Passy, 3 May 1778. printed: JA, Diary and Autobiography , 4:88–89. The Commissioners acknowledged letters from Moylan, dated 23, 30 March and 15, 17 April ( Cal. Franklin Papers, A.P.S. , 1:384, 399) and approved of his efforts on behalf of “the Sick Men” and an American taken prisoner during the capture of an English privateer. Moylan was also informed that since John Paul Jones and his officers had approved 80Bersolle's account, the Commissioners would repay him for his expense in honoring Bersolle's draft, but that in-the future, expenditures should not be made without the Commissioners' approval.

Passy, 3 May 1778. printed: JA, Diary and Autobiography , 4:89–90. Composed in two drafts, one dated 22, the other perhaps as early as 23 April (DLC: Franklin Papers), with no indication of why the letter was apparently not sent until 3 May, the date that appears on the Letterbook copy (Adams Papers). Having received no satisfactory answer to their letter of 13 April (calendared above), the Commissioners again requested that the invoices and other papers relating to goods shipped by John Ross at the public expense be sent to them so that the money advanced to him could be accounted for. The Commissioners noted that Ross had gone beyond his instructions from the congress and that the “vast sums” he requested as a consequence could not be furnished without destroying the Commissioners' own credit. Ross was also asked for a copy of the Commissioners' order to purchase the Queen of France, for no record of it could be found.

This vessel, originally the La Brune and later a 28-gun continental frigate, had been bought by Ross in Sept. 1777 to carry supplies to America and was offered to the Commissioners in a letter of 6 Feb. In a note attached to an extract of that letter, Arthur Lee declared that the offer had not been agreed to by the Commissioners. That is, it had been approved by only Silas Deane and Benjamin Franklin; on 11 Feb., Deane had informed Ross that he and Franklin, in Lee's absence, had accepted the proposal. On 26 Feb., Ross wrote that he had renamed the vessel the Queen of France and given the captain a continental commission, probably that for John Green dated 11 Feb. (PCC, No. 83, II, f. 381, 379; No. 137, Il, f. 31; Dict. Amer. Fighting Ships , 5:412; Deane Papers , 2:362–363). On 1 Aug. the congress resolved that the Commissioners were to pay Ross for his expenses in regard to the Queen of France ( JCC , 11:739–740).

This morning arrived here the Schooner Milford Cap: Blackwell from Rapahanac River in Virginia after a passage of 33 days; she has not brought any letters for you, or public papers of any kind, but the Captain tells me that the new levies were compleated in Virginia and that they were to march a few days after the 28th. of March to General Washington's Camp about 16 miles 81from Philadelphia, in which City General Howe still continued. That the people were in good spirits and that the army was tolerably well cloath, but that all the Ports were blocked by English Frigates. This is all the information I procur'd worth your notice. I have the honor to be Honble. Gentlemen Your assurd etc. etc.