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 loan 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 government 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

time been very great indeed. To apply again to this court for money for a particular purpose, which they had already over and over again provided for and furnished us, was extremely awkward. I therefore repeated the general applications, which we had made when together, for aids of money, and received the general answers, that the expense of government for the navy was so great, that at present it was exceedingly difficult to furnish supplies. That France by sending a fleetto America, obliged the enemy to divide their forces, and left them so weak on the continent as to aid us by lessening our expense, if it could not by giving us money, &c. &c. and I was asked if we did not receive money from Spain? I know indeed of some money received from thence, and I have heard of more, but know not how much. Mr. A. Lee, as minister for Spain, having taken to himself all the management of that affair, and will account to congress. I only understand, that there is none of it left to assist in paying congress bills. I at length obtained, as above mentioned, the king's bon for payment of the interest of three millions, if I could borrow it in Holland, or elsewhere; but though two eminent houses in Amsterdam have undertaken it, and had hopes of success, they have both lately written to me, that the great demands of money for Germany and for England had raised interest above our limits, and that the successes of the English in Georgia and St. Lucia, and in destroying the French trade, with the supposed divisions in congress, all much magnified by the British minister, and the pressing applications to borrow by several of our states separately, had made the monied people doubtful of our stability, as well as our ability to repay what might be lent us, and that it was necessary to wait a more favorable moment for proceeding with our loan. In this situation I have been applied to by Mr. William Lee, and lately, through our banker, by Mr. Izard, for more money for their expenses, and I am told there is much anger against me for declining to furnish them, and that I am charged with disobeying an order of congress, and with cruelly attempting to distress gentlemen who are in the service of their