ticular, for the purpose of obtaining aids in money and military stores, as the only means of resisting the power of Great Britain, and preserving their newly acquired independence.

In the latter end of 1776, a commission was appointed for this object; and Dr. Franklin, though then in his 71st year, was considered, from his talents as a statesman, and reputation as a philosopher, the most suitable person to effect the desired end, and was consequently nominated commissioner plenipotentiary to the court of France in conjunction with Silas Deane and Arthur Lee, Esquires: the former had already been sent to Europe, for the purpose of secretly obtaining and forwarding warlike stores, &c., and the other had been employed by congress as a private and confidential agent in England.

Previous to Dr. Franklin's departure, he conceived it would be advisable, on many accounts, to be the bearer of propositions for peace with Great Britain; and with this view he drew up, and submitted to the secret committee of congress, the following paper.

Sketch of Propositions for a Peace, 1776.

There shall be a perpetual peace between Great Britain and the United States of America, on the following conditions.

Great Britain shall renounce and disclaim all pretence of right or authority to govern in any of the United States of America.

To prevent those occasions of misunderstanding which are apt to arise, where the territories of different powers border on each other, through the bad conduct of frontier inhabitants on both sides, Britain shall cede to the United States the provinces or colonies of Quebec, St. John's, Nova Scotia, Bermuda, East and West Florida, and the Bahama Islands, with all their adjoining and intermediate territories now claimed by her.

In return for this cession, the United States shall pay to Great Britain the sum of . . . . . . . . sterling, in annual payments, that is to say annum, for and during the term of . . . . . years.

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And shall moreover grant a free trade to all British subjects throughout the United States and the ceded colonies, and shall guarantee to Great Britain the possession of her islands in the West Indies.

Motives for proposing a Peace at this time.

1. The having such propositions in charge, will by the law of nations be some protection to the commissioners or ambassadors, if they should be taken.

2. As the news of our declared independence will tend to unite in Britain all parties against us; so our offering peace with commerce and payments of money, will tend to divide them again. For peace is as necessary to them as to us: our commerce is wanted by their merchants and manufacturers, who will therefore incline to the accommodation, even though the monopoly is not continued, since it can be easily made appear, their share of our growing trade will soon be greater than the whole has been heretofore. Then for the landed interest, who wish an alleviation of taxes, it is demonstrable by figures that if we should agree to pay, suppose ten millions in one hundred years, viz. 100,000l. per annum for that term, it would, being faithfully employed as a sinking fund, more than pay off all their present national debt. It is besides a prevailing opinion in England, that they must in the nature of things sooner or later lose the colonies, and many think they had better be without the government of them; so that the proposition will, on that account, have more supporters and fewer opposers.

3. As the having such propositions to make, or any powers to treat of peace, will furnish a pretence for B. F.'s going to England, where he has many friends and acquaintance, particularly among the best writers and ablest speakers in both houses of parliament, he thinks he shall be able when there, if the terms are not accepted, to work up such a division of sentiments in the nation, as greatly to weaken its exertions against the United States, and lessen its credit in foreign countries.

4. The knowledge of there being powers given to the commissioners to treat with England, may have some effect in facilitating and expediting the proposed treaty with France.

5. It is worth our while to offer such a sum for the countries to be ceded, since the vacant lands will in time sell for a great part of what we shall give, if not more; and if we are to obtain them by conquest, after perhaps a long war, they will probably cost us more than that sum. It is absolutely necessary for us to have them for our own security; and though the sum may seem large to the present generation, in less than half the term, it will be to the whole United States, a mere trifle.

It is uncertain to what extent this plan was adopted by congress. The proposi tions were certainly not such as the British ministry would have listened to a moment, at that period of the revolutionary war, whatever they might have been disposed to have done in a more advanced state of it.

It is possible, however, that this or some other proposal for peace with Great

Britain may have been furnished to Dr. Franklin by the secret committee of congress, to serve him in some measure as a protection in case of his capture at sea; of which there was at that time the most imminent danger.

Dr. Franklin set off on this important mission from Philadelphia, Oct. 26, 1776, accompanied by two of his grand-children, Wm. Temple Franklin, and Benjamin Franklin Bache: they slept at Chester that night, and the next morning went by land to Marcus Hook, and embarked there that day, in the United States sloop of war Reprisal, mounting 16 guns, and commanded by Captain Wickes. During the passage Dr. Franklin made daily experiments, by means of the thermometer, of the temperature of the sea water, as he had done on similar occasions, and with the same view, of ascertaining the ship's being in or out of the gulph stream, and more or less within soundings.

