rough
investigation of it. No reasons of State can now exist for covering the
transaction longer under mystery.

I have the honor to be, with great and sincere esteem, Dear Sir, your
most obedient and most humble servant,

Th: Jefferson.

[The letter of the Secretary of the Treasury, and other papers, relative
to the lost million alluded to in the letter to Mr. Morris.]

LETTERS--RE THE LOST MILLION, June 10, 1793

Treasury Department, June 10, 1793. Sir,

The comptroller of the Treasury has reported to me, that 'on examining
the subsisting contracts between the United States and the government
of France and the Farmers General, and a comparison thereof with
the foreign accounts and documents transmitted to the Treasury, the
following facts appear.

That previous to the treaty of February, 1778, the sum of three millions
of livres had been advanced by the government of France to the agents
of the United States, under the title of gratuitous, for which no
reimbursement was to be made.

That the payments, which composed the before-mentioned sum of three
millions of livres, are stated, in a letter of Mr. Durival to Mr. Grand,
dated in 1786, to have been made at the following periods:

One million delivered by the Royal Treasury the 10th of June, 1776, and
two other millions advanced also by the Royal Treasury in 1777, on four
receipts of the Deputies of Congress, of the 17th of January, 3rd of
April, 10th of June, and 15th of October of the same year.

In the account of Mr. Ferdinand Grand, banker of the United States, the
following sums are credited, viz.

1777.--January 31, .... 500,000 livres.
April 26, ...... 500,000
June 4, ........ 1,000,000
July 3, ........ 500,000
October 10, .... 500,000

Amount in the whole, .. 3,000,000 livres.

The Farmers General of France claim a large balance from the United
States, on account of one million of livres which they contend was
advanced in June, 1777, in consequence of a special contract with
Messrs. Franklin and Deane, to be repaid by the delivery of tobacco at
certain stipulated prices, and the advance made by the Farmers General
is said to be the same money, as is credited by Mr. Grand on the 4th of
June, 1777.

After a careful examination of the foreign accounts, it is found that no
more than three millions of livres have been credited by any agents of
the United States.

An opinion was entertained by the