I am much chagrined at not having a Line about you by last Post. I did not expect one from you. You are so sick of Party abroad that you would not venture to have any thing to do with Individualities, here. Every Line that I read from France, like as yours have done, confirms me in an Approbation of the part I have taken all along through the contests of many months back relative to our Commissioners at foreign Courts. We have now in our different Committees Vouchers sufficient to prove that Mr. A Lee has been greatly abused-greatly provoked-and, in that Predicament, has conducted so as to give his Enemies an Advantage in some points. I hope his Brothers, who are both now out of Congress,(1) will publish several peices, which have lately passed through my Hands; particularly a Letter to Carter Braxton being strictures upon one of his intercepted at Sea.(2)
I send you three Gazettes which I beg you will inclose to A L, with or without a Letter as you please. The Navy Board will forward them by the Vessels which go from Boston. It will be a Satisfaction to him to see that the Falsehood and Malice of the Address of Decr. 5-78 is appearing more & more daily here.
Mr. D-,(3) by a late Application to have his Pay during a Return to France & settlement of our Business which he was forced to leave by our Order of Decr. 8-77 in a very loose condition, has put us upon a fair occasion of doing Justice to ourselves for the Abuses which he has gone into of our over Lenity months ago. I will send you the little foolish part of the vexatious Report of the Comtee. of 13 which related to you.(4) It will show the Spirit of that Comtee: as well as Izards overheat.
I am persuaded that Watchmen of Integrity are necessary for us abroad; but I would not chuse to em ply Jealousy or Suspicion for such Ends; they never see truly all round. I am in hopes that a Treaty of Alliance will shortly be formed with Spain, and I am sure that then
Mr L (5) will think he can resign with honor. He would now appear to do it thro fear or thro fret.
1 That is, Francis Lightfoot and Richard Henry Lee.
2 Several of Braxton's letters, particularly one dated December 26, 1778, and addressed to John Ross in France, had been intercepted by the British and published in James Rivington's Rowal Gazette on February 3, 1779. In his letter to Ross, Braxton had attacked the Lee brothers for their roles in the "trial" of Silas Deane in Congress. The particular piece that had "passed through" Lovell's hands was apparently a strong letter of rebuttal from Arthur Lee to Braxton, dated Paris, May 22, 1779, which was later published in the Virginia Gazette (Dixon & Nicolson) on October 9, 1779. For an earlier attempt to discredit Braxton by publicizing his captured letters, see Meriwether Smith to the Public, March 9, 1779.
3 Silas Deane.
4 Lovell probably sent the single charge leveled against John Adams, that he opposed articles 11 and 12 of the Treaty of Commerce. JCC, 13:368.
5 Arthur Lee.