Sales catalogue 634: Maggs Bros

Date:
1936
Reference:
WA/HMM/CM/Sal/13/170
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Sales catalogue 634: Maggs Bros. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    23/136 page 21
    PLANS FOR THE RECAPTURE OF CANADA BY FRANCE. 603 GANADA. A” COLLECTION -OF~ 42-LETLERS. OF PELLEVE, WILLIAM TATE, AND STEPHEN THORN, CONGERNING PLANS FOR THE RECAPTURE OF CANADA BY THE FRENCH. 20 pp., folio and 4to.. 1795-6. £63 An extremely interesting collections of letters dealing with plans for the recapture of Canada by the French, and suggesting plans for an expedition. The letters are as follows :— THORN (Stephen). American Officer. FOUR AUTOGRAPH LETTERS SIGNED AND TWO LETTERS SIGNED TO THE COMMITTEE OF PUBLIC SAFETY. 9 pages, folio and 4to. Paris and Calais, 7th Aug., 1795—27th Feb., 1796. Outlining a plan for the capture of Canada, and suggesting certain Com- manders for the expedition. Montreal would be the first town to attack, then all the forts on the St. Lawrence, and down to Quebec, thus all Canada, except one or two small forts on the Great Lakes, would be in rebel hands, and these would soon give in owing to lack of supplies, and the rebels would then gain possession of Nova Scotia and the Newfoundland fisheries. Although there might be slight opposition in the neighbourhood of Navy Hall on Lake Ontario, Governor Simcoe will only be able to bring a small army against them. (i PELLEVE (ROBERT). THREE AUTOGRAPH LETTERS—(1) TO CITIZEN DEFERMON, REPRE- SENTATIVE OF THE PEOPLE, (2) THE COMMITTEE OF PUBLIC SAFETY, AND (3) TO ADMIRAL TRUGUET, FOUNDER OF THE FRENCH NAVY. 9 pages, folio, Paris, 15th August—lst September, 1795, | In his letter to Truguet, Pellevé vouches for the good character of Major Thorn, who proposes that France should recapture Canada, and assures him, that from personal knowledge of Canadians met in London, they are all longing to rejoin France. In his other letters, he repeats to the Committee his detailed instructions to Thorn on his departure for England. He is to ascertain as far as possible, the strength of the Army and Navy, to find out future plans by frequent- ing inns &c. where the officers and men congregate, giving the names of the likely inns. He vouches for Captains Cooper and Cowell, two American officers in the service of the Republic, and asks Defermon to make some gesture to assure foreigners taken prisoner while serving under the French flag, that he would procure for them the same treatment accorded to French prisoners of war, (trans: ) ‘““ which will suffice to prevent a commencement of British barbarities; I know that nation !’’ TATE (William). An American Officer in the service of France. TWO AUTOGRAPH LETTERS SIGNED TO THE DIRECTOIRE EXECUTIF. 34 pages, folio. Paris, 26th December, 1796. Also an AUTOGRAPH LETTER. 1 page, 8vo. Paris, 21st August, 1795. Tate states that he has been authorised by the Ambassador Genet, to raise an Army in America for the service of the Republic, and has attempted, by treaties with the Indians, the conferring of commissions in the Army, and the mortgaging of crown lands in conquered territory, to obtain the means to make a war at the expense of the enemy. Unfortunately British agents and pro-Britishers have induced Genet’s successor to put a stop to his activities, but he has gathered together 128 of the officers, who have all signed a resolution, swearing to serve France. He suggests that a company should be formed in France which would under- take to pay the expenses of the campaign, in return for the fishing rights of the Baye des Chaleurs, the royal territory, and any other confiscated land, with the right to trade in furs and skins. 1,500 soldiers should be raised in France and sent to America to form the nucleus of an Army there.
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