sum in our banker's hands to answer them; and large orders
to us from Congress for supplies of clothing, arms, and ammunition
remain uncomplied with for want of money.

"In this situation of our affairs, we hope you will not insist on
our giving you a farther credit with our banker, with whom we are
daily in danger of having no farther credit ourselves. It is not a
year since you received from us the sum of 2000 guineas, which you
thought necessary on account of your being to set out immediately
for Florence. You have not incurred the expense of that journey.
You are a gentleman of fortune. You did not come to France with any
dependence on being maintained here with your family at the expense
of the United States, in the time of their distress, and without
rendering them the equivalent service they expected.

"On all these considerations we should rather hope that you would
be willing to reimburse us the sum we have advanced to you, if it
may be done with any possible convenience to your affairs. Such a
supply would at least enable us to relieve more liberally our
unfortunate countrymen, who have long been prisoners, stripped of
everything, of whom we daily expect to have nearly three hundred
upon our hands by the exchange."

At this same time Franklin wrote to Congress to explain how it had
happened that so large a sum as L4000 had been allowed to these
gentlemen; for he feared that this liberality might "subject the
commissioners to censure." The explanation was so discreditable to Lee
and Izard that it is charitable to think that there was some
misunderstanding between the parties.[68] The matter naturally rankled,
and in May Franklin wrote that there was much anger against him, that he
was charged with "disobeying an order of Congress, and with cruelly
attempting to distress gentlemen who were in the service of their
country."

[Note 68: See Franklin's _Works_, vi. 294.]

"They have indeed," he said, "produced to me a resolve of Congress
empowering them to draw ... for their expenses at foreign courts;
and doubtless Congress, when that resolve was made, intended to
enable us to pay those drafts; but as that has not been done, and
the gentlemen (except Mr. Lee for a few weeks) have not incurred
any expense at foreign courts, and, if they had, the 5500 guineas
received by them in abou