not involved in Deane's schemes, 238; befriends Deane, 240; much annoyed by the complications, 241, 242; and by French officers previously encouraged by Deane, 243, 244; discourages them, 245; uses an unvarnished form of letter of recommendation, 245; recognizes value of Lafayette and Steuben, 246; impressed with feeling for liberty in Europe, 247; expects great liberal immigration, 247; advises privateering, 248; charged with duty of regulating it, 249, 250; protects privateers against French government, 250; works to gain time, 251; tries to exchange prisoners with England, 253; tart correspondence with Stormont, 253; indignant at treatment of American prisoners by English, 254, 255; correspondence with Hartley on the subject, 256-262; urges humane treatment, 257, 258; proposes liberation by English "on account," 258, 259, 260; threatens retaliatory treatment, 260, 263; finally succeeds, 261, 262; difficulties raised by English, 262, 263; sends money to prisoners, 263; appoints Williams naval agent, 264; acquiesces in his dismissal, 266; predicts in 1777 the ultimate success of the war, 268; prevents desperate measures on Deane's part, 269; receives news of Burgoyne's surrender, 270; sends J. L. Austin to confer with English liberals, 271; justifies to Hartley the project of a French alliance, 272, 273; secret negotiations with France, 274, 275; misunderstanding with Lee, 275; arranges commercial concessions, 277; plans nearly upset by Lee and Izard, 278-9; signs treaty in "Manchester velvet suit," 279; writes to Hartley urging peace, 281, 282; predicts futility of English conciliatory bills, 282; presented to Louis XVI., 283; his costume, 283; secures in treaty principle of "free ships, free goods," 287; favors the "armed neutrality," 288; meetings with Voltaire, 287, 288; speaks well of Deane, 290; accused of inefficiency and corruption by Lee and Izard, 292, 293, 298; criticised by Adams, 294, 296; personal frugality of Franklin, 297; advises a single representative at Versailles, 297; made minister plenipotentiary, 298; insulted by Lee, 299; supplies money, commissions, and protection to Paul Jones, 300, 301; advises plundering English coast, 301; difficulties with Landais, 302. _Foreign Financial Agent._ Forced to beg money to meet congressional bills, 306; assists Jay, 307; sole effective financier, 307, 308; lends money to Congress, 308; yields two cargoes to Beaumarchais, 310; appeals vainly to Thomas Morris, 310; instructed by Congress to borrow money and build ships of war, 311; writes pamphlet on credit of the United States, 311; agrees to meet interest on congressional loan, 311; obliged to meet drafts, 312; continually surprised by new and old ones, 312; not warned of bills drawn, 312, 313, 318, 332; annoyed by exorbitant demands of Lee and Izard, 314; refuses Izard, 315;