Being informed by a letter of Mr. Vaughan some months ago, that you had wrote me a lettre by the frensh Paquet of March 1786, and that he also had wrote me an other letter, I was unable to answer him before I had recieved these different letters. I have now recieved those letter togeather with a copy of volume II of the american Transactions accompanied by a lettre of yours, which did me a great deal of pleasure. The lettre addressed to me placed at the head of this volume has given me a satisfaction greater that I can express, and the very affectionate expressions of friendship and estime, with which you honour me, and which will be an everlasting monument for me and a very honorable one, have been here much handed about to my great advantage even to excite envy. Recieve my sincere thanks for them.

This lettre will be accompanyed by three copies of a new edition of my book on vegetables printed at Paris, and, as I think, much mended; but the doctrine it self is not altered, as no good arguments founded on facts have been alledged to overturn it; but on the Conntrary the material part of it has struck some of the European philosophers to such a degree that three or four of them endeavoured, even several years after the publication of my book to participate in the honour of the discovery, and that by different and oblike ways. I order’d these three copies to be marked by the bookseller, one being destined for your self, one for the Phil. society and one for Mr. Vaughan. I joined two dissertations to your copy in which I overturn some of the generaly recieved opinion. Other philosophers have objected to them by quoting mere authorities, but not one fact has been produced as yet against them. A very learned and respectable man at this Court has desired me to send you six copies of a kind of monument in honour of the late King of Prussia, being an abridgment of the most memorable epoques of his life in a lapidary stile. It is much approved of by the learned. I have sent by Mr. Wharton, when at Passy, a copy of my English edition on vegetables, which I have directed by my own hand Writing to the American Philos. Society, and which I see from the II volume of the transactions has not been delivred. I hope you will reclame it.

I recieved yesterday a separate copy of the interesting and for me very honourable lettre publish’d on the II volume of the Amer. Phil. Transactions. I thank you particularly for it: for more than twenty persons sollicited me the favour of reading the letter, whom I will now be able to satisfy. My name is ill spelled in the titel of that lettre, an A being put instead of an O.

I thank you very kindly for your endeavours to persuade Mr. Wharton and his son to pay me what is du to me. As I see that Mr. Sam   Wharton has still a parcel of Marchandises belonging to me, according to the original notes you send me, and as he begs me in those notes to keep the affaire secrete, and promises moreover to make up the account and put in your hands the money proposing even to mortgage a 1000 acres of land as a security, I should think there is no doubt but he will have been or will be soon induced by your persuasion and authority to fulfill his duty. If he does it not, he must be one of the greatest rogues existing, by abusing in such a scandalous way a man who trusted him with an unbounded confidence. Is it possible, in this supposition, to believe that a free and virtuous people should chuse a man of such a black caracter as one of their Magistrates. The shame alone of being known publickly for such must induce him to doe every thing possible to prevent his being exposed publickly as a scoundrel. If it is true, what he says, that Mr. Coffyn had no pretensions on him, and therefore no right to keep to himself the money send over, Mr. Coffyn must be of a very rogues caracter as well a Mr. Wharton. But if Mr. Coffyn was realy a creditor of Mr. Wharton (which is not probable, as in such case he would have chosen to take a greate share in our joint adventure, he being only interested for one sixth and I for one third) he had no right to appropriate to himself allmost the whole of the sum send over by Mr. Wharton to him, and therefore that gentlemans caracter is to me very suspicious. If Mr. Coffyn is still, as he was formerly, a consul of your Republic at Dunkerque, could there not be sent to him an admonitory note, giving him to understand, that his reputation runns a great risk of becoming suspected as long as he does not send me one third of the whole sum send to him by Mr. Wharton having no right to dispose without my consent of what did belong to me? I should thinck Mr. Coffyn could by such a note being sent to him be pressed and put in fear of loosing his caracter, so as to send me the money. But I must leave this to your own judgment. If Mr. Vaughan or your son in Law would give themself the trouble to read over the letters I wrote you on this head, I should think, they would scarc restrain themself from thinking Mr. Coffyn to be a man of no integrity. How could have believe this!

Mr. Vaughan thinks, that I should send a letter of atorney, with attexed Copies of all necessary papers &c. on purpose to force Mr. Wharton to doe his Duty. You seem your self to incline for such a measure. But as allmost all these transactions have been carry’d on between Mr. Wharton, Coffyn and Dr. Bankroft, and as I have not recievd one single line directely from Mr. Wharton about the transactions, I could not use such full informations as Mr. Vaughan seems to require. Besides I think, that, and this was possible, Mr. Wharton, loosing publikcly his caracter, Would become quite unwilling to doe any thing in a fair way, and would give in his accounts in such a manner as to make it appear he owes me next to nothing. As he aknowledges to you by words and writing, that he is my debtor, and as I have given to you in my former lettres, which I confirm fully by this, a full power to act in my name in this affaire as you think best for my advantage, it seems to me superfluous to send a letter of atorney by it self. I will however send it, if quite necessary and if Mr. Vaughan will send me a model exact of such a letter of atorney, as I am verry little acquainted with such like transactions. If in such a case Mr. Wharton could not pay, haveing perhaps nothing, or pretending to have nothing, would I be in danger of being put to great expenses in paying lawyers and other people to be employed in such transactions?

I hope you will have been able to prevail by this time Mr. Wharton to finish the business.

I have send you before you set out from France an open letter to Mr. John Williams of Boston with a copy of two Certificates signed by the treasurer of £ Loans at Boston on the 15 of March 1779 the one of 3000 dollars the other of 4000 bearing intrest at Six percent. I have heared nothing of that gentelman since he send me the copy of those two certificates, tho I have requested him by several letters to send me the Contant money he had in his hands for me, besides the two certificates, and to join to it the jarely (yearly?) intrest of these seven thousand dollars. His silence has made me fearfull lest he should be dead. Therefore I desired Mr. Grand your banker in Paris to inquire at boston what is become of Mr. John Williams and of my money. I got no answer yet.

There fore I take the liberty to inclose this note to that gentleman to requer him to get those two Loan certificates realised immediately and to send over the amount of the sum to you on my account. If you recieve this money I should be glad you would doe me the pleasure to employe a part of it in getting for me one specimen of each coin, gold, silver and bras, which Congress is coining for the use of the united states, as is sayd in the newspapers.

You know, how fond I am of American newspapers, if you had some waist ones, being of no use, either in the german or in the English language, I would be obliged to you to send them to me if some traveller will take them under his care, they may be left at Paris at Mr. Barrois le jeune libraire sur le quay des Augustins directed to me.

I know too well that your present situation and high station will not leave you leasure enoug to answer me on such a longue letter but I hope your friendship to me will induce you to engage your son in Law Mr. Bache or your grand son to perform the business for you.

I have papers ready for a second volume of each of the two works I have send you, and I think to publish them as soon as possible. I intend allso to arrange the papers of your performance which I possess and are not yet publish’d. I am with all possible respect and friendship Dear Sir Your most obedient humble Servant and friend