uld
publish them to the army in General Orders. Washington, in reply,
excused himself from complying with that suggestion. In thus declining
it, he showed his usual sagacity and foresight; for on the very next day
after the first resolution, the Congress underwent a sudden revulsion of
opinion, and did not scruple to disperse in all haste, to meet again the
20th of the same month, not at Philadelphia, but at Baltimore." (Lord
Mahon's History of England, etc., Vol. VI., Chap. liv., pp. 189-193.)]

[Footnote 407: Dr. Andrews' History of the American War, etc., Vol.
III., Chap. xxxv., p. 111.]

[Footnote 408: Frothingham's Rise of the American Republic, Chap. xii.,
p. 572.]

[Footnote 409: The Life of Arthur Lee (I., p. 53) contains the letter to
Lee, copied from the original MSS. in the handwriting of Franklin, dated
December 12, 1775, and signed by Franklin, Dickenson, and Jay.]

[Footnote 410: Frothingham's Rise of the American Republic, Chap, xi.,
p. 488.]

[Footnote 411: Franklin to Josiah Quincy, April 15, 1776. Sparks' Works,
Vol. VIII., p. 181.]

[Footnote 412: History of the United States, Vol. II., Chap. xv., pp.
242, 243.

The same historian observes: "On the 11th of June, Congress appointed a
Committee to prepare a plan of a treaty to be proposed to foreign
powers. The discussion of this novel subject engaged their attention
till the latter end of September. Congress having agreed on the plan of
the treaty which they intended to propose to the King of France,
proceeded to elect commissioners to solicit its acceptance. Dr.
Franklin, Silas Deane, and Thomas Jefferson were chosen. The latter
declining to serve, Arthur Lee, who was then in London, and had been
very serviceable to his country in a variety of ways, was elected in his
room. It was resolved that no member should be at liberty to divulge
anything more of these transactions than 'that Congress had taken such
steps as they judged necessary for obtaining foreign alliances.'"--_Ib._,
p., 242, 243.

It is worthy of remark, that although Dr. Franklin consented to act as
one of the commissioners to France, he opposed the application itself;
for he himself wrote a few months afterwards as follows: "I have never
yet changed the opinions I gave in Congress, that a virgin state should
preserve a virgin character, and not go about suitoring for alliances,
but wait with decent dignity for the applications of others. I was
overruled, perhaps for the best."