PARIS, February 1, 1787.
SIR,--My last letters were of the 31st of December, and 9th of January;
since which last date, I have been honored with yours of December the
13th and 14th. I shall pay immediate attention to your instructions
relative to the South Carolina frigate. I had the honor of informing
you of an improvement in the art of coining, made here by one Drost,
and of sending you, by Colonel Franks, a specimen of his execution in
gold and silver. I expected to have sent also a coin of copper. The
enclosed note from Drost will explain the reason why this was not sent.
It will let you see also, that he may be employed; as I suppose he is
not so certain as he was of being engaged here. Mr. Grand, who knows
him, gives me reason to believe he may be engaged reasonably. Congress
will decide whether it be worth their attention.
In some of my former letters, I suggested an opportunity of obliging
this court, by borrowing as much money in Holland as would pay the debt
due here, if such a loan could be obtained; as to which, I was
altogether ignorant. To save time, I wrote to Mr. Dumas, to know
whether he thought it probable a loan could be obtained, enjoining on
him the strictest secrecy, and informing him I was making the inquiry
merely of my own motion, and without instruction. I enclose you his
answer. He thinks purchasers of the debt could be found, with a
sacrifice of a small part of the capital, and a postponement be
obtained of some of the first reimbursements. The proposition by him,
for an immediate adoption of this measure by me, was probably urged on
his mind by a desire to serve our country, more than a strict attention
to my duty, and the magnitude of the object. I hope, on the contrary,
that if it should be thought worth a trial, it may be put into the
hands of Mr. Adams, who knows the ground, and is known there, and whose
former successful negotiations in this line, would give better-founded
hopes of success on this occasion.
I formerly mentioned to you the hopes of preferment, entertained by the
Chevalier de La Luzerne. They have been baffled by events; none of the
vacancies taking place which had been expected. Had I pressed his being
ordered back, I have reason to believe the order would have been given.
But he would have gone back in ill humor with Congress, he would have
laid forever at their door the failure of a promotion then viewed as
certain; and this might have excited dispositions that would have
disappointed us of the good we hoped from his return. The line I have
observed with him has been, to make him sensible that nothing was more
desired by Congress than his return, but that they would not willingly
press it, so as to defeat him of a personal advantage. He sees his
prospects fail, and will return in the approaching spring, unless
something unexpected should turn up in his favor. In this case, the
Count de Moutier has the promise of succeeding to him, and, if I do not
mistake his character, he would give great satisfaction. So that I
think you may calculate on seeing one or the other, by midsummer.
It had been suspected that France and England might adopt those
concerted regulations of commerce for their West Indies, of which your
letter expresses some apprehensions. But the expressions in the 4th,
5th, 7th, 11th, 18th, and other articles of their treaty, which
communicate to the English the privileges of the most favored
_European_ nation only, has lessened, if not removed those fears. They
have clearly reserved a right of favoring, specially, any nation not
European; and there is no nation out of Europe, who could so probably
have been in their eye at that time, as ours. They are wise. They must
see it probable, at least, that any concert with England, will be but
of short duration; and they could hardly propose to sacrifice for that,
a connection with us, which may be perpetual.
We have been for some days in much inquietude for the Count de
Vergennes. He is very seriously ill. Nature seems struggling to decide
his disease into a gout. A swelled foot, at present, gives us a hope of
this issue. His loss would at all times have been great; but it would
be immense during the critical poise of European affairs existing at
this moment. I enclose you a letter from one of the foreign officers,
complaining of the non-payment of their interest. It is only one out of
many I have received. This is accompanied by a second copy of the
Moorish declaration sent me by Mr. Barclay. He went to Alicant to
settle with Mr. Lambe; but on his arrival there, found he was gone to
Minorca. A copy of his letter will inform you of this circumstance, and
of some others relative to Algiers, with his opinion on them. Whatever
the States may enable Congress to do for obtaining the peace of that
country, it is a separate question whether they will redeem our
captives, how, and at what price. If they decide to redeem them, I will
beg leave to observe, that it is of great importance that the first
redemption be made at as low a price as possible, because it will form
the future tariff. If these pirates find that they can have a very
great price for Americans, they will abandon proportionably their
pursuits against other nations, to direct them towards ours. That the
choice of Congress may be enlarged, as to the instruments they may use
for effecting the redemption, I think it my duty to inform them, that
there is here an order of priests called the Mathurins, the object of
whose institution is to beg alms for the redemption of captives. They
keep members always in Barbary, searching out the captives of their
country, and redeem, I believe, on better terms than any other body,
public or private. It occurred to me, that their agency might be
obtained for the redemption of our prisoners at Algiers. I obtained
conference with the General, and with some members of the order. The
General, with all the benevolence and cordiality possible, undertook to
act for us, if we should desire it. He told me that their last
considerable redemption was of about three hundred prisoners, who cost
them somewhat upwards of fifteen hundred livres apiece; but that they
should not be able to redeem ours as cheap as they do their own; and
that it must be absolutely unknown that the public concern themselves
in the operation, or the price would be greatly enhanced. The
difference of religion was not once mentioned, nor did it appear to me
to be thought of. It was a silent reclamation and acknowledgment of
fraternity, between two religions of the same family, which historical
events of ancient date had rendered more hostile to one another, than
to their common adversaries. I informed the General, that I should
communicate the good dispositions of his order to those who alone had
the authority to decide whatever related to our captives. Mr.
Carmichael informs me, that moneys have been advanced for the support
of our prisoners at Algiers, which ought to be replaced. I infer from
the context of his letter, that these advances have been made by the
court of Madrid. I submit the information to Congress.
A treaty of commerce is certainly concluded between France and Russia.
The particulars of it are yet secret.
I enclose the gazettes of France and Leyden to this time, and have the
honor of assuring you of those sentiments of perfect esteem and respect
with which I am, Sir, your most obedient, and most humble servant.