§ From Louis-Marie Turreau. 30 September 1806, Baltimore. Received only today JM’s letter of 20 Sept. relating to Turreau’s request for funds to meet the temporary needs of the commissary general. Knew that under its Constitution, the federal government could not disburse funds from the Treasury without the consent or authorization of Congress, but as the funds would have been immediately paid by the commissary general’s drafts on the imperial treasury at Paris, Turreau thought that the U.S. government would not be exceeding its powers by agreeing to a measure rendered extremely urgent by the unfortunate state of the French ships and their crews, and often in such instances the voice of humanity silences politics. Moreover, he agrees with JM that his request could scarcely be reconciled with the character of neutrality which the more a government shows itself jealous of guarding, the more it must be faithful in observing. Requests in a postscript that JM recall Turreau’s letters of 3 [not found] and 24 August, to which he has not yet received answers.