e United States shall have
established a permanent public revenue; and the delay and repugnance,
with which they proceed in doing this, being known in Europe, the
inclination for lending money to Congress, which may have existed, has
disappeared; the lenders make other investments; the speculations,
which might have been directed towards the United States, go farther
and farther from them, and it will certainly be difficult to bring
them back.

I refrain from repeating here the other parts of the despatches of the
Count de Vergennes, which I have had the honor of communicating to
you, because the truths contained in them are well known to you, Sir,
and because they all may be reduced to this. _Without the speedy
establishment of a substantial public revenue, and without the
vigorous execution of the engagements entered into by Congress, the
hope of obtaining loans in Europe must be given up._

I am also ordered, Sir, to represent to Congress, that my Court relied
upon final and satisfactory measures being taken to secure the payment
of the interest, and of the debt contracted by the United Slates
toward his Majesty. But I content myself with mentioning this
circumstance to you, and before directly announcing it to Congress, I
shall wait till their present embarrassments are diminished.

You will judge, Sir, by these details, how impossible it is to draw
bills upon your Plenipotentiaries, beyond that part of the six
millions' loan of this year, which is unappropriated. It is clearly
shown, that these bills will not be paid by us, and it is with a full
confidence in your regularity in this respect, that I shall inform the
Count de Vergennes, that he may be assured, that no demand will be
made for any sums whatever, beyond that sum, which has just been
determined upon.

I have the honor to be, &c.

LUZERNE.

* * * * *

TO GEORGE WASHINGTON.

Translation.

Philadelphia, March 15th, 1783.

Sir,

Your Excellency will doubtless receive directly, a state of affairs in
Europe. I thought, however, that it would be interesting to inform you
of some particulars, which I am ordered not to make public, but which
will also be communicated to Congress. The British Minister has
hastened to conclude an eventual treaty of peace with the Unit