John Jeffries to William Temple Franklin (unpublished)
London, Margaret Street, Cavendish Square, 2d May 1785
Sir

will you suffer me again to intrude [illegible] indulgence to me.

I had indeed rather you should have honoured me with some request;—but since you have not, I must only hope you will, whenever I can promote any wish of yours.—

We are informed that Mr Adams is appointed Ambassador to the British Court; & will reside here with his family.—

If you do not find too much impropriety in it; will you do me the honour to recomend me professionally to him & family? & to any other [illegible] or sert. who may visit London either occasionally, or for a residence?—

with the little abilites I possess, it may not become me to promise more than a faithfull attention to the discharge of whatever confidence they may honour me with; & as I do not strictly confine myself to prescribing only, perhaps, that family mode of blending Physick & Surgery, may render it the more convenient to them; particularly to Ladies—

I cannot omit this opportunity to thank you for your kind interest in my behalf with his Grace of Dorset; & him for his very polite attention & condescension to me; I feel myself greatly oblidged thereby, altho hitherto, from the embarrased situation of the Minister, the State of Politicks, or from some cause or other, I have not been able to derive either honour or profit from it.—

Some of my friends here, & who have the honour to be acquainted with his Grace of Dorset, are angry at the neglect shewn me, & (as they say) to him; I wish much to know the contents of the Letter the Duke honoured me with; but as it was given to me sealed, I am not able to inform them—they say they could make it useful to me if they could have a Copy of it, or one similar—would his Grace condescend to favor me so far? you know best.—I dare not, (for fear of offending) ask it of him.—

It appears strange to me, that this so very generous people in many things; should be totally negligent, if not meanly parsimonious in this—

had I been fortunate enough to have undertaken & executed such an enterprise in the jovial Days of Charles the 2d; I should, at least, have found some courtier to have introduced me to his presence; & not improbably, in a merry mood, he would have bid me rise a Knight, altho he might not have given me a Guinea to support the character.—unfortunately for me, I fear the Govenor has not yet found it convenient to impart to Dr Blagdan what you were so kind as to write in my favour.—& I am very sorry to find myself oblidged to inform you that the Sieur Blanchard has behaved most ungratefully to me ever since my return; & not only refuses to pay me the Monies I lent him for his own private affairs, before our first experiment Togather;—but has (in addition to the Hundred Guineas, I made him a present of at that time, & above five hundred, voluntarily paid for my last) framed a Bill against me, & demands of me, upwards £250 Sterl: as due to him—which he has made out, by charging me 96£ for 184 tickets returned him, after our first experiment, at which time he thanked me for having done so much for him; & after that borrowed of me at different times 90 Guineas & gave me his Notes for them.—the other sums he makes up by charging me for all the apparatus & the aerial Car, &c & for his Cloathes & Pamplets, which we were compelled to throw away on our voyage across the Chanel; & it too notwithstanding the Balloon &c has been purchased of him by the City of Calais.—& he even charges me eight Guineas for a third part of the Expence from Calais to Paris, altho, at the time, when I wished to do it, he would not suffer me to pay, because I had payed £46 for our hotel expences at Dover.—& in addition to this, he charges me £2.10 Sterl: for accompanying him to Versailles from Paris, in his own Carriage; & when I went at great inconvenience to myself; & solely to speak in his behalf, & for his own affairs—this Conduct in him, hurts me exceedingly; & has embarrassed me how to act—as I feel myself grateful for the attention & civilities shewn me at Versailles &c—I have been exceeding loth to expose a man whom the Court of France have so much honoured & held up to publick notice—but my friends censure me much for my false delicacy as they call it; & I greatly fear I must be oblidged to expose him, to vindicate my own honour; especially, as I very much want the Monies lent him.—

There is nothing I wish for more, than ever very gratefully to acknowledge the honour & favours I received in france—I therefor in this case, much need advice—I have repeatedly waited on the Duke de Chartres, to communicate to him my situation & to follow his wishes or advice therein—but have never been able to meet with him—do my dear Sir, advise me & inform me, if you possibly can, how it will probably be viewed in france—embarassed as I have been, since my return here, I have not hitherto been able to make out but one Copy of our two Aerial Voyages, which I have given to Sir J: Bankes for his perusal &c—& I will forward you a Copy as soon as I possibly can.—

I must beg of you to make my most respectful regards to the venerable Docter & your domestick circle—I pray dont forget me to your charming friend Madame M: & Madame de V.—in truth, I almost wish I had remained with you.—

I wish, my Dear Sir, I could apologize better than by begging you would believe me equally your devoted, as you have found me, your troublesome friend & humble sert

J: Jeffries.

W T: Franklin Esqr. & &c
Addressed: A Monsieur / Monsieur W: T: Franklin / à Passy / pres au Paris
Notation: J. Jeffries 2d May 1785
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