TO THE PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS. Office of Finance, May 8th, 1782. Sir, His Excellency, the Minister of France, in a late letter to me has officially declared, that in future no sums will be paid to the Ministers of the United States in Europe by his Court. It becomes necessary, therefore, to make provision for their support here. I immediately applied to the Minister of Foreign Affairs for an account of the annual salaries payable to his Department. I have received it this day, and do myself the honor to enclose a copy. I must take the liberty to observe, that the sum is very large, and such as cannot be advanced without greatly retrenching from essential services, at least in the present moment. It will, I humbly conceive, be necessary that arrangements should be taken, so that in future all such salaries as are payable to foreign Ministers be advanced in America, and negotiated by their respective Agents. This will be honorable to the United States, and I should suppose more agreeable to the gentlemen concerned. The Minister of France has also observed, that the accounts between his Most Christian Majesty and the United States having become very important, by the greatness of the sums advanced and lent, it is indispensable that measures be taken to adjust them, and to avoid that confusion, which would be introduced by a longer delay. And in consequence, he has desired that Congress would transmit to Dr Franklin full power finally to settle those accounts, and in the name of the United States to execute the proper obligations for securing the debt and fixing the periods of payment. To this he adds, that it is not expected Congress can do anything towards payment during the war, but that they will fix the several epochas at which they shall be made. To a proposition so reasonable, there will, I presume, be no objection. The solidity of the observation on which it is founded cannot be called in question, and I am induced by it to extend the remark a little further. The great sums which remain unsettled and undetermined between the French Court and the United States are alike unsettled between the latter and their public servants. How the accounts may stand I know not, but it is my particular duty to observe, that there appears to have been but little received for the great sums, which have been expended, and therefore it is highly necessary, that the public accounts of these States with their servants in Europe be also settled. It shall be my study in future to prevent the existence of such accounts, but their magnitude as well as other circumstances, makes me extremely solicitous to have them adjusted. I have the honor to be, &c. ROBERT MORRIS. * * * * * CIRCULAR TO THE GOVERNORS OF THE STATES Office of Finance, May 9th, 1782. Sir,