To the honorable the Senate of the United States:
The purport of this address is to state a claim I feel myself entitled to make on the United States, leaving it to their Representatives in Congress to decide on its worth and its merits. The case is as follows:
Towards the latter end of the year 1780, the continental money had become so depreciated (a paper dollar not being more than a cent) that it seemed next to impossible to continue the war.
As the United States were then in alliance with France, it became necessary to make France acquainted with our real situation. I therefore drew up a letter to Count de Vergennes, stating undisguisedly the true case, and concluding with the request whether France could not, either as a subsidy or a loan, supply the United States with a million sterling, and continue that supply, annually, during the war.
I showed the letter to Mr. Marbois, Secretary to the French Minister. His remark upon it was, that a million sent out of the nation exhausted it more than ten millions spent in it. I then showed it to Mr. Ralph Izard, member of Congress from South Carolina. He borrowed the letter of me, and said, “We will endeavor to do something about it in Congress.”
Accordingly, Congress appointed Colonel John Laurens, then aid to General Washington, to go to France and make a representation of our situation, for the purpose of obtaining assistance. Colonel Laurens wished to decline the mission, and that Congress would appoint Colonel Hamilton; which Congress did not choose to do.
Colonel Laurens then came to state the case to me. He said he was enough acquainted with the military difficulties of the Army, but that he was not enough acquainted with political affairs, nor with the resources of the country, to undertake the mission; “but,” said he, “if you will go with me, I will accept it;” which I agreed to do, and did do.
We sailed from Boston in the Alliance frigate, Captain Barry, the beginning of February, 1781, and arrived at L’Orient the beginning of March.
The aid obtained from France was six millions of livres as a present, and ten millions as a loan, borrowed in Holland, on the security of France.