The letter clearly describes the crisis the city of Vienna was in during the French occupation. Beethoven briefly tells his publisher of a new illness occasioned by the bad living conditions in occupied Vienna ("we do not even have any good, tasty bread anymore").
The biggest problem is high inflation. Beethoven had sold three works (opp. 85, 86 and 72) to Breitkopf & Härtel for 250 florins C.M. Contrary to their agreement the Leipzig publisher had paid him the whole sum in bank notes. Their value fell from day to day so that it was no longer possible to work out how much they were worth in advance and it became extremely difficult to change them. Beethoven therefore asks for the payment already made in bank notes to be taken back. Due to its rapid loss of value he cannot accept Viennese currency, but must have at least half of the sum in the silver convention coins as agreed. This money had already been promised to a creditor.
