug me for the good news of this letter, I constitute and appoint Mrs. Jay my attorney to receive in my behalf your embraces.”

  THIS CURRENCY AS WE MANAGED IT WAS A WONDERFUL MACHINE

  The principal difficulty at the time in America consisted in the depreciation of our currency, owing to the over-quantities issued, and the diminished demand for it in commerce. The depreciation of our money greatly affected salaried men, widows and orphans. I received a report from the Congress how the manners of the country were much affected by the depreciation, so that almost every officer, civil or military, felt a desire to engage in speculation, finding that his salary was inadequate to the harping demands which were made upon him for the necessaries of life.