I must, however, do the Minister the justice to say, that for some little time then past, and during the whole month of January, I have good reason to believe, that he was greatly and constantly engaged in pressing business, for on speaking several times during that period to the Ambassador of France, about the delays I experienced, and the propriety of pressing the Minister to pay some attention to our affairs, he repeatedly told me, that he knew the Minister to be then extremely hurried, and advised me not to make any application to him for the present. On the 26th of January, 1782, agreeably to a previous appointment, I had a long conference with the Ambassador of France. I entered into a detail of the various pretexts and delays, which the Minister had used to avoid coming to any decision on our affairs, and made some remarks on their keeping me suspended at present, between the Count's incapacity to do business, and M. Del Campo's want of instructions. I reminded the Ambassador that the fate of the bills drawn upon me was a serious subject, and if protested might eventually prove injurious to France and Spain, as well as America, and that though France had already done much for us, yet that it still remained a question of policy whether it would not be more expedient for her to advance about thirty thousand pounds sterling to save these bills, than risk the expensive evils which the loss of our credit might occasion even to her. The Ambassador seemed to admit this, but was apprehensive that the great and pressing demands for money caused by the great armaments, which France was preparing to send to different parts of the world, would render such an advance very inconvenient, if not impracticable. I recapitulated in the course of the conference the various ill consequences, which might result from protesting these bills. Among others, I hinted at the necessity I should be under of assigning to the world in those protests, the true reasons which had occasioned them, viz. that I had placed too great confidence in the assurances of his Catholic Majesty. The Ambassador objected to this as highly imprudent, and as naturally tending to embroil the two countries, which was by all means to be avoided, even though I could make good the assertion. I then enumerated the various assurances I had at different times received from the Minister, adding, that whatever might be the consequence, I should think it my duty to pay a higher regard to the honor of the United States, than to the feelings of a Court by whose finesse that honor had been drawn into question. There was also another circumstance, to which I desired him to turn his attention, viz. that as our independence had not been acknowledged here, the holders of the bills might commence actions against me on them; and that it was easy to foresee the embarrassments, which would result to all parties from such a measure. The Ambassador saw this matter in the same point of view.