uncertainty of finding private
conveyances to London, is the principal objection to this.

On the receipt of your letter, advising me to purchase the two volumes
of Deane's letters and accounts, I wrote to the person who had them,
and after some offers and refusals, he let me have them for twenty-five
louis, instead of twenty louis asked at first. He told me that Deane
had still six or eight volumes more, and that when he should return to
London he would try to get them, in order to make himself whole for the
money he had lent Deane. As I knew he would endeavor to make us pay dear
for them, and it appeared to be your opinion, and that of the members
you had consulted, that it was an object worthy attention, I wrote
immediately to a friend in London to endeavor to purchase them from
Deane himself, whose distresses and crapulous habits will probably
render him more easy to deal with. I authorized him to go as far as
fifty guineas. I have as yet no answer from him. I enclose you a letter
which I wrote last month to our bankers in Holland. As it will itself
explain the cause of its being written, I shall not repeat its substance
here. In answer to my proposition, to pay bills for the medals and the
redemption of our captives, they quote a resolution of Congress (which,
however, I do not find in the printed journals), appropriating the loans
of 1787 and 1788 to the payment of interest on the Dutch loans till
1790, inclusive, and the residue to salaries and contingencies in
Europe, and they argue, that, according to this, they are not to pay
any thing in Europe till they shall first have enough to pay all the
interest which will become due to the end of the year 1790; and that it
is out of personal regard, that they relax from this so far as to pay
diplomatic salaries. So that here is a clear declaration they will
answer no other demands, till they have in hand money enough for all the
interest to the end of the year 1790. It is but a twelvemonth since
I have had occasion to pay attention to the proceedings of those
gentlemen; but during that time I have observed, that as soon as a sum
of interest is becoming due, they are able to borrow just that, and no
more; or at least only so much more as may pay our salaries, and keep us
quiet. Were they not to borrow for the interest, the failure to pay
that would sink the value of the capital, of which they are considerable
sharers. So far their interests and ours concur. But there, pe