whom remittances had been expected on account of
sales made at Nantes: "You must be sensible how very unbecoming it is
of the situation we are in to be dependent on the credit of others. We
therefore desire that you will remit with all possible expedition the
sum allotted by the Congress for our expenses." But the commissioners
appealed in vain to this worthless drunkard.

Strange to say, the instructions given by Congress to the commissioners
at the time of Franklin's appointment said nothing about borrowing
money. In view of what he had to do in this way it was a singular
omission; but it was soon repaired by letters. In March, 1777, Franklin
writes to Lee: "We are ordered to borrow L2,000,000 on interest;" also
to "build six ships of war," presumably on credit. In this same month
Franklin wrote a paper, which was widely circulated in Europe, in which
he endeavored to show that the honesty, the industry, the resources, and
the prospects of the United States were so excellent that it would
really be safer to lend to them than to England. It was a skillful piece
of work, and its arguments had evidently persuaded the writer himself;
but they did not induce the money-lenders of the old countries to accept
moral qualities and probabilities as collateral security.

Fair success, however, was soon met with at the court of France, so that
the commissioners had the pleasure of assuring Congress that they could
safely be depended upon to meet the interest on a loan of $5,000,000,
which by this aid Congress probably would be able to contract for. But
that body had no idea of being content with this! March 17, 1778,
Franklin writes to Lee that they have been drawn upon for 180,000
livres, to pay old indebtedness of the army in Canada; also that other
bills have been drawn. The number and gross amount of these were not
stated in the advices; but the commissioners were ordered to "accept
them when they should appear." "I cannot conceive," said Franklin, "what
encouragement the Congress could have had from any of us to draw on us
for anything but that interest. I suppose their difficulties have
compelled them to it. I see we shall be distressed here by these
proceedings," etc., etc. Congress was composed of men far too shrewd to
await "encouragement" to draw for money!

July 22, 1778, he wrote to Lovell: "When we engaged to Congress to pay
their bills for the interest of the sums they could borrow, we did not
dream of their drawin