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John Armstrong (1758-1843), serving as American Minister to France, authorizes payment on account to France - the Louisiana Territory was bought on the layaway plan. The document reads in part "No. 013. Exch. for 19000 Francs (at 5 francs 3333/10,000 per Dollar)... Pay Sixty Days after sight this my third of Exchange (1st & 2nd of same tenor and date unpaid) to the order of Simmons and Brown and Robert Hamilton (in pursuance of a liquidation by the Government of France in this case provided by the Convention between the United States and France of the 30th April 1803...)," which is the date of the Louisiana Purchase. Signed by John Armstrong, who went on to become secretary of war in 1813, in which office he is generally considered to have performed poorly during the War of 1812.