er be so considerable as to endanger
the honor of your drafts. I shall certainly exercise in them the
greatest caution, and stand responsible to Congress.

Mr. Grand conceives that he has suffered in your opinion, by an
application of two hundred thousand livres, during the last year,
differently from what the office of finance had instructed him. This was
a consequence of his being thought subject to direction here, and it is
but justice to relieve him from blame on that account, and to show that
it ought to fall, if any where, on Dr. Franklin, Mr. Adams, and myself.
The case was thus. The monies here were exhausted, Mr. Grand was in
advance about fifty thousand livres, and the diplomatic establishments
in France, Spain, and Holland, subsisting on his bounties, which they
were subject to see stopped every moment, and feared a protest on every
bill. Other current expenses, too, were depending on advances from him,
and though these were small in their amount, they sometimes involved
great consequences. In this situation, he received four hundred thousand
livres, to be paid to this government for one year's interest. We
thought the honor of the United States would suffer less by suspending
half the payment to this government, replacing Mr. Grand's advances, and
providing a fund for current expenses. We advised him so to do. I still
think it was for the best, and I believe my colleagues have continued
to see the matter in the same point of view. We may have been biassed by
feelings excited by our own distressing situation. But certainly, as to
Mr. Grand, no blame belongs to him. We explained this matter in a letter
to Congress, at the time, and justice requires this explanation to you,
as I conjecture that the former one has not come to your knowledge.

The two hundred thousand livres retained, as before mentioned, have been
applied to the purposes described, to the payment of a year's interest
to the French officers (which is about forty-two thousand livres), and
other current expenses, which, doubtless, Mr. Grand has explained to
you. About a week ago, there remained in his hands but about twelve
thousand livres. In this situation, the demands of the French officers
for a second year's interest were presented. But Mr. Grand observed
there were neither money nor orders for them. The payment of these
gentlemen, the last year, had the happiest effect imaginable; it
procured so many advocates for the credit and honor of the