Fran he Plihideiphia National Ga-eiic.
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GA correspondent is desirous of ascer-
tanning, for apublic purpose, the name Of the
vessel in which General La Fayettc first
came to this country, in the year 1777."


We have it in our power to answer satis-
factorily the enquiry Of the correspondent of
the National Gazette. Our Information is
derived from conversations with one of the
earliest and most intimate companions of
General La Faycttc, with whom we have
the pleasure of IA personal acquaintance. The
gentleman to whom we alMde, Nous. i. 4.
DE BoIs MARTIN, has been an inhabitant of
Baltimore for the last twenty-five years, and
on the 22d Of the present month will have ar
rived at the adyantc cd age of eighty two
wears. In taking upon ourselves to answer
the enquiry which has been made, VIC have
been induced to accompany the reply with
the mention of some circumstances connect
ed with it, the knowledge of which, We be-
licve, will not prove unintcresting to the
correspondent" as they certainly viii not
to our readers at homc


Mr. De Bois Martin, native OF Santouge
in France. was commissioned as an officer of
infantry BY Louis XIV. In l770 he joined
his regiment as captain, then stationed at
Port au-frincc, III the Island of st. Domn-
go, and in 1776 returned to France on the
business Of his regiment. Having discharg
ed this duty, and being in Paris, he met with
an elder brother who was intimate with the
Marquis dc la Faycttc, and who advised him
to accompany the latter to America. An a
grecment was soon after entered into with
Mr.. Sias Dean, then American agent at Pa
ris, (but not recognized BY the French gov
ernment) that the Marquis dc Ia Fayette
should serve as Major General, and all the

| Marquis one rank higher than the one they
held i'll the French army. The French gov
ernmcnt had been for q long time promising
vessel to Mr.. Dean to convey these officers,
but always put him of under some prctence
/ or other At length the Marquis determin-
i ed to fit out a vessel at his own expense, and
embark for America. He employed MIR.
| Du Bois Martin for that purpose, who went
TO Bordeaux and purchased ship called
"LA BONNIE MERE" of about 400 tons, and
fitted her out for the intended voyage. This
ship was commanded by captain LA Boursier.
| The Marquis and twelve or fifteen officers,
including Mr.. De Bois Martin embarked at
Bordeaux in the month of April, IVY, and
after having resisted the bargcs sent by the
Governor Of Bordeaux to stop them, they
first went to Passage, in Spain, and subse-
quently arrived off the coast of South Caro-
lima in the carly part of June, IVY. Here
the ship was dismasted, and was forced to
anchor; the Marquis, with some officers,
including Baron dc kalb, went on shore,
leaving the ship to her fate. She however,
afterwards arrived safe at Charleston. The
American government did not confirm the
agreement made with Mr.. Dean in Paris
the services of most Of the offices were not
accepted, and they returned to France. Mr.
De Bois Martin embarked at Newburyport