You say that if my letter, of the 4th of March, had been received before the 8th of June, it would have founded a resolve of Congress more agreeable to you to communicate than the one referred to. I have received, likewise, the resolution of Congress of the 6th of August, respecting the allowance to be made to the Commissioners. Upon my applying to Dr Franklin to know if he had received any directions from Congress to pay me any money, and whether he thought himself authorised by that resolution to do it, he answered me, that he had received no orders about it. “On the other hand, (said he) there is a part of it which directs, that every Commissioner, who has been intrusted with public money, shall transmit without delay his accounts and vouchers to the Board of Treasury in order for settlement. Till such settlement is made, I conceive it cannot be known what, or whether anything, is due to you.” I was in hopes, that after what I had already written to Congress on this subject, it would have been unnecessary to trouble them any more about it. Their resolution of the 7th of May, 1778, directs, “that the Commissioners appointed for the Courts of Spain, Tuscany, Vienna, and Berlin, should live in such style and manner at their respective Courts, as they may find suitable and necessary to support the dignity of their public character, keeping an account of their expenses, which shall be reimbursed by the Congress of the United States of America.” I have repeatedly informed Congress of my reasons for not going into Italy. Had those reasons not been satisfactory, they would doubtless have signified their pleasure to me on the subject, which should have been the rule of my conduct.
I do not conceive that the resolution of the 6th of August, which directs that those who have been intrusted with public money shall transmit their accounts and vouchers to the Board of Treasury to be settled, can have any reference to me. I have received two thousand five hundred louis d’ors of the public money, exclusive of the clothes and education of my children. This latter circumstance I should not have mentioned, had not Dr Franklin told me, that he saw no reason why Congress should maintain my family. I cannot believe, that Congress intended any such distinction when they sent me a commission, nor when they entered into the resolution of the 7th of May, 1778; neither can I think, that, by calling for the accounts and vouchers of those who have been intrusted with public money, their intention is to enter into an examination of my butcher’s, baker’s, or apothecary’s bills. I hope they will be satisfied with being informed, that my expenses during the two years, that I have had the honor of being in their service, have amounted to sixteen hundred louis d’ors a year. The resolution of the 6th of August set forth, that the reasonable expenses of the Commissioners shall be paid. It is impossible for me to tell what ideas may be affixed to those words; but I am sure, that whatever Congress may think reasonable will be perfectly satisfactory to me, let the sum be what it will. All I desire is, that I may not be subjected to be ill treated by a man, who is become my enemy, because I have done my duty to the public.
I have the honor to be, &c.
RALPH IZARD.
TO THE PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS.
Philadelphia, August 6th, 1780.
Sir,
In several letters which I wrote to Congress from Paris, I acquainted them with my reasons for not going into Italy. It will give me great pleasure to be informed, that those reasons and my conduct have been approved of by the Representatives of my country. Permit me, Sir, to request, that you will be pleased to inform Congress of my arrival in this city, and that I shall be ready, whenever it is their pleasure, to give them any information in my power respecting their affairs in Europe.
I have the honor to be, &c.