I make bold to trouble your Excellency with the enclosed memorial and to entreat the favour of you to honour me with your protection by granting me the certificate I therein pray to obtain, with any advice your Excellency may judge I stand in need of, and you will infinitely oblige him who has the honour to be with the utmost respect Sir Your Excellency’s Most Obedient and Most Humble Servant

To His Excellency Benjamin Franklin Esquire Minister Plenipotentiary from the United States of America at the Court of Versailles &ca &ca &ca

The Humble Memorial of James Fanning, Seigneur of LaRoche Talbot, La Courbe, Souvigné, Varennes &ca.

Sheweth that in the year 1775 He the Said James Fanning after having disposed of his property in Ireland, his native Country, on account of the cruel penal Laws then in force there against the Roman Catholics, came with his Family to France, where He and his Family were soon after naturalized and where He has purchased an Estate and is settled with his said family. Some years before He left Ireland His Britannick Majesty was pleased to grant your Memorialist, by his said Majesty’s order in Council, Two thousand acres of Land in west Florida and also Two Thousand acres more in said province to Mathew Fanning Brother to your said Memorialist. The Lands were not however Survey’d to them until October 1779 on the 9th of that Month His Excellency Peter Chester Esqre. Governor and Commander in Chief of West Florida gave his warrants directed to Elias Durnford Surveyor General to have the said four Thousand acres survey’d and lay’d out, which was accordingly executed, on the northside of Bayou Pierre, distant from the Natches about forty miles and three or four Miles from the Mississippi. Your said Memorialist has purchased from the said Mathew Fanning the two Thousand acres which were granted to the said Mathew Fanning whose constant bad State of health induced him to part with them; So that your Excellency’s Memorialist is sole proprietor of the aforesaid four Thousand acres of Land. Bayou Pierre, where they are situated, is in about latitude thirty two, on the north side of the boundary line mark’d out by the definitive treaty, of course in the Dominions of the United States of America and your memorialist is become a Subject of the said State on account of his said property, as such and as a Subject to His Most Christian Majesty He humbly hopes to be honour’d with your Excellency’s protection. Your Memorialist desirous to send    of attorney to have possession taken for him and in his name of Said Lands, humbly prays your Excellency to be pleased to grant him a certificate of his being a French Subject and an Inhabitant for Several years past of this Kingdom, that it may accompany his said letter of Attorney and by that means obviate any difficulties that might otherwise arise. Shou’d your Excellency require to have Your Memorialist’s letters of Naturalization lay’d before you, with a certificate of his residence in this City, or at his Seat of LaRoche Talbot, now going on eight years, it shall be immediately comply’d with. And your Memorialist as in duty bound will be ever gratefull.