The difference between the customs of that and other courts, the difficulty of obtaining knowledge of those customs, but on the spot, and our great confidence in your discretion, induce us to leave to that, all other circumstances relative to the object of your mission.  It will be necessary for you to take a secretary, well skilled in the French language, to aid you in your business, and to take charge of your papers in case of any accident to yourself.  We think you may allow him |---------guineas a year, besides his expenses for travelling and subsistence.  We engage to furnish your own expenses, according to the respectability of the character with which you are invested, but as to the allowance for your trouble, we wish to leave it to Congress.  We annex hereto sundry heads of inquiry which we wish you to make, and to give us thereon the best information you shall be able to obtain.  We desire you to correspond with us by every opportunity which you think should be trusted, giving us, from time to time, an account of your proceedings and prospects.

HEADS OF INQUIRY FOR MR. BARCLAY, AS TO MOROCCO.

1.  Commerce.  What are the articles of their export and import?  What duties are levied by them on exports and imports?  Do all nations pay the same, or what nations are favored, and how far?  Are they their own carriers, or who carries for them?  Do they trade themselves to other countries, or are they merely passive?

2.  Ports.  What are their principal ports?  What depth of water in them?  What works of defence protect these ports?

3.  Naval force.  How many armed vessels have they?  Of what kind and force?  What is the constitution of their naval force?  What resources for increasing their navy?  What number of seamen?  Their cruising grounds, and seasons of cruising?

4.  Prisoners.  What is their condition and treatment?  At what price are they ordinarily redeemed, and how?

Do they pay respect to the treaties they make?

Land forces.  Their numbers, constitution, and respectability?

Revenues.  Their amount.

Coins.  What coins pass there, and at what rates?

LETTER CIV.—­TO DAVID HARTLEY, September 5, 1785

TO DAVID HARTLEY.

Paris, September 5, 1785.

Dear Sir,

Your favor of April the 15th happened to be put into my hands at the same time with a large parcel of letters from America, which contained a variety of intelligence.  It was then put where I usually place my unanswered letters; and I, from time to time, put off acknowledging the receipt of it, till I should be able to furnish you American intelligence worth communicating.  A favorable opportunity, by a courier, of writing to you occurring this morning, what has been my astonishment and chagrin on reading your letter again, to find there