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satisfied that they would refuse one which should offer itself on the eastern side. Captain Paul Jones being at L Orient, within a day s journey of Brest, where Captain Peyrouse s vessels lay, I desired him, if he could not satisfy himself at L Orient of the na ture of this equipment, to go to Brest for that purpose : conduct ing himself, so as to excite no suspicion that we attended at all to this expedition. His discretion can be relied on, and his expenses for so short a journey, will be a trifling price for satisfaction on this point. I hope, therefore, that my undertaking that the ex penses of his journey shall be reimbursed him, will not be disap proved.
A gentleman, lately arrived from New York, tells me, he thinks it will be satisfactory to Congress, to be informed of the effect produced here by the insult of Longchamps on Monsieur de Mar- bois. Soon after my arrival in France last summer, it was the matter of a conversation between the Count de Vergennes and myself. I explained to him the effect of the judgment against Longchamps. He did not say that it was satisfactory, but neither did he say a word from which I could collect that it was not so. The conversation was not official, because foreign to the character in which I then w r as. He has never mentioned a word on the subject to me since, and it was not for me to introduce it at any time. I have never once heard it mentioned in conversation, by any person of this country, and have no reason to suppose that there remains any uneasiness on the subject. I have indeed been told, that they had sent orders to make a formal demand of Long- champs from Congress, and had immediately countermanded these orders. You know whether this be true. If it be, I should sus pect the first orders to have been surprised from them by some exaggeration, and that the latter was a correction of their error, in the moment of further reflection. Upon the whole, there certain ly appears to me no reason to urge the State, in which the fact happened, to any violation of their laws, nor to set a precedent, which might hereafter be used in cases more interesting to us than the late one.
In a late conversation with the Count de Vergennes, he asked me if the condition of oar finances was improving. He did not make an application of the question to the arrearages of their inte rest, though perhaps, he meant that I should apply it. I told him the impost still found obstacles, and explained to him the effects which I hoped from our land office. Your letter of the 15th of April, did not come to hand till the 27th ultimo. I enclose a letter from Mr. Dumas to the President of Congress, and accompany
