PARIS, August 3, 1787.
SIR,--I am to acknowledge the receipt of your Excellency's letters of
January 28th, and May 4th, which have come to hand since the date of
mine of February 7th. Immediately on the receipt of the former I caused
enquiry to be made relative to the bayonets, and found that they had
certainly been packed with the muskets. Your Excellency's favor of May
4th renders unnecessary the sending the proofs. There have been shipped
in the whole from Bordeaux 3,400 stand of arms, and from Havre 3,406
cartouch boxes, which I hope have come safely to hand. Besides these
there has been a shipment from Bordeaux of powder, etc., made by Mr.
Barclay. This was but the half of what was intended, and of what Mr.
Barclay had contracted for. But his bill on Mr. Grand was protested on
a misconception of Mr. Grand's, who, by a mixture of your account with
that of the United States, had supposed he had but about 12,000 livres
of your money in his hands. I was absent on a journey, and happened in
the course of that to meet with Mr. Barclay at Bordeaux, and we
concluded to send you half the quantity. Since my return, I have not
been able to have your account exactly settled so as to render it now;
but am able to say in general and with certainty, that everything sent
you has been paid, and that after paying Houdon 3,000 livres for the
second bust of the Marquis de La Fayette now nearly ready to be sent
off for you, and 10,000 livres the second payment due towards General
Washington's statue, there will remain enough in Mr. Grand's hands to
pay for a quantity of powder, &c, equal to that sent you by Mr. Barclay
from Bordeaux, which shall accordingly be done. This balance on hand
includes 5,300 livres paid by Mr. Littlepage, which, though he has sent
us a bill for, six or eight months ago, we had refused to receive till
the arrival of your Excellency's letter informing me it had not been
paid in America; it was therefore applied for and received by Mr. Grand
a few days ago. Mr. Barclay drew on me for the balance of his account
with the State of Virginia, 2,370 livres, which I paid; besides these
he afterwards discovered an omission of 108_l._ 8_s._ in his account,
which I pay also, so as to leave your account with him balanced. There
is, however, the articles of expenses for young Mercier, which he has
neither entered in your account, nor charged to me in my private
account. It yet remains due to him, therefore, and I shall pay it to
him if he applies to me. I should have called for it, but that he was
gone to America before I discovered the omission. Should the State have
further occasion for arms, your Excellency will be able to judge,
combining quality and price, whether those of Liege or of France are to
be preferred. I shall with cheerfulness obey your future orders on this
or any other account, and have the honor to be, with sentiments of the
most perfect esteem and respect, your Excellency's most obedient, and
most humble servant.
P. S.--The original of the report on the inauguration of the bust of
the Marquis de La Fayette accompanies this.