Volume II Part 14 (1/2)
”To prescribe to you your conduct when you are three thousand miles from me would be foolishness ... serve me to the best of your ability is the only way to render yourself useful to me, to yourself, and to become interesting to the Americans themselves.
”Do as I do; despise small considerations, small measures, small resentments. I have a.s.sociated you in a magnificent cause; you are the agent of a just and generous man. Remember that success is always uncertain, that the money due me is at the risk of a great concourse of events, but that my reputation is my own, as you are to-day the artisan of yours. Let it be good my friend, then all will not be lost, even if everything else should be. I salute you, esteem you, and love you.”
In the postscriptum which follows, ”we see Beaumarchais,” says Lomenie, ”applying the resources of comedy to politics, and ingeniously combining the means to elude the ministerial orders, as he would have arranged a theatrical play.”
”Here,” wrote Beaumarchais in the postscriptum, ”is what I have thought out relative to my large vessel-_le Fier Roderigue_. I must keep my word given to M. de Maurepas, that my s.h.i.+p is to carry only seven or eight hundred soldiers to Santo Domingo, and that I will return without touching the continent. Nevertheless, its cargo is very valuable to Congress and to me; it consists in ready made clothing for the soldiers, cloth, blankets, etc. It carries an artillery of sixty-six bronze cannons, ... and much other merchandise.
”After much thinking, it seems to me that you might arrange secretly with the committee of Congress, to send two or three American corsaires immediately to Santo Domingo. One of them will send its gun-boat to Cape Francis ... then M. Caraba.s.se (Beaumarchais's agent at the Cape) will go aboard her with M. de Montaut, the captain of my vessel _le Fier Roderigue_. They will arrange together that when my vessel sets out, the American Corsaire will capture it under any pretext he chooses, and carry it off. My captain will protest violently, and threaten to complain to Congress. The vessel will be taken to where you are.
The Congress will disavow the brutal act, liberate my vessel, with obliging excuses for the French flag; during the time this takes, you will have unloaded the cargo quickly, and filled the s.h.i.+p with tobacco, and you will send her back to me with just what you have been able to gather together. As the bearer of this, M. Carmichael, returns directly, you will have time to arrange this manuver either with the Secret Committee of Congress, or directly with a friendly and discreet corsair. By this means, M. de Maurepas will be disengaged from his promise made to others, I from mine to him, because no one can oppose himself to violence, and my operation will have been successful in spite of all the obstacles which cross my path.... My vessel starts before the 15th of January. It bears orders to wait news from you at Cape Francis. After all that I am doing, the Congress cannot longer doubt, I hope, that the most zealous partisan of the republic in France is your friend
”Roderigue Hortales et Cie.”
Commenting upon the above letter, James Parton has written:
”Such was Caron de Beaumarchais; unique among merchants and men.
Whether it was by those or by other manuvers that the s.h.i.+p was enabled to reach America, no one has informed us. Certain it is that she arrived safely at Yorktown, Virginia, and was loaded with tobacco for her return. I trust M. de Maurepas was satisfied.” (_Life of Franklin_, Vol. II, p. 271.)
The next letter in this series which has been preserved to us is from De Francy and is dated May 14, 1778. In it he announced that it was the twelfth since his arrival, all of which he feared had failed in reaching their destination. Continuing his account of the disorderly consequences of the depreciation of paper money, he said, ”I have just extricated the Marquis de Lafayette from a serious mistake into which he had fallen unsuspectingly.
”You have, of course, heard of the excessive depreciation of paper money. At one moment in Pennsylvania it reached the point of absolute worthlessness. The expenses of the Marquis at this time, as he received no pay, were absolutely enormous. He at first borrowed money on bills of exchange at 2 for 1, afterwards at 3 for 1. He supposed that was borrowing at the rate of $2 for $1 and $3 for $1; instead, the rate was 2 and 3 pounds Pennsylvania currency for 1 pound sterling. The pound sterling was worth 34 s.h.i.+llings Pennsylvania currency. He had signed the bills presented to him without reading them and his expenses far exceeded the amount he supposed them to reach. I informed him of his error and ... have advanced him very considerable sums on account of the House ... my arrangement with him is that he shall reimburse the princ.i.p.al in one year in Paris, paying 6 per cent., the same as Congress allows you.”
The allowance of 6 per cent. made by Congress to Beaumarchais, to which De Francy here alludes, had been settled in a contract drawn up the 6th of April, 1778 duly signed, sealed and delivered to the indefatigable agent, of which the following is the substance: (The contract in full is given by Durand, p. 119-126 in his _New Material for the History of the American Revolution_.)
”To whom it May Concern:
”Whereas, Roderigue Hortales et Cie. have s.h.i.+pped or caused to be s.h.i.+pped ... considerable quant.i.ties of cannon, arms, ammunition, clothing, and other stores, most of which have been safely landed in America ... and Whereas as Roderigue Hortales et Cie., willing and desirous to continue supplying those stores ... provided satisfactory a.s.sumption be made and a.s.surance given for the payment in France of the just cost, charges, freight of the cargoes already s.h.i.+pped as well as those to be hereafter s.h.i.+pped....
”Now know ye that John Baptist Lazarus Theveneau de Francy, agent of Peter Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, as representative of the house of said Roderigue Hortales et Cie., by him especially appointed and empowered to act ... in virtue of the powers in him trusted, to contract, agree and engage to and with M. Ellery, Jas. Forbes, Wm. Henry Dayton, Wm. Hurer, Esq., a Committee of commerce, properly appointed and authorized by the delegates of the United States of America in Congress a.s.sembled to enter into, execute, ratify and confirm this contract for and in behalf of the said United States as follows:
”1st. That the cost and charges of the cargoes already s.h.i.+pped shall be fairly stated in current prices ... at the date of s.h.i.+pment.
”2nd. The freight to be charged agreeably to contract entered into by Caron de Beaumarchais, Silas Deane, and M. Monthieu.
”3rd. All orders to be transmitted to Messrs. Roderigue Hortales et Cie. or their agents, subject to the inspection and control of an agent appointed under the authority of Congress, who shall have liberty to inspect the quality of such merchandise.
”4th. All articles hereafter s.h.i.+pped to be provided as nearly as possible to order ... and not higher than the current price ...
attended with most moderate charges.
”5th. Good s.h.i.+ps shall be chartered or bought at moderate price for transportation of the stores.
”6th. That agents appointed under the authority of Congress, shall have free liberty to inspect the quality, and require the prices of all articles to be s.h.i.+pped for the account of the United States, with power to reject such as they judge unfit or too high priced; they shall also be party in the charters and purchasing of s.h.i.+ps to be employed in the service.
”7th. Bills on the House of Roderigue Hortales et Cie., for 24,000,000 _livres tournois_, annually, shall be honored and paid....
”In consideration whereof, the said William Ellery, James Forbes, William Henry Dayton, William Durer, Esq., Committee of Commerce for Congress ... agree and engage with Roderigue Hortales et Cie., by their said agent as follows:
”1st. That remittances shall be made by exports of American produce ... for the express purpose of discharging the debt already justly due, or thereafter to become justly due in consequence of this agreement....
”2nd. That all cargoes ... for the discharge of said debt, be addressed to Roderigue Hortales et Cie.... subject to the inspection and control of an agent appointed under the authority of congress, who shall have liberty to inspect the quality of such merchandise, a.s.sent to or reject the prices offered, postpone the sales and do everything for the interests of his const.i.tuents.