Philada. Septr. 10th 1778
Sir
Your several favours of the 14th & 28th Feby & 23d March came duely to my hands.1 I was sorry to observe some parts of the Correspondance between Mr Ross & you relative to my Brothers papers, but surely as he possessed my orders he ought to have been present at the delivery of them by the Kings officers at Nantes, when those of a private Nature shoud have been delivered to him.
To prevent further altercation which I dislike exceedingly, I obtained an order of Congress for the delivery of the whole of those papers to my order and send a duplicate thereof by this Conveyance.2 I have the honor to remain, Sir, Your Obedt hble Servt.
Robt Morris
Receiver’s copy, State Historical Society of Wisconsin. Endorsed by Arthur Lee: "There was no Order enclosd."
1 No letters of these dates from Lee to Morris have been found, but several letters of 4, 13, and 28 February and 23 March 1778, discussing his activities concerning the papers of Morris’ late brother Thomas are in William Lee, Letters of William Lee, ed. Worthington C. Ford, 3 vols. (Brooklyn, N.Y.: Historical Printing Club, 1891), 2:353 - 62, 370 - 87, 402 - 11.
2 For Congress’ 4 September resolve ordering that "the commissioners or commissioner, who shall be possessed of the said books and papers when this order arrives, deliver the same, both public and private, to the said Robert Morris, or to his order," see JCC, 12:879.