arranged, and the final
settlement is not clearly to be made out.

In the spring of 1781 John Adams was in Holland, and of course Congress
was drawing bills upon him, and equally of course he had not a stiver
with which to meet them. He had "opened a loan," but so little had
fallen into the opening that he was barely able to pay expenses; so,
still of course, he turned to Franklin: "When they [the bills] arrive
and are presented I must write to you concerning them, and desire you to
enable me to discharge them." He added that it was a "grievous
mortification to find that America has no credit here, while England
certainly still has so much." Apparently the pamphlet in which Franklin
had so convincingly shown that the reverse of this should be the case
had not satisfied the minds of the Dutch bankers.

In July, 1781, came a broad hint from Robert Morris: "I will not doubt a
moment that, at your instance, his majesty will make pressing
representations in support of Mr. Jay's application, and I hope that the
authority of so great a sovereign and the arguments of his able ministry
will shed auspicious influence on our negotiations at Madrid." This
fulsome language, intended of course to be read to de Vergennes, imposed
the gratifying duty of begging the French minister to second American
begging in Spain.

In the same month Franklin wrote to Morris that the French were vexed at
the purchasing of goods in Holland, and would not furnish the money to
pay for them, and he actually suggested a remittance from America!
"Otherwise I shall be ruined, with the American credit in Europe." He
might have had some motive besides patriotism in thus uniting himself
with the credit of his country; for he had been warned that the consul's
court in Paris had power even over the persons of foreign ministers in
the case of bills of exchange.

September 12, 1781, he announces triumphantly that "the remittances ...
which I requested are now unnecessary, and I shall finish the year with
honor," notwithstanding "drafts on Mr. Jay and on Mr. Adams much
exceeding what I had been made to expect."

He was now informed that Congress would not draw upon _other_ ministers
without providing funds, but that they would continue to draw on _him_
"funds or no funds," an invidious distinction which "terrified" him; for
he had been obliged to promise de Vergennes not to accept any drafts
drawn later than March, 1781, unless he should have in hand or in vi