Never Letter could have been more welcome than the favor, your Excy. honored us with of the 25th of past month; as she expresses a true Concern about the Bills drawn on Mr: Laurens and her approbation of our Conduct; as we from the beginning acted from Principle in the American cause & never will prevaricate; this is only from the same motive, but we must be sorry if we should not be supported; and thus it is out of your Exys. Power to do it—1 We cannot judge how far those drafts may go—and if we had not expected that your Excy. as well as his Excy B. Franklin should have been willing & able to answer for a trifle as one or two hundred thousand Guilders, or such a matter as this it would have been a folly to undertake it— Doctr. Franklin wrote to us. People would be satisfied to have the Bills unregistered but we found the contrary, several of them would have then duly protested, and until to day we have again accepted them all, but how it further will go, we do not know— We were sensible again to the hint your Excy. pleased to give us, of making a Loan here; We might from time to time have got here some money in that way if properly authorized, and our good will & Influence certainly would have brought it further, than it had been at the house which hath formerly been entrusted with it, and we have long ago desired a loan should have been opened in our hands, but we never could properly obtain it; A trifle of Allowance, & chiefly the largeness of the summs which was requested from us to answer at once prevented it—so we did not fall on the Idea of mentioning it again; We can, we may work for the Glory, but on a large scale we cannot sacrifice our own— Every catastrophe in favor, or agt: America hath with our public the greatest Influence on the minds— So the Capture of Charlestown would be very much against us in the moment for such a purpose & tho’ we could not flatter ourselves to go any length with it—every particular circumstance might revive the American Spirit; and it would even require some time before such a power was brought into due terms whereon we could engage any thing. This is certain that in a moment as critical as the present, a small sum could save the honor of Congress, & in that lyght could not be paid too dear— Which made us think on a method that your Excy: could employ a Banker & likewise Dr: Franklin, that we drawing on either of your Excellencies; if we were sure they would approve of it we could prolong the terms with all probability, & mostly without any doubt as long as should be needful; and until the arrival of Mr: Laurens, and that by his means, & Instructions proper measures could be taken— We must also expect that Congress, as the first days of May, she was informed that Mr: Laurens was not sailed, will have been attentive to provide for those Bills, and have ponderated the consequence of it, as we do in Europe— We write the same Idea to Doctr: Franklin, and propose if he should not approve of such a method or find a better to empower us for a Loan, as we know we he had formerly Instructions thereabout— We are too nice & anxious for the Credit of Congress, that we should make any use thereof, if it should hurt matters any way— But it is not possible to know what may be done before a proper tryal, for we are obliged at last to speak plain, that whatever Bills now further should offer we cannot accept of any more; we wish our proposals may not seem incongruous— We make them with the more assurance, as we are not conducted by any other motive, than by the most extended desire to prevent every difficulty which could any way hinder the Reputation of the United States— We have the honor to be with the most sensible Acknowledgments for favors received and with the most extended Regard— Honored Sir, Your Excys. most devoted and most obedient Humbl Servants—