count
could be drawn up, it would only indicate some results in figures which
would have little meaning for persons not familiar with the national
debts, revenues, and outlays of those times, and certainly would not at
all answer the purpose of showing what he really did. The only
satisfactory method of giving any passably clear idea on the subject
seems to be to furnish some extracts from his papers.

The ship which brought Franklin also brought indigo to the value of
L3000, which was to serve as long as it could for the expenses of the
commissioners. For keeping them supplied with money later on, it was the
intention of Congress to purchase cargoes of American products, such as
tobacco, rice, indigo, etc., etc., and consign these to the
commissioners, who, besides paying their personal bills, were sure to
have abundant other means for using the proceeds. Unfortunately,
however, it so happened that the resources presented by this scheme were
already exhausted. In January, 1777, a loan of one million livres had
been advanced on a pledge of fifty-six thousand hogsheads of tobacco to
the Farmers General of the French revenue; and the rice and indigo had
been in like manner mortgaged to Beaumarchais. Congressional jugglery
could not quite compass the payment of different creditors with the same
money, even supposing that the money came to hand. But it did not; for a
long while no cargoes arrived; of those that were dispatched, some were
run away with by dishonest ship-masters, some were lost at sea, others
were captured by the English, so that Franklin sadly remarked that the
chief result was that the enemy had been supplied with these articles
for nothing. But he preserved his resolute cheerfulness. "The destroying
of our ships by the English," he said, "is only like shaving our beards,
that will grow again. Their loss of provinces is like the loss of a
limb, which can never again be united to their body." When at last a
cargo did arrive, Beaumarchais demanded it as his own, and Franklin at
last yielded to his importunities and tears, though having no really
sufficient knowledge of his right to it. Later a second vessel arrived,
and Beaumarchais endeavored to pounce upon it by process of law. That
one also Franklin let him have. Then no more came, and this promising
resource seems never to have yielded one dollar for Franklin's use.

Already so early as January 26, 1777, it was necessary to appeal to
Thomas Morris, from