CARON DE BEAUMARCHAIS TO ROBERT MORRIS.
Translation.
Paris, June 3d, 1782.
Sir,
The health of poor Francy not yet permitting him to hazard another voyage to America, I find myself obliged (to my very great loss and regret) to postpone the hope of closing and settling all my accounts with the General Congress, until he shall have recovered sufficient strength for his voyage; he alone being able to resume the thread and instructions of an affair, which he has already pursued with so much assiduity during three years.
From one merchant to another, the extract of the account adjusted in France by the person authorised, who has ordered and vouched all my advances, and which I have the honor herewith to address to you, would be sufficient for the entire settlement of my account; but my business lies with an association of United States, who have intrusted the administration of their most valuable interests, to an assembly of citizens, to a General Congress, the members of which are continually changed, and as continually liable to view transactions of the oldest date, and those which have been most thoroughly investigated at other times, with the same uncertainty and ignorance of circumstances, as if they were new events. From whence arises the necessity of causing my accounts to be adjusted and settled by the same agent, who has already presented and discussed them, agreeably to the vouchers in his possession; which M. de Francy will do as soon as his health will permit him to undertake a voyage at sea.
In the meantime, Sir, I have the honor to address to you a faithful abstract of my accounts, as they have been settled by Mr Deane, with whom alone, on behalf of the General Congress, I treated. His misfortunes, the malice with which his character, naturally mild and uniform, has been aspersed, and the complaints which I have heard in this country against certain of his writings, (of which I have not yet seen any) since the English papers made them public, have not changed the opinion I had formed of him; and I will always do him the justice to say, that he is one of those men, who have contributed most to the alliance of France with the United States. I will even add, that his laudable endeavors in the most difficult times merited, perhaps, another recompense. I see there are intrigues among Republicans, as well as in the Courts of Kings. This digression, (which a compassionate feeling for a man, worthy of a better lot, forces from me in writing to you, to you, Sir, who have loved him as I do,) this digression excused, I resume my affair; and I request of you, Sir, to engage Congress to assist me by the very first opportunity, with bills of exchange, such as the first which I received in 1779. Though they are not yet payable, and though I have been obliged to undergo the heaviest losses in order to make them serviceable, I cannot support the weighty burden of my credit to America, (with which alone I should be able to settle my debts in Europe,) without having, at least, an object representative of this said credit in my hands. And neither the Congress nor I should look too minutely to the losses that I sustain in the negotiation of this paper. It is one of the events, one of the indispensable consequences of the nature and situation of things. Have then the justice, Sir, to remit to me as speedily as possible, if not the whole of my account, at least a large part of what is due to me by Congress in bills of exchange, reserving what may be objected to in the account and its full proof, until Francy may be able to repair to Philadelphia. My very embarrassed situation will cause me to receive this strict justice from Congress as a favor, and I shall be under the greatest obligation to you for it.
Receive, Sir, all my congratulations on the merited confidence which your fellow citizens have placed in you. No man can entertain a greater esteem for your person and superior talents than I do. Messrs De Francy and Deane have taught me to become acquainted with you; and it is after the most deliberate affection that I subscribe myself, with the most respectful regard and acknowledgement, Sir, your obedient servant.
CARON DE BEAUMARCHAIS.
THE FOLLOWING ARE THE ABSTRACTS MENTIONED IN THE PRECEDING LETTER.
Dr the Honorable Congress of the United States in Account Current with Caron de Beaumarchais.
Contra Cr.
| 1777, | Livres | s. | d. | ||
| Aug. | 23, | By net proceeds of the returned | |||
| cargo of the Mercury, | 18,728 | 7 | |||
| 1778, | |||||
| Feb. | 27, | By ditto, ditto of the Amphitrite, | 135,338 | 9 | |
| April | 17, | By remittance to Mr Francy of | |||
| 20,000 dollars at 4 for 1 is, at | |||||
| 5 livres tournois for a dollar | 25,000 | ||||
| May | 26, | By ditto of 24,000 dollars at | |||
| ditto ditto | 30,000 | ||||
| Oct | 22, | By net proceeds of the returned | |||
| cargo of the Teresia, | 124,139 | 9 | 6 | ||
| 1779, | |||||
| May | 5, | By ditto of the Amelia, passed | |||
| on memorandum, waiting the | |||||
| final of accounts of M. Carabasse, the | |||||
| shipper in this affair. | |||||
| June | 26, | By net proceeds of 231 hhds tobacco per | |||
| the Fier Rodrigue, reduced to | |||||
| to 115½ on account of the freight | |||||
| being one half, | 74,905 | 3 | 9 | ||
| 1780, | |||||
| June | 25, | By remittances on Dr Franklin to the | |||
| 15th of June, 1780, viz. | |||||
| 74,000) | |||||
| 72,000) | = 144,000[7] | ||||
| 1781, | |||||
| April | 6, | By balance due to me from the honorable | |||
| Congress, | 5,722,723 | 2 | 6 | ||
| ———— | —— | —— | |||
| Livres, | 6,274,844 | 11 | 6 | ||
| ———— | —— | —— |
Errors and omissions excepted.
Paris, April 6th, 1781.
Dr the Honorable Congress in their new Account Current with Caron de Beaumarchais.
| 1781, | Livres. | s. | d. | ||
| April | 6, | To balance due to me on the preceding | |||
| account, | 5,722,723 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 1782, | |||||
| May | 18, | To commission at ½ per cent on 144,000 | |||
| and 2,544,000 making 2,688,000, in | |||||
| bills on Paris, | 13,440 | ||||
| " | " | To amount of interest account at 6 per | |||
| cent per annum, as particularized | |||||
| hereafter, | 382,698 | 18 | |||
| " | " | To commission at 2½ per cent to M. de | |||
| Francy on the returns from America, | |||||
| viz. | |||||
| On 552,121 9 amount of the returns to the | |||||
| credit of their account settled the 6th | |||||
| of April, 1781, | |||||
| 2,882,332 10 9 amount of the returns to | |||||
| the credit of the account settled this | |||||
| day, | |||||
| 3,434,453 19 9 at 2½ per cent, | 86,861 | 6 | |||
| ———— | —— | ||||
| Livres, | 6,204,723 | 6 | |||
| ———— | —— |
Contra Cr.
Dr the Honorable Congress
| 1782, | |||||
| May | 18, | To balance due to me on the above account, | 3,322,390 | 15 | 9 |
Closed the above account, as well debit as credit, of the sum of six millions two hundred and four thousand seven hundred and twentythree livres, six sols, and six deniers tournois; on which the Honorable Congress of the United States of America owe me as balance the sum of three millions three hundred and twentytwo thousand three hundred and ninety livres, fifteen sols, and nine deniers tournois.
Dr, moreover, the Honorable Congress.
To amount of the drafts of General Lincoln, drawn at Charleston, in the month of March, 1780, on Samuel Huntington, President of Congress, to the order of M. de Francy, for the purchase of the cargo of the corvette the Zephyr, sold by Captain Mainville to the said General Lincoln, Commander of the Southern army of the United States, for the sum of two hundred and twentyfour thousand three hundred dollars, (this for memorandum,) for which two hundred and twentyfour thousand three hundred dollars I am yet to be credited, no return having been made to me.
Errors and omissions excepted.
CARON DE BEAUMARCHAIS.
Paris, May 18th, 1782.