Adams excepted) would have relinquished them, rather than have broken
off the treaty. To Mr. Adams's perseverance alone, on that point, I
have always understood we were indebted for their reservation. As to the
charge of subservience to France, besides the evidence of his friendly
colleagues before named, two years of my own service with him at Paris,
daily visits, and the most friendly and confidential conversations,
convince me it had not a shadow of foundation. He possessed the
confidence of that government in the highest degree, insomuch, that
it may truly be said, that they were more under his influence, than
he under theirs. The fact is, that his temper was so amiable and
conciliatory, his conduct so rational, never urging impossibilities, or
even things unreasonably inconvenient to them, in short, so moderate
and attentive to their difficulties, as well as our own, that what his
enemies called subserviency, I saw was only that reasonable disposition,
which, sensible that advantages are not all to be on one side, yielding
what is just and liberal, is the more certain of obtaining liberality
and justice. Mutual confidence produces, of course, mutual influence,
and this was all which subsisted between Dr. Franklin and the government
of France.
I state a few anecdotes of Dr. Franklin, within my own knowledge, too
much in detail for the scale of Delaplaine's work, but which may find a
cadre in some of the more particular views you contemplate.
Pages:
503
504
505
506
507
508
509
510
511
512
513
514
515
516
517
518
519
520
521
522
523
524
525
526
527