Philadelphia May 19. 1781
Dear Sir
A few Days ago I was favoured with yours of the 27th of April by your Brother1 and do truly feel myself sensibly obliged by your Attention to my Affairs. Your Brother will soon I expect be able to discharge Mr Turbervilles Account only the Interest Bills & indeed all Bills on Europe here Sell very low. They do not bring at present above 5/ this Money a Dollar. I beg you would make my Compliments to Mr Turberville & thank him for his ready compliance with my Desire - The rather this is necessary because from some thing your Brother said I suppose what I wrote about my having sent twice on purpose to Maryland & Virginia to collect the Arrears due to me been applied to him but his Sum was So Small compared with the others that I never Sent it before. I shall have great Reliance on what you have written respecting Col. Lees Account. One Mr Ker in Dumfries has Directions to settle it. I shall be now fully satisfied if I can receive the original Sum with Interest and paid in hard Money for though as I wrote before Money in the Time of these Expenditures was much more valuable than Now & would have gone nearly twice as far in Stocking as I am or clothing a Family yet Such is the Call I hear for money at present that I will be happy in receiving it - if in real Money. What adds to my present Difficulties is that my eldest Son John2 has lately been taken by the English at Statia where he was a Surgeon to a Letter of Marque. By a Letter from a Merchant there & the Captain who brought it I am informed that my Son is very hardly treated on Acct of his Relation to me and Some bold and spirited thing that he said to Admiral Rodney when reproached with that Relation. He was sent to England on the 10th of March & When some Gentleman of the Island sent him some Hams, Cheese, Pork & Wine as Sea Stores & Refreshments the Capt. Ordered them to be thrown overboard. This unhappy Situation which has deeply affected his Mother & my self requires particularly Some Attention to him in point of Credit - which nothing but hard money will procure now in this Place.
You must have heard before now of the dreadful Blow which Paper Money of all Kinds has lately received. It is lamentable to think how our Operations are hindered, our Army distressed and our Friends missed by our trusting to Paper Money. Just now My son in law3 has met with a Stroke of that kind. When he left Virginia he sold his Furniture on Credit has been paid in Paper and his Brother bringing two Weeks ago several thousand Pounds continental Money it perished in his hand in one Week & would not now enable him to travel 50 Miles.
A Committee of Congress of whom I am one have been making a last Effort for putting an End to the Use of Paper but though some of the parts of our System have been adopted I am affraid it will be finally defeated by those still hankering after the partial use of that Deceiver. It is probable you will have the News upon this and other Subjects Sent you fully by your Brother. Some Dispatches came to the Minister of France to Day of which we shall know the Contents on Monday - if there be any thing particularly interesting that can be communicated I shall either write it to You by the Post or tell him that he may write it.
We have got one New Delegate from N.H.4 but I cannot as yet tell much about his Principles or probable Conduct. Mr. Duane is gone & New York is not represented neither is Connecticut, Rhode Island nor Delaware a Piece of Neglect wholly inexcusable at this Time.
The President of Congress asked Leave lately to go home and a Day was fixed for the Choice of another. The Ballots being taken upon that Day no one had more than two Votes so that we requested the President to continue & it was postponed sine die and I think it probable he will continue till the Fall.5 I believe if your Colleague Mr Jones would have agreed to serve he would have been chosen. If a New Attempt is made I think either he or Mr Jenifer of Maryland will be the Man. We are all at present very anxious about the Situation of your State & impatiently looking for a greater sea force.
I am D Sir your &c,
JW
Receiver’s copy, Gilmor Collection, Maryland Historical Society.
1 That is, Arthur Lee, who had returned to Philadelphia to settle his accounts with Congress. JCC, 20:522, 574 - 76; PCC, item 78, 14:433.
2 For the imprisonment of Witherspoon’s son, who was released by the British in September after the intervention of Benjamin Franklin, see James Lovell to Franklin, May 9, note 2; and Witherspoon to Franklin, June 15, 1781.
3 That is, Samuel Stanhope Smith.
4 That is, Samuel Livermore.
5 Thomas McKean was elected to succeed Pres. Samuel Huntington on July 10 after Samuel Johnston was chosen but declined to serve. See JCC, 20:490, 492, 724, 732 - 33.