I daily received yours of the 15. Instant. By a Letter from Mrs. Gourlade and Moylan dated the 10th. I am assured that they never refused to continue supplying the Alliance with the necessary Provisions: Therefore a Charge from your Correspondent at L'Orient on that Account, will not be rightly brought against me.
In my last I mentioned that I might possibly in the Course of the Month have an Opportunity of shipping the old Arms. M. Williams will inform you when it offers. By that Vessel if not already gone, you may send young Slade and Miss Clarke. The Promisory Notes you formerly took from Officers payable to the President of Congress, I suppose you have already sent, if not, they may go by the same Opportunity. If the Notes sign'd were single, and not Triplicates, it will be well to keep the Originals, & send attested Copies. The Accounts against the American Captains who staid so long at Nantes by improperly [word or words skipped?] should also be sent over.
I never settled the affair of the Swedish Prizes, being in Expectation that the Claimants would have prosecuted Capt. Landais for their Damages if they had a right to any. I should have been containted to have seen the disputed brought before the Courts in France, to whose Jurisdiction all our Cruisers are directed to submit their Prizes brought into this kingdom. I depend on your being able to defend the Captain on the Proof that the Swede did not produce his Papers to show the Prizes was neutral property till after they was brought in; and in this View I returned you all the Papers. When I afterwards wrote to have them again in Order to discourse on the Subject with the Swedish Ambassador you answered that to save Postage, they being bulky, you would send them by some good private Hand. I never received them; and the Swedish Ambassador saying nothing more to me on the subject, I forgot it. Capt. Landais was in France from October 1779 till July 1780. And as the Claimants neglected to Sue him here, they must now follow him to America, where is no doubt they will meet with the Justice that may be found due to them.— If they resolve to do this, it will be well to transmit authenticated Copies of those Papers to the Congress; and Will pay the Charges you may be at in getting them transcribed.— For I suppose they are still in your Hands.
With great Regard I have the Honour to be Sir, &c.