Silas Deane to John Jay, 16 October 1780
Paris Oct o 16 th 1780– 1
My D r . Sir
Yours of the 2 d . I received last Evening, am much surprized at the miscarriage of my Letter of the 28 th . of August nor can I account for it as it actually went under Cover by the Courier from Court, the Contents were not secret though important ^ to me, ^ & containing a Letter of Don Juans to the Minister at Madrid, its loss cannot be repaired, I trust you will yet receive it.– 2 C t . Harding arrived before I left Virginia but I left Philad a : soon after You, my Letters in future will come under Cover as You advise– D r . Bancroft can best Account for his not Answering M r . Carmichaels Letters, tho– from what the Doct r . has told me, I am surprized that the latter should be at any Loss at all on the Subject. 3 I do not well understand Your proposed Addition of by , 4 & therefore must write in my former method untill You explain it more fully.– I have now replyed to Yours, & having made out a Letter as long and as Circumstantial as Yours, might subscribe myself Yours &c., but I cannot do it without first telling you that I feel myself a little piqued at the shortness of your Letter, in reply to Two long ones of mine. I am equally desirous ^ with you ^ of knowing many little, & some great Circumstances, which as Your Friend & Countryman I am Interested in. The Affair of M r Laurens, you are acquainted with by the public Papers, for which it is a fruitful, & seasonable Subject as that of Electioneering is exhausted in England, his Son sailed Ten Days before him for Europe but has not been heard of. 5 our forces in s o . car[olina] . under gates have been defeated. our loss is great . Baron de Kalb killed and ab t . 2500 killed & prisoners. the acc t . is I hope exaggerated 6 j. a. is in holl d & has power to supply the place of h. laurens . M r . Searle is in holl d – You have the general American News as early probably as we have in France but as I see almost every Week some one from thence, I must tell you our affairs are not in a better state than when you left ph[iladelphi] a . many Intrigues are on foot in france & in london as well as in am[erica] : & I know so much of them as to caution you not to be alarmd at any thing. a rev[olutio] n . may happen in 3 months at present not suspect d on either party – 7 being but a passenger, I have leisure for Observation and from my past Experience & former as well as present Connections am able to see as much of the Game as some who play the great hands– My best Wishes are for the Peace, Safety & Liberty of America . ^ this was ^ Our early prayer ^ as ^ You ^ must ^ remember– a lee was at ph[iladelphi] a publishing of a New Edition of common sense with Additions &c 8 Nothing that he can say or congress resolve can alter Facts, & hav g suffered so much injustice & ingratitude from , & seen so much practised by congress on others I am become indifferent in some Degree to what either of them can say or do. I know the Weakness of congress to say no worse of it & the Malignity of a. lee & Associates. but the state of am[eric] a . wrings my very soul ruined on the one party 9 by weak distracted councils & betray d on the other by those in whom it has confided it is to hard. but Adieu to Politics, I promise to meddle no more with them in Our future Correspondance but to follow the Example you have set me in your Letters & write only on indifferent Subjects. Your happiness & prosperity can never be of this kind with me, and from that motive I wish to know at least the Outlines of your Situation–but perhaps you think me Gloomy, if ^ not ^ disaffected, I can never be so to the Interests of America, & America will soon be sensible of it, But I am not cheerful, except when I am in the Company of my Freinds & find them happy, or hear that they are so, and when I can cease reflecting on certain Subjects, this is sometimes the Case, I hope it will soon be intirely so. My Complim ts : to M rs . Jay and Co l . Livingston, and am on all Occasions my D r Sir Your Affectionate Friend and very Hum ble Serv t
S. Deane
The Hon l . Jno Jay Esq r .