Sender: William Whipple
Recipient: Richard Henry Lee
Philadelphia 8th Novr 1778
My Dear Sir
On my arrival here the 4th inst. I had the pleasure of receiving Your favor
of the 31 Ulto at the hand of Our Mutual Friend Mr Adams. I Esteem
myself highly Obliged by this token of Your remembrance, but should
have been much Happier to have found you here. May I hope my loss will
in some measure be made up by frequently hearing from you? which I
flatter myself Your Retirement, will afford you opportunities of
Gratifying me in.
You may be assured my attention will be much engaged in Marine Matters,
& it will afford me perticular satisfaction to cooperate with you
in that Business when you return here, which it is my sincere wish Your
business may speedily admit of.1
I left Mr. Langdon very well the 20th Octo. He very peticularly desired his
respects to you.
Please to make my most respectful Compliments to Your Good Lady, who I hope
will so far retract her promise, as to give me an opportunity (when
peace is happily Established) to introduce her to such persons in
Portsmouth as will be very happy in having an opportunity of making a
visit to that Cuntry agreeable to her.
I have taken up my Quarters at Liberty Hall where you know is a set, well
agreed in Political Sentiments, & I think I may say with great
certainty that they are as well agreed in sentimen[ts] of Esteem &
Respect for you. I anticipate the pleasures of some long winter
Evenings where with a Social pipe and Friendly Glass we shall call to
mind our worthy Friend & Heartily join in wishing he may soon add
to our little Circle.
I have nothing new at present to give you, whenever any thing happens that
I think will give you pleasure be assured it will be a double pleasure
to me to communicate it.
I am dear Sir with the utmost Sincerity, Most Respectfully Yours, Notes:
Receiver’s copy, Lee Papers, American Philosophical Society.
1 Whipple had been appointed to the Marine Committee on 6 November. JCC,
12:1106. See also Samuel Adams to James Warren, 9 November 1778.
2 Lee’s 29 November 1778, response to this letter, written from Chantilly,
Va., where he remained on leave from Congress until the following
February, offers detailed advice to the Marine Committee on the
disposition of the Continental Navy. The letter is in James Curtis Ballagh, The Letters of Richard Henry Lee, Volume 1, 1762 – 1778, 1:453 – 55. For a letter containing information on
congressional affairs that Lee wrote soon after he returned home,
dated “Chantilly Novr. 15th 1778” and directed to Gov. Patrick Henry,
see ibid, pp. 451 – 53. In addition to the court-martial of Gen.
Charles Lee and the depreciation of Continental currency, Lee
explained to Henry the refusal of Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey
to ratify the Articles of Confederation. “Maryland,” Lee reported, “I
fear will never come in whilst our claim remains so unlimited to the
westward. They affect to fear our power, and they are certainly
envious of the wealth they suppose may {low from this source – It is
not improbable that the secret machinations of our enemies are at the
bottom of this – Some of the most heated Opponents of our claim, say
that if we would fix a reasonable limit, and agree that a new State
should be established to the Westward of those limits, they would be
content to confederate. What do you think Sir of our proposing the
Ohio as a boundary to the Westward, and agreeing that the Country
beyond should be settled for common good and make a new State on
condition that compensation reasonable should be made us for
Dunmores, Colo. Christians, and our late expedition. This might
perhaps be agreed to and be taken well as coming freely from us.
When we consider the difficulty of republican laws and government piercing
so far from the seat of Government and the benefit in point of
oeconomy from having a frontier State to guard us from Indian wars
and the expence they create, I cannot help thinking that upon the
whole this would be our wisest course.”
