been a most invaluable aid. I take the liberty of
making some observations on the articles of the _Arret_, severally, for
their explanation, as well as for the information of Congress.

Article 1. In the course of our conferences with the Comptroller
General, we had prevailed on him to pass this article with a suppression
of all duty. When he reported the _Arret_, however, to the Council, this
suppression was objected to, and it was insisted to re-establish the
duties of seven livres and ten sous, and of ten sous the livre, reserved
in the letter of M. de Calonne. The passage of the _Arret_ was stopped,
and the difficulty communicated to me. I urged every thing I could,
in letters and in conferences, to convince them that whale-oil was an
article which could bear no duty at all. That if the duty fell on the
consumer, he would choose to buy vegetable oils; if on the fisherman, he
could no longer live by his calling, remaining in his own country;
and that if he quitted his own country, the circumstances of vicinity,
sameness of language, laws, religion, and manners, and perhaps the
ties of kindred, would draw him to Nova Scotia, in spite of every
encouragement which could be given at Dunkirk; and that thus those
fishermen would be shifted out of a scale friendly to France, into one
always hostile. Nothing, however, could prevail. It hung on this article
alone, for two months, during which we risked the total loss of the
_Arret_ on the stability in office of Monsieur Lambert; for if he had
gone out, his successor might be less favorable; and if Monsieur Necker
were the successor, we might lose the whole, as he never set any
store by us, or the connection with us. About ten days ago, it became
universally believed that Monsieur Lambert was to go out immediately.
I therefore declined further insisting on the total suppression, and
desired the _Arret_ might pass, leaving the duties on whale-oil, as
Monsieur de Calonne had promised them; but with a reservation, which
may countenance our bringing on this matter again, at a more favorable
moment.

Article 2. The other fish-oils are placed in a separate article;
because, whatever encouragements we may hereafter obtain for whale-oils,
they will not be extended to those which their own fisheries produce.

Article 3. A company had silently, and by unfair means, obtained a
monopoly for the making and selling spermaceti candles: as soon as we
discovered it, we solicited its suppres