What I am going to mention to your Excellencies will, I hope, apologize for the liberty I take of addressing myself to you. In January 79 I was appointed by the Government of Virginia to go to Europe to transact there some business of importance for the State. I was taken prisoner in coming, and did not recover my liberty ’till Novr. the same year. I arrived at Paris the spring following, and consulted His Excellency Dr. Franklin, to whom I had the honour of having been long personally known, according to the written Instructions I had recd. from the Executive. Not to trouble your Excellencies with a long detail of particulars, which are no ways necessary, I shall only inform you that after a variety of disappointments, proceeding from the miscarriage and neglect of sending papers from Virginia, probably occasioned by the confusions there, and from other causes, such as the non payment of bills drawn in my favour by order of the State, I find myself reduced to the necessity of requesting your assistance to enable me to go to my family in France, and from thence with them to America. In consequence of the disappointments I met with, I disposed of a little estate in Tuscany to defray the expences I was necessarily obliged to incur. This supply has long been expended. A stranger as I am in this Country, and trusting to meet with Mr. Adams, and to receive his assistance and advice; I am at a loss how to raise money on my own credit, or on the property I have in Virginia. The favour therefore which I am to request of your Excellencies is that you would furnish me, either on the credit of the State, or my own, with a sufficient sum for the purpose above-mentioned, or that you would recommend me to some person who is able and willing to advance me that sum on either of those credits. I am further induced to make and to urge this request, because I am induced to believe, from the last letter I recd. from Government, that it is imagined there, that I have recd. the money which was appointed for me, and of course I can have no expectations from home. Permit me to beg the favour of an answer directed to me chez George Henrie Lÿsson Dans la grande Cour de l’Empereur à Amsterdam, and to have the honour of signing myself most respectfully, Gentlemen, Your Excellencies most Humble and most Obedient Servant