Editing Silas Deane (section)

==After the war and death==
In October 1781, Deane moved to Ghent where he could live more cheaply than in Paris. Then in March 1783, he moved to London, hoping to find investors for manufacturing ventures that he planned to pursue after he returned to North America. He toured several manufacturing towns in England in late 1783, considering plans for steam engines that could operate grist mills, even consulting [[James Watt]] for advice. He also tried to attract investors for a planned canal linking [[Lake Champlain]] and the [[Saint Lawrence River|St. Lawrence River]].{{sfn|Schaeper|2011|pp=214–216}} In 1784, he published a defense of his actions during the war entitled ''An Address to the Free and Independent Citizens of the United States of North America''.<ref>{{Cite book|title = An Address to the Free and Independent Citizens of the United States of North America|last = Deane|first = Silas|year = 1784|location = London| isbn=9780665206542 |url = https://archive.org/stream/cihm_20654#page/n9/mode/2up}}</ref>

In the fall of 1787, Deane became bedridden from an unknown illness and did not fully recover until April 1789. His condition depleted his remaining money and forced him to depend on the charity of friends. In the summer of 1788, a Frenchman named Foulloy approached [[Thomas Jefferson]] in Paris with an account book and a letter book dating from Deane's diplomatic mission, apparently stolen from Deane during his illness. Foulloy threatened to sell the books to the British government if Jefferson did not purchase them—which Jefferson eventually did after negotiating a greatly reduced price.{{sfn|Schaeper|2011|pp=216–218}}

In 1789, Deane planned to return to North America in an attempt to recoup his lost fortune and reputation. After boarding the ship ''Boston Packet,'' he became ill and died on September 23 while the ship was awaiting repairs after turning back following damage from fierce winds.{{sfn|Schaeper|2011|p=220}} In 1959, historian [[Julian P. Boyd]] suggested that Deane might have been poisoned by Bancroft, because Bancroft might have felt threatened by Deane's possible testimony to Congress.{{sfn|Davidson|Lytle|1992|pp=}}{{sfn|Schaeper|2011|pp=218–224}}