Gentlemen
I perceive by your last Letters, that you made a consignment to Hortalez & Co wch in fact is to M. de Beaumarchais. I think it therefore my duty to restate to you all the facts relative to that gentleman, upon wch you will judge how far it is fit to continue those consignments — About May 12 month M. de Beaumarchais was introduced to me in London as an Agent from the french Court who wishd to communicate something to Congress. At our first interview he informd me that the Court of France wishd to send an Aid to America to the amount of 200,000 Louisdores in Specie, Arms & Ammunition & that all they wanted to know was to what Island it was best to make the remittance, & that Congress shoud be apprizd of it. We settled the Cape as the place, & he urgd me by no means to omit giving the earliest intelligence that it woud be remitted in the name of Hortalez.
At our next meeting he desird me to request that a small quantity of Tobacco, or some other production might be returnd to give it the air of a mercantile transaction; repeating over & over again that it was for a Cover only, & not for payment, as the remittance was gratuitous. Of all this I informd the Committee by every opportunity. At the same time I stated to M. Beaumarchais that if his Court wd dispatch eight or ten ships of the line to our aid it woud enable us to destroy the british fleet, & settle the business at one Stroke. I repeated this to him in a Letter after his return to Paris, to which the answer was that there was not spirit enough in his Court for such an exertion, but that he was hastning the promisd succours. Upon Mr Deane's arrival, the business went into his hands & the things were at length embarkd in the Amphitrite Mercure & Seine.
M. de Vergennes, the Minister, & his Secretary have repeatedly assurd us, that no return was expected for those Cargoes or for what M. de Beaumarchais furnishd us. This Gentleman is not a merchant, but is known as a political Agent, employd by the french Court. Remittances therefore to him, so far from covering this business, woud create suspicions, or rather satisfy the british Court their suspicions are just. At the same time his circumstances & situation forbid one to hope that Your property being once in his hands woud ever be recoverd. And as an attempt to force him to account wd hazard a discovery of the whole. transaction this government woud of course discountenance or forbid it. These are the facts which I have thought it my duty to state to you. Your better judgement will direct you whether to continue the remittances or not. I have the honor to be &c
