Philada. Jany 31 st. 1777
Dear Sir
I am exceedingly uneasy at a letter received last night from my Friend Mr. James Duff of Cadiz respecting my Brother. He tells me that he had regularly Corresponded with him from the time he arrived in Europe untill he went over to England & that from that time he never answered his letters altho they contained business of moment and I am likely to suffer considerably by the Neglect. He adds that his expences were growing very extravagant & in short gives me reason to suppose his Conduct is not right. Circumstanced as I now am with him You may suppose this gives me a most serious alarm. He had been Frolicksom & foolish many times as a Boy, but as I never knew him to depart from principles of honor & integrity in his wildest days, I never entertained a doubt of his becoming an excellent Character in the progress of his Manhood. These Considerations and the good accounts given of him by all my Friends in Spain & Italy induced me not only to commit to his care my own private business in which he is a partner, but to recommend him to the Superintendancy of the Public business as you will have seen heretofore and I know also that he has good mercantile abilities if he will but exercise them properly. However this letter from Mr Duff alarms me most exceedingly as it will make me most unhappy if the Public business shou'd have suffered by this appointment. I have hopes that on receiving my letters he wou'd instantly repair to France, consult you in all things and act under your guidance. If this shou'd be the case I shall be happy, if it is not, much shall I feel on the occasion, however I give you this notice of my alarm the moment I have received it that either his neglect & or abuse of the Trust reposed in him, if any there be, may be remedied the soonest that is possible and I am to inform you that the Secret Committee have agreed to join Alderman William Lee Esqr, late of London, now supposed to be in France, with my Brother in this Commission. Therefore you can immediately give him Notice of it and letters authorizing him to Act will follow this immediately; at present there is not time for it, neither are the rest of the Secret Committee here. I have by this Conveyance wrote to my Friend Mr. John Ross of this place now in Europe (I expect in France) giving him a full account of this affair and authorizing him if he finds my Brother to have been faulty, immediately to get from him all letters & papers that regard the Public or my own business together with a Power of atty from my Brother to Act in his name & behalf until such time as a proper arrangement shall take place. Mr. Ross unluckily is a Scotch Man, but he is a Staunch American or I am much deceived. He was manv years my Neighbour. We have done a great deal of business together and I know him to be a capable steady merchant, regular and punctual, therefore I most cheerfully commit my own affairs to his guidance & the Public will benefit by any direction he may have in theirs. I recommend this Gentn to your Friendship but as to Politics you'l use your own discretion in trusting him or not as he is from North of Tweed, but I am confident he is a fast Friend to the interest of this Country, indeed it is his own interest to be so. Shou'd Mr Ross be in France when you receive this he will do the needfull immediately; if he is not there you will take the proper care of all public effects untill he comes. At the same time I must flatter myself with the hope that my present fears are needless. This will be delivered you by Capt Thos Bell whom I have sent over with the Public dispatches to you (Gentn Commissioners) and herein you will find enclosed a letter directed to my Brother left open & dated the 29th Inst.1 before I had any reason to doubt his Prudence. By this you will find I have procured Capt Bell a Commission for a Privateer & that my Friend Mr Jno Maxwell Nesbit is to be interested therein to the Amount of One Thousand pounds Sterling and myself to the same amount & that we proposed you & my Brother shou'd make up the rest of the concern to compleat such a Cruizer as you shou'd deem best calculated for success. If my Brother is doing what he ought to do and has your approbation to his Conduct he may still go on with this business. If the reverse Mr Ross can do it well or you may appoint any other person that you think proper, but as Capt Bell goes so long a Voyage for this purpose & you have encouraged the plan he must not be disapointed. I have Shipped some Tobacco by the ship he goes in consigned to Messrs. Pliarne, Penet & Compy with orders to sell it to the best advantage and to comply with your orders to the amount of One Thousand Pounds Sterling which is to pay for my interest in this Privateer. Mr. Nesbit says he has some bills but not enough for his share, he expects to have some money in my Brothers hand from a former consignment & he will send forward other effects soon to make it up. He is a Man of honor & Fortune and may be depended on, therefore do not let him be disapointed & to prevent it I have now directed that Messrs. Pliarne, Penet & Co shou'd Account with you for the whole net proceeds of 86 hhds of Tobo by this Ship which I hope will neat above £20 stg per hhd. If Mr Ross fits the Privateer you can transfer this order to him, if my Brother does it transfer it to him & if the whole is not wanted only take so much as is required leaving the remainder with Messrs Pliarne, Penet & Co for future orders. There are four hhds of Furs onboard this Ship also consigned to these Gentn. They are for Public account and the net proceeds to be remitted to you. Originally they were ordered to My Brother as well as the Tobacco but I have altered the orders to Messrs Pliarne.