The sloop was frequently chased during the voyage by British cruisers, and several times prepared for action; but being a good sailor, and the captain having received orders, not unnecessarily to risk an engagement, she as often escaped her pursuers. The crew did not always seem to like avoiding coming up with the vessels that were occasionally seen, as they were naturally desirous of getting some prize money on this account probably the captain indulged them on some occasions, when there was little likelihood of danger. An opportunity of this kind presented itself on the 27th of November, being then near the coast of France, though out of soundings. Several sail were seen about noon, and the sloop brought-to, and took a brig from Bourdeaux, bound to Cork, (being Irish property) loaded with lumber and some wine. She had left Bourdeaux the day before. The captain found by the brig's reckoning, that he was then only 16 leagues from land. In the afternoon of the same day he came up with, and took another brig, from Rochfort, belonging to Hull, bound to Hamburgh, with brandy and flax-seed. Early the next morning land was in sight from the mast-head; it proved to be Bellisle; a pilot came on board, and the sloop was brought to an anchor in the evening. On the 29th she ran into Quiberon Bay, where she continued till December 3d, when finding the contrary winds likely to continue, which prevented her entering the Loire, the captain procured a fishing-boat to put Dr. Franklin and his grandsons on shore at Auray, about six leagues distant, where they were landed in the evening. The boatmen spoke the Breton language, as well as the French; and it appeared to be the common language of the country people in that province. One word only was intelligible, which was Diaul; it signifies Devil, and is the same in the Welch language. It is said there is a considerable affinity between the two languages, and

that the Welsh and Breton fishermen and peasantry can comprehend each other. Auray proved to be a wretched place. No post-chaises to be hired, and obliged to send to Vannes for one,—which did not arrive till next day; when the party reached that town, late in the evening. Dr. Franklin, in the little journal he kept, and from which the above details are taken, adds: "The carriage was a miserable one, with tired horses, the evening dark, scarce a traveller but ourselves on the road; and to make it more comfortable, the driver stopped near a wood we were to pass through, to tell us that a gang of eighteen robbers infested that wood, who but two weeks ago had robbed and murdered some travellers on that very spot."

The same journal contains the following remark. "December 6. On the road yesterday," (travelling to Nantes), "we met six or seven country women, in company, on horseback and astride: they were all of fair white and red complexions, but one among them was the fairest woman I ever beheld. Most of the men have good complexions, not swarthy like those of the North of France, in which I remember that, except about Abbeville, I saw few fair people."

Arriving at Nantes on the 7th December, a grand dinner was prepared on the occasion by some friends of America, at which Dr. Franklin was present, and in the afternoon went to meet a large party at the country seat of Mons. Gruel, a short distance from town, where crowds of visitors came to compliment him on his safe arrival, expressing great satisfaction, as they were warm friends to America, and hoped his being in France would be of advantage to the American cause, &c. &c. A magnificent supper closed the evening.

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Being much fatigued and weakened by the voyage and journey, Dr. Franklin was persuaded to remain some time at M. Gruel's country house, where he was elegantly and commodiously lodged: his strength, indeed, was not equal to an immediate journey to Paris. During his stay at M. Gruel's he was in hopes of living retired, but the house was almost always full of visitors; from whom, however, much useful in formation was obtained respecting the state of affairs at court, and the character of persons in power, &c. Dr. Franklin also learnt with great satisfaction, that a supply had been obtained from the French government, of two hundred brass fieldpieces, thirty thousand firelocks, and some other military stores; which were then shipping for America, and would be convoyed by a ship of war.

Dr. Franklin at that time did not assume any public character, thinking it prudent first to know whether the court was ready and willing to receive publicly commissioners from the congress; and that he might neither embarrass the ministry on the one hand, nor subject himself and his colleagues to the hazard of a disgraceful

refusal on the other, he dispatched an express to Mr. Deane, then in Paris, with the letters he had for him from the committee of congress, and a copy of their joint commission, that he might make the proper inquiries, and give him the necessary information. Meantime it was generally supposed at Nantes that Dr. Franklin was sent to negotiate, and that opinion appeared to give great pleasure.

On the 15th December, Dr. Franklin left Nantes, and shortly after arrived safely at Paris, where he continued to reside till the 7th January following, when he removed with his family to Passy, (a village beautifully situated about a league from the capital,) and took up his abode in a large and handsome house, with extensive gardens, belonging to Mons. Le Ray De Chaumont, a great and useful friend to the American cause. Here Dr. Franklin continued during the whole of his residence in France—being about eight years and a half.

The following extracts from letters written by him to one of his intimate friends, shortly after his arrival in Paris, fully show his sentiments relative to the state of American politics at that period, and furnish some insight as to the nature of his mission to France.

To Dr. INGENHAUSZ.

"I long labored in England with great zeal and sincerity to prevent the breach that has happened, and which is now so wide, that no endeavors of mine can possibly heal it. You know the treatment I met with from that imprudent court: but I keep a separate account of private injuries, which I may forgive; and 十 I do not think it right to mix them with public affairs. Indeed there is no occasion for their aid to whet my resentment against a nation, that has burnt our defenceless towns in the midst of winter, has excited the savages to assassinate our innocent farmers with their wives and children, and our slaves to murder their masters! It would therefore be deceiving you, if I suffered you to remain in the supposition you have taken up, that I am come to Europe to make peace. I am in fact ordered hither by the congress for a very different purpose; viz. to procure such aids from European Powers, for enabling us to defend our freedom and independence, which it is certainly their interest to grant; as by that means the great and rapidly growing trade of America will be open to them all, and not a monopoly to Great Britain as heretofore a monopoly, that if she is suffered again to possess, will be such an increase of her strength by sea, and if she can reduce us again to submission, she will have thereby so great an addition to her strength by land, as will, together,