upon a throne, was
loathsome to them. They had read Jefferson's "Declaration," with
delight; and had engraven its immortal principles upon their hearts.
The Marquis de Lafayette was perhaps the most prominent member of this
party.

France hated England. That haughty government had long been the most
unpopular on the globe. England had made great conquests from France,
and was rich, intelligent and powerful beyond any other nation.
Prosperity had given her arrogance, and she had placed her heel upon
her humiliated neighbors. There was not a court in Europe which would
not have rejoiced to see England humbled. The despotic court of
France, and the most haughty nobles, were ready to encounter any
perils which held out a reasonable hope that England might be
weakened. Thus the sympathies of all France were united in favor of
America.

And now the hour had come. By aiding the Americans, who had boldly
declared their independence, they might not only deprive England of
those colonies whose trade was already invaluable to England, and
which were rapidly increasing in population, wealth and power, but
also they might awaken such gratitude in the bosoms of Americans, that
the trade of the new nation would be mainly transferred to France.

Thus the court and the nobles, intent upon this object, did not
hesitate to aid in the establishment of those principles of liberty,
fraternity and equality in America, which eventually whelmed in ruin
the palaces and the castles of France.

It was deemed important to conceal, as long as possible, from the
British government the sympathy and aid which France was about to
manifest for the Americans. Arthur Lee reported that an agent of the
French government had promised to send from Holland, two thousand
pounds worth of military stores. They were to be forwarded to one of
the French West India islands, ostensibly for the service of those
islands. The governor was, however, instructed to surrender them to a
secret agent of the American Congress. The plan failed. I have not
space to record all the various stratagems which were devised to aid
the Americans, while the movement was carefully concealed from the
vigilant eyes of the English.

Franklin, with nobility of soul which should command the love of every
American, as one of his last deeds before he left his country perhaps
never to return, collected all the money he could command, about
twelve thousand dollars, and loaned it to the gover