nter into an examination of the successive
variations and augmentations of your demands on me for funds to meet
your payments. I shall merely remark, that whenever you shall consider
yourself fully authorised to dispose of the proceeds of the Dutch
loan, on behalf of Congress, I will propose to M. de Fleury to supply
you with the million required, as soon as it shall have been paid into
the royal treasury. But I think it my duty, Sir, to inform you, that
if Mr Morris issues drafts on this same million, I shall not be able
to provide for the payment of them, and shall leave them to be
protested. I ought also to inform you, that there will be nothing more
supplied than the million abovementioned, and if the drafts, which you
have already accepted, exceed that sum, it must be for you to contrive
the means of meeting them. I shall make an exception only in favor of
those of Mr Morris, provided they shall not exceed the remainder of
the Dutch loan, after deducting the million, which shall be placed at
your disposal, and the expenses of the loan.

"I have the honor to be, &c.

DE VERGENNES.

"_P. S._ I remit to you herewith the letter of Mr Grand."

Although this letter of Dr Franklin does not in express terms promise
me the aid I had desired, yet the general tenor of it, together with
the grant of the million mentioned by the Count de Vergennes, led me
to suppose, that on the receipt of it he would be able to make me the
necessary advances. Under this idea I returned the following answer to
the Doctor's letter.

"Madrid, January 30th, 1782.

"My dear Sir,

"I had yesterday the satisfaction of receiving your favor of the 15th
instant. You will find by a letter, which I wrote you on the 11th
instant, that I imputed your silence to its true cause, being well
persuaded, that the same attention you have always paid to the public
affairs in general, would not be withheld from those, which call for
it in this kingdom.

"I am happy to find, that you have a prospect of terminating the
difficulties, which the bills drawn upon me have occasioned, and
though I cannot but observe, that Count de Vergennes' letter is
peculiarly explicit and precise, yet I must confess, I should not have
been surprised if it had been conceived in terms still less soft.
Would it not be well to transmit a copy of it to Congress? France has
done,