Let this please stay between us: that is, keep it secret, and reply quickly. It seems that your plan to borrow (by way of M. Grand and M. Le Pot d'Auteuil) has not succeeded. Someone that I know thinks it is possible to make it work by a certain method that he would communicate to you, and that he thinks would not displease you. However, he wants first of all to be informed, with the frankness of which he knows you are capable, of the propositions which you were planning to make to the lenders, and of the profit that you were to accord to these gentlemen, your notary and banker, for their troubles, efforts and assistance. 1. What sum would you have received from each individual, at minimum? a thousand ecus, a hundred ecus? more, less? in order to provide each with the most possible ease, and to draw from a multitude of small accounts. 2. What interest would you have guaranteed? Was it more or less than six percent of the capital? 3. Was the term of reimbursement determined? Was it at the end of the war? Or one, or several years after? 4. Was it not in the name, or on the authority of the Continental Congress that this loan would have been taken out? 5. Would not the interests have been paid annually by you in Europe, in your capacity as Minister of the United States? 6. Was not the reimbursement to be carried out in Europe as well, when the time came, by you, or by your successors? 7. Would you not have granted one or two percent profit (a remittance, or brokerage fee, or however one wishes to call it) to the person or persons who would procure you the money to be borrowed? 8. To facilitate the methods of borrowing, would you not have adopted the method often used in France, to receive the sum to be loaned partly in cash, and partly in paper money from the General Congress, or from one of the individual states, now united? And in what proportion would you accept these? For example, half cash and half paper money, or three quarters cash and one quarter paper money, or nine-tenths in cash, and only a tenth in paper money? 9. Would you not promise not to use anyone else for loans of the same nature, if you had been well served by the connection that I have the honor of proposing to you, and if this fairly satisfied your needs?

These are my client's questions, which I don't think you would have difficulties answering, as they seem to me fairly simple. Therefore I ask you to satisfy his French vivacity as soon as you can.

I am with a tender and respectful attachment, dear friend, your most obedient, humble servant