I arrived in New York on the 4th of this month. I have just met Mr. Bansel here, and I learned from him that the letter which I had the honor of writing to you, and the brochures which were enclosed with it, made it to you.1 The obstacles which the French Republic erects for anyone on their territory wishing to exit, led me to doubt whether the carrier wanted to run the risk of crossing with this letter, even though I had signed it with my name and occupation, and the seal was that of my office. Those precautions sheltered him from suspicion, and if there should be any danger, it was for me alone.

The package enclosed the brief of Louis XVI; of which I am the author, and which I sent to the Convention prior to the sentencing of that unfortunate monarch. The brief was widely sold, reprinted in all of the main cities of France, translated and reprinted abroad as well. I have newspaper extracts that observe as much.2 The convention and the political clubs stopped reelecting to their offices those who were selected by the king and his agents. It was enough to have saved my head from the peril to which this brief exposed me. The acquaintances to whom I had given it either hid it with the greatest care, or burned it, in order not to be persecuted as individuals bound to the king. The author of such a piece of writing did not need to wait for those envious of his job to denounce him in order to be named in his place, after he had at least had it amended. I tendered my letter of resignation. The commissioners confirmed receipt with a letter which is an honorable testament to the manner in which I carried out my duties.

This same package also enclosed a brochure entitled Considerations on the Price of Land, Public Funds, etc. of the United States. I communicated this work, page by page, to Gouverneur Morris. From the first line I made clear that I was writing on the basis of secondhand accounts; I thereby was not morally responsible for its inaccuracies. I have come to redo the work. It was hastily composed between breaks in office work. It is no surprise that it is incoherent and slipshod, though its French readers had looked upon it more favorably. In any case, it was not undertaken for the general 239 public; it was to open the doors of France to me, and it perfectly fulfilled its objective. According to its laws, those who are involved in the sciences and political matters, and who need to travel in order to perfect their written work, must be granted passports. I produced the introduction of these considerations to the Directory, asking them for a passport to go to America, fill in the canvas, and bring to completion the work of which I presented only a sketch. It was granted to me; and the proceedings, of which I drew up a certified copy, finalized the decision in the public interest. Gouverneur Morris recommends me, as someone who has already led Europeans to large-scale emigration to the United States, to Mr. Robert Morris, his relative. He prays him to lend me his knowledge and experience. I would be infinitely obliged to you if you would kindly permit me to undertake nothing without your advice, after I give you evidence of who I am, and the extent to which I may indeed be worthy of such a favor. For, one may have defended Louis XVI who helped the Americans break free of their chains; one may have led Europeans to large-scale emigration for America; yet one may still be at heart nothing but a schemer, like the many who come to you from the old world.

Finally, sir, in the letter delivered by Mr. Bansel, I signaled the death of my dear friend Mr. Addenet to you, and the role I played in the translations you requested from him. Given how close we were, he was not guilty of any discretion for having involved me in his work. And now that he is dead, he would be happy that the assistance he received from me no longer be a secret from you, if they even bother about the denizens of the earth in the place where he now resides. This assistance was the best kept secret so long as he lived. He left me all of his manuscripts when he left for Stuttgart, and the translations are among them. I brought with me his rough approximation and my dictation of your Dissertation on the Canon and the Feudal Law, which you published in America in 1765, and of which you had the translation printed in Holland, having been denied that permission in France.

I will let the first frosts of the season pass by. They will finish purifying the air in Philadelphia whither I plan to go. I would be infinitely obliged to you if you would kindly signal to me the place and time when I may pay you my respects.

I am respectfully, sir, your most humble and most obedient servant