& Co without mentioning the cause. Youl observe that the Cargoes that have been dispatched from America for Europe consigned to the order of Mr. Thos. Morris have all been directed to Messrs. Pliarne, Penet & Co at Nantes, Messrs. Saml & J. H. Delap at Bourdeaux & one to Mr. Andw Limozin at Havre de Grace, unless he has fixed other agents in those & other Ports since he received his appointment. Therefore you can readily come at all that have arrived for if he has attended his duty he will know and give acct thereof. If he has not the Cargoes & his letters must remain with the above Houses unless they have sent the letters & made the remittances to you, and in that case you will deliver all the letters that regard my Houses private Concerns to Mr Ross, also any money or effects that may have come into your hands in consequence of them. I put 100 hhds of Tobo. on their acct onbd the Ship Aurora from Virginia & 50 hhds onbd the ship Farmer, Capt Dashiel, from Maryld both for Nantes directed to Messrs Pliarne & Co. but Consigned to the order of Mr Thos. Morris. The rest of the Cargoes were on Public account. I hope to be relieved from this state of anxiety I am suddenly thrown into by the imprudence of one that I am very desirous of serving and have taken much pains to make a valuable good Man. God send he may yet turn out such. I beg my Compts to Doctr Franklin. I am impatient to hear of his safe arrival and shall be very happy w hen that good News reaches us.
I am with sincere Regard & esteem Dr sir, Your affectionate Friend & Obedt hble servant,
Robt Morris
Receiver's copy, Connecticut Historical Society.
1 Not found.
2 The range of Morris' activities, which often combined essentially private with public interests, is also illustrated in an intercepted letter he M rote the preceding day in behalf of himself and fellow Philadelphia merchant Jacob Winey. "The Ship Lord Camden," he wrote to master George Geddis, "of which you are appointed Commander has long been loaden with a Cargo of Tobacco, flour & Iron, but as there now seems to be a chance of getting safe out to Sea You are immediately to repair onboard and proceed direct for Nantes in France and on your arrival there report that you are bound for Holland but called in for orders. You are to apply to Mr. John Danl Schwieghauzer Mercht there & deliver him the letter given you herewith. He will then receive the Cargo with all possible expedition, and in Return he will put onboard a Cargo of Salt for which you are to sign bills of Loading for the same Consigned to me take in as much as will put the Ship into a good deep Set of ballast but not too deep for sailing. Mr Schweighawser will supply you with what may be needfull for Disbursmts & Charges in which we beg You will be as Moderate as possible. When your business is finished at Nantes you are to proceed with the utmost dilligence back to this port, unless during the Cruize of the Voyage you shoud hear that the British are in possession of it & in that case or if you are chased from our Capes you must then make the first safe Harbour that you can & give us immediate Notice of Your safe arrival. There are two thousand Staves onboard which you must sell on the Ships account & the money will help to pay charges. You will also be attentive in delivering the Cargo as we imagine there is one hhd more onboard than is in the bills of Loading & if so you'l take Mr. Schweighausers rect for it, indeed you must do this for all you deliver. As you carry some passengers with you, use them well & they will add to the safety of the Voyage by preventing any bad attempts of the Seamen. We depend on your care of the Ship her Materials & Stores & on your zeal to serve and promote our Interest, & in return you may depend we shall not be backward to reward you well for Serving us faithfully. Shou'd it be your misfortune to fall into the hands of the Enemy be sure to destroy all the letters we give you as well as these orders which we would not choose shou'd fall into their hands on any account, but you must carefully avoid all vessells at Sea & then we hope you will make a safe & successful voyage which we most sincerely wish & are sir, your obedt hble servts, Robt Morris, Jacob Winey."
Notwithstanding Morris' injunction to destroy "these orders," "shou'd it be your misfortune to fall into the hands of the Enemy," Geddis obviously failed to do so. Morris' and Winey's January 30, 1777, letter to Geddis is in High Court of Admiralty Papers, 32:391, pt 2, PRO.