Montgaillard spoke of his escape, of his flight to England, of his return to France, of his second departure, and finally of his arrival at Bale in August 1795.] The Prince de Conde soon afterwards, he said, called me to Mulheim, and knowing the connections I had had in France, proposed that I should sound General Pichegru, whose headquarters were at Altkirch, where he then was, surrounded by four representatives of the Convention.
I immediately went to Neufchatel, taking with me four or five hundred Louis.

I cast my eyes on Fauche-Borel, the King's printer at Neufchatel, and also yours and mine, as the instrument by which to make the first overture, and I selected as his colleague M.
Courant, a native of Neufchatel.

I persuaded them to undertake the business: I supplied them with instructions and passports.

They were foreigners: so I furnished them with all the necessary documents to enable them to travel in France as foreign merchants and purchasers of national property.

I went to Bale to wait for news from them.
On the 13th of August Fauche and Courant set out for the headquarters at Altkirch.