wrote,
"would do us more essential service than a million of treasure, and much
blood spent on the continent;" and he was confident that it was
"practicable with very little danger." This was not altogether in accord
with his humane theory for the conduct of war; but so long as that
theory was not adopted by one side, it could not of course be allowed
to handicap the other.

As if Franklin had not enough legitimate trouble in furthering these
naval enterprises, an entirely undeserved vexation grew out of them for
him. There was a French captain Landais, who entered the service of the
States and was given the command of a ship in what was dignified by the
name of Jones's "squadron." Of all the excitable Frenchmen who have ever
lived none can have been more hot-headed than this remarkable man.
During the engagement between the Bon Homme Richard and the Serapis, he
sailed up and down beside the former and delivered broadsides into her
until he was near disabling and sinking the ship of his own commander.
The incomprehensible proceeding meant only that he was so wildly excited
that he did not know at whom he was firing. Soon he quarreled with
Jones; Franklin had to intervene; then Landais advanced all sorts of
preposterous demands, which Franklin refused; thereupon he quarreled
with Franklin; a very disagreeable correspondence ensued; Franklin
finally had to displace Landais from command of his ship; Landais defied
him and refused to surrender command. Then Lee decided to go home to the
States in Landais's ship. When the two got together they stirred up a
mutiny on board, and more trouble was made for Franklin. At last they
got away, and Landais went crazy during the voyage, was deposed by
his officers, and placed in confinement. If the ship had been lost,
it would have been a more tolerable loss than many for which the ocean
is accountable; but she was not, and Lee got safe ashore to continue his
machinations at Philadelphia, and to publish an elaborate pamphlet
against Franklin. All this story and the correspondence may be read at
length in Mr. Hale's "Franklin in France." It is entertaining and shows
vividly the misery to which Franklin was subjected in attending to
affairs which were entirely outside of the proper scope of his office.
"It is hard," said he, "that I, who give others no trouble with my
quarrels, should be plagued with all the perversities of those who think
fit to wrangle with one another."

[Illustrati