new commission, credentials, and instructions the congress have honored me with. I have not since had an opportunity of writing that I could trust; for I see by several instancés, that the orders given to private captains, to throw their dispatches into the sea, when likely to be taken, are sometimes neglected, and sometimes so badly executed, that the letters are recovered by the enemy, and much inconvenience has attended their interception. You mention that you should speedily have opportunities of forwarding duplicates and triplicates of these papers: none of them have ever come to hand; nor have I received any other line from you of later date.

I immediately acquainted the minister for foreign affairs with my appointment, and communicated to him, as usual a copy of my credential letter, on which a day was named for my reception. A fit of the gout prevented my attendance at that time, and for some weeks after, but as soon as I was able to go through the ceremony, I went to Versailles, and was presented to the king, and received in all the forms. I delivered the letter of the congress into his majesty's own hands, who in the most gracious manner expressed his satisfaction: and I have since constantly attended the levee, every Tuesday, with the other foreign ministers, and have taken every proper occasion of repeating the assurances I am instructed to give, of the grateful sentiments of congress, and their determined resolution to fulfil religiously their engagements. Much pains is constantly taken by the enemy to weaken the confidence of this court in their new allies, by representing our people as weary of the war, and of the government of congress, which body too, they represent as distracted by dissentions, &c. but all this has very little effect; and when on some occasions it has seemed to make a little impression, and create some apprehensions, I have not found it difficult to remove them and it is my firm opinion, that notwithstanding the great losses suffered by the commerce of this kingdom, since the commencement of the war, the disposition of the court to continue it (till its purpose of establishing our

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independence is completed) is not in the least changed, nor their regard for us diminished.

The end of that part of the instructions which relates to American seamen taken by the French in English ships, had already been obtained; captain Jones having had for some time an order from court directed to the keepers of the prisoners, requiring them to deliver to him such Americans as should be found in their hands, that they might be at liberty to serve under his command. Most of them have accordingly been delivered to him, if not all. The minister of the marine having entertained a high opinion of him from his conduct and bravery in taking the Drake, was desirous of employing him in the command of a particular enterprise; and, to that end, requested us to spare him, which we did, and sent the Ranger home under the command of his lieutenant. Various accidents have hitherto postponed his equipment, but he now has the command of a fifty gun ship, with some frigates, all under American commissions and colors, fitted out at the king's expense, and will sail it is said about the first of June. The marquis de la Fayette was, with some land troops, to have gone with him; but I now understand the marquis is not to go, the plan being a little changed. The Alliance being weakly manned at first, and the captain judging it necessary to be freed from thirty eight of his men, who had been concerned in a conspiracy, and unwilling to take French seamen, I thought it best to send him directly home, as his ship might be of some protection to the vessels then about sailing to America; and Mr. Adams, who was desirous of returning soon might be accommodated with a passage in a swift sailing vessel. I accordingly offered her as a convoy to the trade at Nantes; but the gentlemen concerned, did not think fit to wait for her getting ready, as a French convoy offered for at least part of the voyage, and the minister requesting she might be added to captain Jones's little squadron, and offering to give a passage to Mr. Adams in the frigate with the new embassador, and to complete the Alliance's complement of men, I thought it best to continue her a little

longer in Europe, hoping she may, in the projected cruise, by her extraordinary swiftness, be a means of taking prisoners enough to redeem the rest of our countrymen now in the English gaols. With this view, as well as to oblige the minister, I ordered her to join captain Jones at L'Orient, and obey his orders, where she now is accordingly. There have been great misunderstandings between the officers of that ship and their captain, and great discontents among the latter for want of clothes and money. I have been obliged to make great advances to appease those discontents, and I now hope the authority and prudence of captain Jones will be able to remove, or at least prevent the ill effects of those misunderstandings. The conspirators are detained in prison, and will remain there, subject to such direction as the congress may think fit to give concerning them. The court here would not, because they properly could not, undertake to try them; and we had not captains enough to make a court martial for the purpose. The sending them to America, with evidence to convict them, will be a great trouble and expense, and perhaps their offence cannot be so clearly made out as to justify a punishment sufficient to deter by its exemplary severity: possibly the best use that can be made of them is to give them in exchange for as many Americans, in the cartel now operating here. The perfidious conduct of English and Scotch sailors in our service, a good deal discourages the idea of taking them out of those prisons in order to employ them.

