NERS OF THE TREASURY.

Paris, January 26, 1786.

Gentlemen,

I have been duly honored by the receipt of your letter of December the
6th, and am to thank you for the communications it contained on
the state of our funds and expectations here. Your idea, that these
communications, occasionally, may be useful to the United States, is
certainly just, as I am frequently obliged to explain our prospects of
paying interest, &c. which I should better do with fuller information.
If you would be so good as to instruct Mr. Grand, always to furnish me
with a duplicate of those cash accounts which he furnishes to you, from
time to time, and if you would be so good as to direct your secretary to
send me copies of such letters, as you transmit to Mr. Grand, advising
him of the remittances he may expect, from time to time. I should,
thereby, be always informed of the sum of money on hand here, and the
probable expectations of supply. Dr. Franklin, during his residence
here, having been authorized to borrow large sums of money, the disposal
of that money seemed naturally to rest with him. It was Mr. Grand's
practice, therefore, never to pay money, but on his warrant. On his
departure, Mr. Grand sent all money drafts to me, to authorize their
payment. I informed him, that this was in nowise within my province;
that I was unqualified to direct him in it, and that were I to presume
to meddle, it would be no additional sanction to him. He refused,
however, to pay a shilling without my order. I have been obliged,
therefore, to a nugatory interference, merely to prevent the affairs of
the United States from standing still. I need not represent to you the
impropriety of my continuing to direct Mr. Grand, longer than till
we can receive your orders, the mischief which might ensue from the
uncertainty in which this would place you, as to the extent to which you
might venture to draw on your funds here, and the little necessity
there is for my interference. Whenever you order a sum of money into Mr.
Grand's hands, nothing will be more natural than your instructing him
how to apply it, so as that he shall observe your instructions alone.
Among these, you would doubtless judge it necessary to give him one
standing instruction, to answer my drafts for such sums, as my office
authorizes me to call for. These would be salary, couriers, postage,
and such other articles as circumstances will require, which cannot be
previously defined. These will nev