With the inclosed Accompts, I take the Liberty of making a few Observations in addition to those which I made to You verbally Yesterday. In the first place you will see by the Accts. that the amount of all the Monies charged to Me by Congress is £215605 17s. 10d. out of which the Sum of £67332 Os. 5d. is to be deducted, on this no Dispute can arise as Mr. Solier charged the same Monies to Mr. Robt. Morriss in his Accts. trans-mitted to America Two Years ago. This then will leave the sum of £148273 17s. 5d. on Me to Acct. for my payments to Prisoners, to Mr. Carmichael, to Officers going to America and actually in the service of Congress, with the other payments specified in my Acct. No. 1 amount to £172589 15s. 3d. by which You see there remains a Ball. of £24315 17s. 10d. due to Me independent of my Salary and expenses, and my Commission. The sum of £51957 13s. O for more than four Years service will not appear extravagant to any one who is acquainted with the services I had to perform, nor will the sum of £100949 1s. 4d. be thought extraordinary for four Years and Seven Mo. expenses, in which the charges of Two Voyages to Europe are included. I know not what Mr. Franklin’s or Mr. Adams, or Mr. Lee’s expences may have been. I know that Mr. Lee wrote to Congress that he could not live for less than Three Thousand pounds Sterling per Annum, which is more than half what I have charged Congress for four Years and Seven Months. With regard to my Commission Accs. I have charged Commissions only on the Business undertaken and completed by Me solely, agreeable to my Instructions from the secret and Commercial Committees, and at the rate contracted for with them, Docr. Franklin was at the Time a Member of both those Committees. He drew my Instructions himself, which I have in his own handwriting signed by him, Mr. Morriss, Mr. Jay and others. Notwithstanding I made purchases for Congress to the Amount of several Millions in Cloathing, and other Articles for which any one of the Commercial Agents of Congress would have charged five Per Ct. Commissions, yet as my Colleagues were present I have not charged any thing but contented myself with the pittance allowed by Congress as Salary and though the Commissions are considerable, they are no more than what Congress allowed to their Commercial Agents in France, and it ought to be considered that I have spent more than five Years on no other Business, and been forced to advance my own Money to a considerable Amount besides the irreparable damages I have otherways suffered. I have long intreated for a Settlement, and though I have urged that my Accts. should be submitted to the strictest scrutiny by Men of Ability, and Character in France, yet it has hitherto been to no purpose. I have troubled You with the State of My Accts. and this representation, that as You have been a Witness of the services I was engaged in and how I performed them, You may also know in what manner I have been awarded. Although there are many Articles in my Accts. especially of the small charges for expences, for which I have no Vouchers, yet rather than wait longer I had rather loose everything for which no Voucher could be procured. I ought to Apologize for having given You the pain of this Narrative, but I know You will excuse Me, as it is done to demonstrate to You the rectitude of my Conduct, and the Justice of my Demands on Congress. I have the honor to be with the most sincere esteem and Attachment Dear sir Your most Obedient and Very humble servant