The committee appointed to confer with the Minister of France on the mode of obtaining supplies for the forces of his Most Christian Majesty, and on other matters, report:
That the Minister of France has communicated to your committee, that as M. de Corney, Commissary of the troops of his Most Christian Majesty, will go into the State of Connecticut to procure some supplies, it would be convenient for him to receive there an advance of money from these United States, either in Continental bills or the bills of that State, to be replaced in specie on the arrival of the fleet from France, and the Minister engages that the moneys, which shall be so advanced by these United States to M. de Corney, shall be replaced in specie as above mentioned.
Upon which communication your committee beg leave to submit to the consideration of Congress the following resolution, viz.
That the Governor of the State of Connecticut be, and he hereby is, authorised to receive on account of these United States, out of the moneys raised by that State more than sufficient to discharge the drafts heretofore made by Congress, and to comply with the requisition of Congress of the 20th of last month, or out of the bills that shall be completed and lodged in the Continental Loan Office in that State for the use of the United States, pursuant to a resolution of Congress of the 18th of March last, one million two hundred thousand dollars of the bills now in circulation, or thirty thousand dollars of the bills last mentioned, or a proportion of each, on the application of M. de Corney, Commissary of the troops in the service of his Most Christian Majesty, and advance the same to him, taking his receipt therefor, to replace the same in specie in the Treasury of these United States when required by Congress; said receipts to be transmitted to the Treasury Board as soon as may be.
TO THE PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS.
Translation.
Philadelphia, June 18th, 1780.
Sir,
The undersigned Minister of France has witnessed the efforts of Congress to enable the Commander in Chief to make a glorious commencement of the campaign; he is convinced of the zeal with which all its members are animated, and if the army has not hitherto received any of the reinforcements announced in January last, he is persuaded that Congress deeply lament those delays, and are sincerely desirous to prevent the fatal consequences, which might result from them. The undersigned has, since the beginning of this year, continued to make the most pressing representations on this subject, and all the answers that he has received tend to assure him that the arrangements, which were announced, would be carried into full execution at the beginning of this month. Now that the time fixed for putting the army on a respectable footing has passed by, and it is but too certain, that the reinforcements demanded four or five months ago have not yet arrived, he earnestly entreats Congress to be pleased to pay immediate attention to the supply of these troops, and to the fulfilment of their promises.