re that honorable
body in part my situation. I have been near four years absent from my
family and private affairs, which have suffered exceedingly thereby;
more than three years of the time, I have been in the actual service
of Congress.

The settlement of the commissioners' accounts and my own, will show to
demonstration, that I have received nothing therefor, except money for
my necessary expenses. When the orders of Congress, and the service of
these States required my immediate return, I took with me one hundred
and eighty louis d'ors or guineas only, to defray my expenses and
those of four Americans and a servant to America. Two of the Americans
were captains in the navy of the United States, and had escaped from
prison in England; of the other two, one had been taken in a private
ship of war, which he commanded, and had also escaped from prison; the
other was a captain in the merchant service. Our journey to Toulon,
which is near six hundred miles, was expensive, and was defrayed by
me; our passage from Toulon to America was at the expense of His Most
Christian Majesty. I took those American captains with me by the
advice and at the desire of the ministers of France, and of Dr
Franklin, these captains being well acquainted with the American
coast. I have been for more than eight months past in this city, and
at an expense to which my private fortune is by no means adequate,
though I have regulated my expenses by the strictest economy my
situation could admit of. I will not trouble Congress with mentioning
what has past since my return. The loss of my private property is of
no consideration with me, if my country is in any way essentially
served thereby; but whilst Congress defer coming to any resolution
respecting my private services as their agent and commissioner, what
is dearer to me than life or fortune, my character, is attacked and
liable to suffer, from the groundless and base insinuations of some,
and from the open calumnies of others. I cannot but think it an act of
justice due not only to me as an individual, but to Congress and the
public in general, that my conduct be either approved of or censured;
I have most surely merited one or the other, from the important part I
have acted, and the manner in which I have transacted it. I had the
honor of bringing with me testimonials, not only from my late
venerable colleague, but from his Most Christian Majesty and his
ministers, in favor of my conduct whilst