ded that
the pay of both taken together shall not exceed the sum of fifteen
hundred dollars; this will not only be an incitement to diligence and
attention, but possibly enable me to procure two persons, in whose
integrity and abilities I can confide, instead of a common clerk,
without increasing the expense of the department.

I have the honor to be, &c.

ROBERT R. LIVINGSTON.

* * * * *

TO THE PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS.

Office of Foreign Affairs, February 26th, 1782.

Sir,

I am somewhat at a loss to determine upon what principle the petition
of John Jordan and others, was referred to me, but presume, that it
was with a view to obtain from me such information relative to the
distribution of the prize money arising from the prizes taken by the
Bon Homme Richard, as the papers in this office can afford.

There were no papers relative to this transaction in this office; but
among those of the Board of Admiralty, I find a letter from Dr
Franklin to Francis Lewis, dated the 17th of March last, covering some
inquiries on this subject, and a copy of a _Concordat_ entered into by
John Paul Jones, commanding the Bon Homme Richard; Pierre Landais,
captain of the Alliance; Dennis Nicolas Cottineau, captain of the
Pallas; Joseph Varage, captain of the Cerf; and Philip Nicolas Ricot,
captain of the Vengeance; by which, among other things, they agree to
divide their prizes, agreeably to the American regulations, as they
sailed under American colors and commissions; and constituted M.
Chaumont their agent to receive and distribute the prize money in
behalf of the crew of each ship, and to be answerable for it in his
own private name.

From Dr Franklin's letter, it appears that the whole of the prizes
belonged to the captors; that the King offered to purchase the ships
of war they had taken, according to an established rate; that the
seamen objected to it, and chose they should be sold at vendue; that
this occasioned a delay in the sale; that he does not know the amount
of the value of the prizes, nor whether they were distributed, which
he considers as a private transaction between the officers and crews
of the ships and M. Chaumont.

From this state of facts, Congress will judge if anything more can be
done relative to the claim of three of the petitioners to their share
of the value of the prizes,