1. Williams, who was at Nantes to clear up the questions raised by Arthur Lee about his accounts (see Jonathan Williams to Benjamin Franklin and JA, 31 Jan., and notes, above), had apparently discussed with JA his interest in the aid to be given the returned prisoners. He wrote to Benjamin Franklin regarding it on 7 April ( Cal. Franklin Papers, A.P.S. , 2:57), and enclosed an extract of Franklin's reply of 20 April. Franklin expressed his concern about the welfare of the Americans who had been exchanged, but he also noted that limited resources and the difficulty of determining what was due each prisoner placed limits on his ability to provide relief. He hoped that by the time his letter reached Williams, the Americans would be on board the Alliance and referred Williams to JA, to whom authority to deal with the problem had been entrusted and to whom Franklin wrote on 21 April (see JA to Franklin, 13 April, note 4, above). There is no indication if one of the former prisoners came to see JA.