Peter Penet among the Oneida Indians. 277 



24tli December, and repaired to congress, who approved 

 of their plan, and the secret committee executed a con- 

 tract with Messrs De Plairne, Penet and Co., for the supply 

 of a large amount of arms from France. From the 

 correspondence of that period, it appears, that they made 

 separate proposals to Xew York, Virginia and other 

 colonies for the sale of cannon, ordnance stores and small 

 arms, and that among the orders received, was one from 

 Virginia, for twelve six pounder cannon. 1 "We have not 

 met with this contract, made with the secret committee of 

 congress, and only learn incidentally, that it involved the 

 shipment of tobacco in payment direct to France, 2 the cus- 

 tomary mode of exportation having formerly been by way 

 of England. 



This arrangement having been completed, Mr. Penet 

 left America in March 1776, in a vessel hired on purpose 

 for sending him and another of his countrymen to France. 3 

 Mr. Penet was entrusted with letters to our agents abroad, 

 and coming directly from the scene of action that was then 

 exciting great interest in Europe, was able to give infor- 

 mation and details of value to the colonial cause. Yet 

 he returned from Philadelphia empty handed, and it 

 required diplomacy of no ordinary ability to meet the 

 emergencies that arose in attempting to fulfil his contract. 

 M. Dubourg, in writing to Dr. Franklin in June 1776, says : 

 " Mr. Penet appears a faithful, active, intelligent man, and 

 very much the connoisseur in arms of every kind ; but I 

 have been led to think, that your committee not knowing 

 him sufficiently to trust with large pecuniary funds, would 

 only engage themselves to repay amply his advances, and 

 he is not in condition to do great things in that way, how- 

 ever good his disposition is therefor. This is what retards 

 all the operations, which might have been much accele- 



1 American Archives, IV Series, vi., 781. 



2 lb. IV Series, vi, 447. 



3 lb. 660. 



[Trans, i\] 36 