This cartel is at length brought about by the indefatigable endeavors of an old friend of mine and a long declared one to America. The ship employed has already brought us one cargo from the prison at Plymouth. The number was intended for an hundred, but proved ninety-seven and she is returned with as many in exchange, to bring us a second number from the prison at Portsmouth. This is to continue till all are exchanged. The Americans are chiefly engaged with captains Jones and Landais. This exchange is the more remarkable, as our people were all committed as for high treason.

a Supposed to be Mr. Hartley member of parliament for Hull, EDIT.

Agreeable to the seventh instruction, I have earnestly recommended the reduction of Halifax and Quebec. The marquis de la Fayette joined me warmly in the application for this purpose, and I hope we shall in due time see some good effects from it.

I have also in various ways, and through various channels laid before the ministry, the distressed state of our finances in America, There seems a great willingness in all of them to help us, except in the comptroller, monsieur Neckar, who is said to be not well disposed towards us, and is supposed to embarrass every measure proposed to relieve us by grants of money. It is certain, that under the resolution perhaps too hastily declared, of the king's imposing no new taxes on his subjects this year, the court has great difficulties in defraying present expense; the vast exertions to put the navy in a condition to equal that of England, having cost immense sums. There is also a prevailing opinion, that the most effectual service to us, is to be expected from rendering their marine superior to that of England. The king has, however, to encourage our loan in Holland, been so good as to engage under his hand, to be security for our payment of the interest of three millions of livres; but that foan has not as yet amounted to more than about eighty thousand florins.

Doctor Price, whose assistance was requested by congress, has declined that service, as you will see by the copy of his letter enclosed. To me it seems that the measure recommended by the wisdom of congress for diminishing the quantity of paper, by taxes of large nominal sums, must have very salutary effects.

As to your finances here, it is fit that you should know the state of them. When the commissioners of congress made the proposition of paying the interest at Paris of the money borrowed in America, they understood the loan to be of five millions of dollars. They obtained from govern. ment sums more than sufficient for the interest of such a That sum has been increased, and if they could otherwise have provided for it, they have been from time to

sum,

time drained by a number of unforeseen expenses, of which the congress had no knowledge, and of others occasioned by their orders and drafts; and the cargoes sent to the commissioners by the committees have some of them been treacherously run away with by the seamen, or taken by the enemy, or, when arrived, have been hitherto applied towards the payment of debts, the tobacco to the farmers general according to contract, and the rice and indigo to Messieurs Hortalez & Co. from whom, by the way, we have not yet been able to procure any account. I have lately employed an accountant, the son of our banker, to form complete books of our accounts to be sent to congress. They are not yet ready. When they are, I shall send them by the first safe opportunity. In the mean time, I may just mention some particulars of our disbursements:....great quantities of clothing, arms, ammunition, and naval stores, sent from time to time, payment of bills from Mr. Bingham one hundred thousand livres; congress bills in favor of Haywood and company, above two hundred thousand; advanced to Mr. Ross about twenty thousand pounds sterling; paid congress drafts in favor of returned officers, ninety-three thousand and eighty livres; to our prisoners in England, and after their escape to help them home, and to other Americans here in distress, a great sum, I cannot at present say how much; supplies to Mr. Hodge for fitting out captain Cunningham, very considerable; for the freights of ships to carry over the supplies, great sums; to Mr. William Lee and Mr. Izard, five thousand five hundred pounds sterling; and for fitting the frigates Rawleigh, Alfred, Boston, Providence, Alliance, Ranger, &c. I imagine not less than sixty or seventy thousand livres each, taken one with another: and for maintenance of the English prisoners, I believe when I get in all the accounts, I shall find one hundred thousand livres not sufficient, having already paid above sixty-five thousand on that article; and now the drafts of the treasurer of the loans coming very fast upon me, the anxiety I have suffered, and the distress of mind lest I should not be able to pay them, has for a long