A series of letter exchanges ensued through June and into early August seeking an agreement as to where and when the meeting should take place. All of these used aliases and obscure inferences to disguise the identity of the individuals and purposes involved. Such caution was advisable since Britain and France were on the brink of the Seven Year's War and British agents were a threat. Finally, it was agreed that Cluny and Henry Patullo, an agent of the English Jacobites who had travelled with Cluny since he had left Edinburgh, would travel to Basle and meet in an inn there. The meeting took place sometime between 11-15th August; what transpired can only be discerned from reading Patullo's reports of the meeting. These reports indicate that the Prince was inebriated during the meeting and the two visitors were dismayed at his "Expressions of Dispair" while in his cups.

      Apparently, the two Jacobite representatives informed the Prince that British agents were aware of his location and activities and there was concern for his safety. In addition, there was evidence that certain Jacobite leaders were advocating abandoning his cause due to the debauched life style he had taken up. They advised that he should practice circumspection in his personal life and be ready to take advantage of the opportunities that the impending war between France and Britain might offer. Apparently Cluny, met privately with the Prince and gave him a "true account" of the fate of the Arkaig gold and the personal effects that the Prince believed that Cluny had rescued after the Battle at Culloden.

      These were messages that the Prince did not wish to hear and his written response to them a few days later indicates that his unreflective instinct was to ignore the English Jacobite's pleas and to lament the loss of the Arkaig gold and other items. It implied that Cluny might be guilty of embezzlement and outright theft.