hope was and is, that more practicable terms might be obtained; in
this hope, I do nothing till further orders, observing by an extract
from the journals you were pleased to send me, that Congress have
referred the matter to your consideration, and conscious that we are
not suffering in the meantime, as we have not a single consul in
France, since the departure of Mr. Barclay. I mentioned to you in my
last, the revival of the hopes of the Chevalier de La Luzerne. I
thought it my duty to remind the Count de Montmorin, the other day, of
the long absence of their Minister from Congress. He told me, the
Chevalier de La Luzerne would not be sent back, but that we might rely
that, in the month of October, a person would be sent, with whom we
should be content. He did not name the person, though there is no doubt
that it is the Count de Mourtier. It is an appointment, which,
according to the opinion I have formed of him, bids as fair to give
content, as any one which could be made.

I also mentioned in my last letter, that I had proposed the reducing
the substance of Monsieur de Calonnes' letter into the form of an
_Arret_, with some alterations, which, on consultation with the
merchants at the different ports I visited, I had found to be
necessary. I received, soon after, a letter from the Comptroller
General, informing me, that the letter of Monsieur de Calonnes was in a
course of execution. Of this, I enclose you a copy. I was, in that
moment, enclosing to him my general observations on that letter, a copy
of which are also enclosed. In these, I stated all the alterations I
wished to have made. It became expedient, soon after, to bring on the
article of tobacco; first, to know whether the Farmers had executed the
order of Bernis, and also to prepare some arrangements to succeed the
expiration of this order. So that I am now pursuing the whole subject
of our commerce, 1, to have necessary amendments made in Monsieur de
Calonnes' letter; 2, to put it into a more stable form; 3, to have full
execution of the order of Bernis; 4, to provide arrangements for the
article of tobacco, after that order shall be expired. By the copy of
my letter on the two last points, you will perceive that I again press
the abolition of the Farm of this article. The conferences on that
subject give no hope of effecting that. Some poor palliative is
probably all we shall obtain. The Marquis de La Fayette goes hand in
hand with me in all these transa