hand.

Mons. du Coudray, who has the character of being one of the best
officers of artillery in Europe, has been indefatigable in our
service, and I hope the terms I have made with him will not be thought
exorbitant, as he was a principal means of engaging the stores. The
rage, as I may say, for entering into the American service increases,
and the consequence is, that I am pressed with offers and proposals,
many of them from persons of the first rank and eminence, in the sea
as well as land service. Count Broglio, who commanded the army of
France during the last war, did me the honor to call on me twice
yesterday with an officer who served as his Quarter Master General the
last war, and has now a regiment in this service, but being a
German,[7] and having travelled through America a few years since, he
is desirous of engaging in the service of the United States of North
America. I can by no means let slip an opportunity of engaging a
person of so much experience, and who is by every one recommended as
one of the bravest and most skilful officers in the kingdom, yet I am
distressed on every such occasion for want of your particular
instructions. This gentleman has an independent fortune, and a certain
prospect of advancement here, but being a zealous friend to liberty,
civil and religious, he is actuated by the most independent and
generous principles in the offer he makes of his services to the
States of America.

Enclosed you have also the plan of a French naval officer for burning
ships, which he gave me, and at the same time showed me his draughts
of ships, and rates for constructing and regulating a navy, of which I
have the highest opinion; he has seen much service, is a person of
study and letters, as well as fortune, and is ambitious of planning a
navy for America, which shall at once be much cheaper and more
effectual than any thing of the kind which can be produced on the
European system. He has the command of a ship of the line in this
service, but is rather disgusted at not having his proposed
regulations for the navy of France attended to. His proposal generally
is to build vessels something on the model of those designed by the
Marine Committee, to carry from 24 to 36 heavy guns on one deck, which
will be as formidable a battery as any ship of the line can avail
itself of, and by fighting them on the upper deck a much surer one.
Had I power to treat with this gentleman, I believe his character and
fri