Weekly national intelligencer., 1853-12-03

new consignment Of $1,000 guns TO North America with
the promise Of being reimbursed therefor M do Beaumar
chas socts that he may be paid the Of 900 vre
which is the value Of the said guns" &C.
At the bottom Of this account the King writes GOOD
and Beaumarchais touches the 360 900 vres question
Only it appears that found that he had received
money enough for this whole affair, and that he was
made by his great gods not to ask for any
This is indicated by the sufficiently odd form of his last
receipt of $780, vres which drawn up in the follow
ing manner:
q" acknowledge that his Majesty has been very kind to
mburse for the fifteen thousand louis that had adyane
ed for objects relating his service received them with
gratitude at the very moment when had the greatest need
them. But these objects have ceased Iengaye myself
honor aud under all possible FORMS TO claim nothing iur-
her from the royal treasury whatever face my mercantile a
fairs may assume humby assuring his Majesty that unless
have orders from him will engage another
in my Affairs with any reference to those Of his Majesty
"cARoS DE BEAuMARcnAIs.
I" Paris, this 18th of April, 177s."
This is in fact the last receipt of Beaumarohais which
has any reference to the American supplies All the sums
have mentioned ncontestbly paid towards these
supplies This is proved by the report of NJ Durival to
NJ de Vergennes Of the 9th of September 1885, refer
ring to the demand made by the banker Of the United
States All the payments made to NJ de Beaumarchais
recapiulated there separate sheet with this title
payments made TOR Tie american service but this report con-
firms at the time the general thesis that we have
constantly sustained for if find there the proof that
NJ. de Vergcnnes had paid more money than at first
supposed find also the demonstration that it
the Ministry alone not to the Americans that Beaumar-
chais render of the money received 1t
remains equally certain that the policy relative to Eng
land sufficient in l776 to compel NJ de Vergennes to
wish to give the operation commercial character not
merely fictitious but real and that Beaumarchais in Civ
ing it this character followed the instruction Of the Min
isry in the years 1777 and 1778 which the de-
csve years for the destiny of America the Insurgents had
failed, Beaumarchas would have lost not only the money
that he had known how procure from France and Spain
by his skill and for the assistance Of Ame
but in addition his personal fortune; for it is incon
esble that acting the time and in the hope of
n (onII tink
taby denied this merit under the influence Of ardent
desire to associate his with the Of the Amer
lean cause he had expended much than the three
millions he had received 1t is nevertheless true that he
had received these three millions and that NJ de Ver-
gennes retained the right of requiring of him render
account of them. Has this account been rendered and
under what form? Would the Ministry have exacted
from Beaumarchas partial or total reimbursement in
case the latter had been paid in full by the Americans
Why In the contract Of 1888 with America did NJ de YER
gennes mention only Of the three millions given to
Beaumarchais and say nothing Of the two others Why
after having mentioned this Million did he refuse to
ton to the Americans the of the who had
ceiyed t Did he take into consideration that only
Beaumarchas could not obtain from Congress the pay
ment of what remained due his supplies but that he
had made in his expeditions the United States consde
rabe losses that several of his vessels had been captured
by the English and that the single State of Virginia alone
by the depreciation OF paper money caused him the loss
of sum estimated by him ut three mions We're these
losses considered sort of discharge for the three mil
lions received from France and Spain? All these qucs
tons are more easy to ask than TO answer In affair
Of this kind there always points which the inyest
CATION is reduced to probabilities and conjectures.
In conclusion and finish with this mysterious opera
ton which has during fifty years caused to be exchanged
between France and America than fifty dispatches
not of which is exact Beaumarchais independent of
his claims against individual States of the Unon claimed
in 1895 from Congress of III livres nclud-
ing interest the account settled by Sas Deane
and after orycars debate his heirs received hundred
thousand francs! What he lost represents then the
grant of three millions which he received This result is
less nqutous in itself than if the grant did exist but
does not do any honor the gratitude and gene
rosity of the American Government.