TO THE COUNT DE ROCHAMBEAU.
Office of Finance, October 1st, 1781.
Sir,
This being the day agreed upon for repayment of the moneys your Excellency was so kind as to advance me, I do myself the honor of assigning to you the reasons why it is not done. I had determined to make every effort and every sacrifice for the sake of complying with my engagements. But his Excellency, the Minister of France, perceiving that it would be very inconvenient to me, and being convinced that you were not in immediate want of it, was so kind as to assure me, that he would write to you on the subject, and that, in the meantime, I might delay the payment until the arrival of money from the eastward. I shall then take care to have your advance replaced.
Being convinced, Sir, that M. de la Luzerne has already made the proper representations to you upon the subject, I should not have troubled you with reading this letter, but that I feel a pleasure in seizing every opportunity to express my wishes for your success and glory, as well as to assure you, that I am, &c.
ROBERT MORRIS.
TO MAJOR GENERAL GREENE.
Office of Finance, October 3d, 1781.
Sir,
I have received your letter, dated the 18th of August last, at the high hills of Santee, and am now to thank you for it. Your observations on public affairs are, I fear, too just, but I hope that when our situation is thoroughly perceived by the people, they will adopt those effectual remedies, which every friend to his country ought to wish. That more power ought to be given to Congress is evident now to many, and will, probably, become soon very apparent to all. The disobedience of many States, and the partial obedience of others, discontents every one of them, and that will, in itself, be a reason for enabling the sovereign representative to exact a compliance with its requisitions; but, as you justly observe, all these things are in the womb of time, which can alone disclose the events we plague ourselves with guessing at.