British politician and diplomat (1751–1835), a close friend of Benjamin Franklin’s, who sided with the Americans during the Revolutionary War and helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris in 1783. Interesting ALS signed “Benjn: Vaughan,” two pages both sides, 7 x 9, January 16, 1783. Vaughn, then in Paris for negotiations to bring a formal end to the Revolutionary War, writes to an unnamed lord [possibly the prime minister, Lord Shelburne]. In part: “I received the pacquet … yesterday evening from Dr. Franklin. It relates to a vessel belonging to his nephew Jonathan Williams, run away with by the crew, and carried into Kinsale…. I went to hear what grounds Dr. Franklin might have for suggesting that the capture of the vessel would benefit the captors. He said, a proclamation which was framed purposely for the American war, allowed it. I said that an English vessel run away with to Cadiz had been confiscated in the same manner, for the captors; and that when a vessel was run away with in any war, I believed the first commissioned person of the enemy that saw her, might make property of her. He [Franklin] then replied, that when the first seizure of a vessel was made under this proclamation, he had drawn up a strong paper to send to London, which Count Vergennes kept back as not likely to do good; and that it was natural if reprisals in kind should since have been ordered. That an enemy’s taking the profits of the treachery, was still a different thing from the case made by the proclamation, where they were given to the traitors themselves. That treachery was a shocking thing to encourage for the world; it went into people’s families and houses; and good men should try to render it detested…. Your lordship, I presume, will think me justified in having made no answer to this discourse. I could easily have sighed [sic] with the Dr., but I will that only with your lordship. Good morals I think are necessary for all the world, and they should be held up through peace and through war…. If the government of a country chooses to take up arms, there seems no motive why private persons should have their rule for private conduct corrupted, or why neighboring nations should be accustomed to dangerous precedents against it…. As I did not choose to talk about any event likely to attend this affair to Dr. Franklin, still less have I done it to Mr. Williams. But whatever may be the fate of the vessel, the recall of the proclamation I conceive would be highly grateful both to my friends and to every man of fair principles in America….” Intersecting mailing folds (horizontal fold with attendant soiling lightly touching signature) and faint show-through if ink, otherwise fine condition. R&R COA.
