James Lovell to Richard Henry Lee

I shall leave you to get news at large respecting our army, and the transactions of Congress, from your worthy brother, only saying as to the first, that the extremity of those injuries which were prophesied some months ago are now realized in the Commissariate; and that we also now find most of our high expectations from the expensive establishment of the Quarter-master had not a thorough foundation; Genl. W - - n has made this evident, and shown it fairly to be the clue to unravel our many seemingly misterious past miscarriages in the Field.

As to the second I will remark that few in number we have vaste business, and tho’ we have had particular reason to regret your absence & that of other antient members, we must & will go thro with what times and circumstances demand to be immediately done.

From me, you will chiefly look for foreign affairs. What I have before written did not fully destroy Bingham’s narrative; what I now communicate goes near to do it; but it leaves our Intelligence from St. Pierre’s Miquilon in good force. Private persons at Nantes Sepr. 5th might easily be ignorant of what Bingham might know thro a public chanel at Martinique Octr. 13th. But, Mr. Williams gives me the following in a private correspondence of Octr. 18th.¹ "The politics of this country seem still to be as from the beginning of the war. They rejoyce at every event in favor of America, because they wish to see their old enemy crushed, but that enemy is still so formidable to them that they do not seem inclined to lend an helping hand to us openly; and every peice of bad news from America, as it raises the tone of the English ambassador, increases their fears, and the effect is felt throughout all the seaports of the kingdom. We have lately had two Jamaicamen seized by the Admiralty, and I suppose they will be returned to the English. It is true prizes are still brought in & privately sold; but the purchasers, on account of the risque of having them given up, do not allow above 1/3 of the value. Thus, do the French merchants make great sums of money; and the policy of the nation goes hand in hand with the interest of individuals.

["]It is indeed pretended that matters will take a turn soon. The reason, they say, that war is not more thought of at present, is,² that their Fishermen & Baltic ships are still out: by the first they expect an additional No. of Seamen & by the last a full supply of naval stores which would be intercepted should a rupture take place now, but, that when these shall be safely arrived, they will hold a very different Language to the English. Two or three months will convince us whether these professions are sincere or not; but, I apprehend some singular success on the part of America would do more in our favor than any other Circumstance."

The Rawleigh & Alfred arrived at L’orient the 6th of Octr. Between that and the 15th they had suddenly sold two Jamaicamen for only 9,700 sterlg. as the other two at Nantes taken by a Massachusetts Capt. Kendrick had been seized. One Nicholson, brother of the Baltimore Commander, had a fine Frigate just launched at Nantes, of 24 Twelves on her Gun Deck & 6 Sixes on her Quarters, and would be at sea in Novr. with the other two which were hove down at L’orient, the Commissary of which port had orders from the ministry to supply every thing out of the royal magazines for Thompson & Hindman.

Poor Johnston was taken two days after he left Morlaix by a Cutter of heavier mettal than his, having fought 5 Hours, lost many men as well as his enemy and being towed a wreck into Dover. I doubt not our Gentlemen will exert every nerve to protect him from the malice which will be ready to show itself against him after his late successes in the Irish Chanel. Our old Holland correspondent gives us on the 2d. of Augst.³ a long detail of Sam & John Adams’s wife & children at the Hague, where it seems one or other of those Gentlemen was born & married, but forsook his wife & family to make his fortune in America. "Sr Joseph York knows this but pretends to be ignorant of it," say the Relations. "And tho’," says Dumas, "this is at bottom only a bagatelle, yet I wish to have some short account of the honourable persons of Mr Sam & Mr John Adams that I may undeceive our public & confound the imposture which characterizes impudent & base enemies. They decry you in Europe as Poltrons, and they at the same time pray & intreat the European Powers not to permit you to buy arms from them; and, while they fear they shall not be able to destroy Virtue, they seek to blacken & calumniate it."

"Let us pass," says he, "from this miserable tale to what is more important & more agreable."

The Pri[n]ce of Waldeck has two fine Regiments of his subjects in the service of this republic the contract for whom is near expiring. The Court of London, knowing this pressed that Prince to let her have them-but he answered that he had proposed a new contract to their High Mightenesses and had demanded some conditions in his own favor to be added to the former ones; that if their H. Msses. would not consent to them, he would let the King have them upon the conditions last demanded; but, that he could not refuse them to the Republic if she preferred to keep them. Upon this, Sr Joseph⁴