Bill of Exchange Drawn on Robert Morris, 16 January 1783
Bill of Exchange Drawn on Robert Morris2
DS:3 American Philosophical Society
Passy, 16. Jany. 1783
Exchange for £4000. Tournois.
At thirty Days Sight of this my first of Exchange, Second, Third and Fourth not paid, Pay to the Count de Langeron4 or order, the Value of Four Thousand Livres Tournois, in the current Specie of the United States, according to the then common Rate of Exchange, with or without Advice from, Sir, Your humble Servant5
[torn: B Franklin]
To Robt. Morris Esqr. Superintendant of the Finances. Philadelphia
2. We publish the first of a set of four bills in L’Air de Lamotte’s hand (APS). On the verso of this bill is written in pencil, “What think the chosen Judges?”
3. The signatures on all four bills have been cut off. The pen strokes that are still visible suggest that the signature was BF’s.
4. This was most likely Louis-Alexandre Andrault, comte de Langeron, who was sous-lieutenant in the Bourbonnais regiment. He sailed to America aboard the Aigle in May, 1782, arriving in September. He served under Antoine-Charles du Houx, baron de Vioménil (XXXII, 144n, 150n), commander-in-chief of the French forces in North America, and probably went to the West Indies and South America before returning to France in June, 1783: Bodinier, Dictionnaire under Andrault; DBF under Langeron; Rice and Brown, eds., Rochambeau’s Army, I, 81n, 84, 100; Dull, French Navy, p. 333.
5. We know nothing more about this bill except that someone evidently called on BF to discuss the matter. On the wrapper sheet of Damboix to BF, Jan. 7, is written “Le Comte de Langeron” in an unknown hand. Elsewhere on the sheet BF has divided 4,000 by 24, and performed other calculations.