time of the measures taken by his Ministers to redress the grievances which Mr. Jay had so often laid before him. He desired me to mention these affairs in detail to M. Del Campo, and, after repeating assurances of good will, &c., he proceeded to inform me that he had received a copy of a letter which Mr. Jay, on his arrival at Paris, had written to the Count d'Aranda, adding, that he was sorry he could not continue the conversation at present, for that he expected the Ministers abovementioned every moment, but that on the Saturday following he would be glad to see me, to talk over many matters necessary to discuss at this crisis. I took my leave, and actually met the Imperial and Russian Ministers at the door, with M. Del Campo, whom I next went to see.

I had a long conversation, the material points of which, after having reminded him of the memorials, &c., presented by Mr. Jay, turned on the manner in which the propositions of the new British Administration would be received in America. I had the good fortune to answer, in the most decided manner, that all proposals for a separate treaty would be unanimously rejected, for on my return from this visit to my lodgings, I found Mr. Clonard, who delivered me the letter you did me the honor to write me on the 1st of May, and who informed me of many of the subsequent transactions. The same day at dinner, the Count de Montmorin showed me a letter from the Chevalier de la Luzerne, in which he informs him that Congress had rejected the propositions made by General Carleton, and that all the States would follow the example of Maryland. This conduct has a great and good effect in Europe. The same day the King spoke at table of the news, and praised greatly the probity of the Americans, raising his voice in such a manner that all the foreign Ministers might hear him. I have conversed with several of these since, and find them unanimous in their opinion that the wisest measure Great Britain can take, is to conclude a treaty acknowledging our independence.

The couriers received, and the audiences demanded by the Russian and Imperial representatives, excited my attention, and I have discovered that they have been once more directed by their Courts to make an offer of their mediation to his Catholic Majesty. They made this communication on the 3d instant, and have received their answer; for on the 6th the Count de Kaunitz despatched a courier. In my next I hope to communicate the answer of this

Court. I suspect England is at the bottom of this business. The combined fleet is probably at this time in the English Channel, where . it will be reinforced by a squadron of French ships commanded by M. de la Motte Piquet. The preparations for the siege of Gibraltar are pushed with vigor. I have not yet had the honor to hear from Mr. Jay. My last letter from Dr. Franklin is dated the 11th ultimo. Messrs. Grenville and Oswald were then at Paris, but had not yet received their full powers. Neither had Spain nor Holland sent instructions to their Ministers, so that the conferences could not properly be opened.

I have the honor to enclose in the first copy of this, a letter which I received the 4th instant from M. Dumas. The letters brought by Mr. Clonard for Mr. Jay, were forwarded by the same gentleman. I remain without other instructions than what are contained in yours of the 1st of May. If Mr. Jay should be detained at Paris, I shall be without any information but what I may obtain by my private correspondence and my own industry. I beg leave to submit this to your consideration.

I have the honor to be, &c.,

WILLIAM CARMICHAEL.

Sir,

TO ROBERT R. LIVINGSTON.

St. Ildefonso, July 22d, 1782.

In my last of the 8th instant, I had the honor to inform you of an offer of mediation renewed to this Court by those of Petersburgh and Vienna. I have since been told that the Count de Florida Blanca's answer was to the following purport: «That his Catholic Majesty is highly sensible of the offers made by their Imperial Majesties to promote the establishment of the public tranquillity, but that, before accepting their propositions, it is necessary to consult his ally, and for this purpose instructions will be sent to his Ambassador at Paris, who, in order to prevent delay, will at the same time be authorized to communicate the answer to the Russian and Imperial Ministers at the Court of Versailles." I had this information from a person connected with the Ambassador of the Court of Vienna.

The Emperor is full of the project of removing his East India

Company from Trieste to Ostend, and of augmenting the commerce of his subjects, particularly in the Low Countries. The continuation of the war is favorable to his designs, at all events he will seek his own advantage in the proposed mediation.

All the neutral Powers seem desirous of procuring stipulations favorable to their commerce and navigation, particularly in the Mediterranean, and for this purpose all appear to wish a general Congress. Perhaps, upon the whole, it would be more for the honor and permanent advantage of the United States to have their independence acknowledged and guarantied in an assembly of this nature, than by a particular treaty between the belligerent Powers. As Mr. Jay is to negociate with the Count d'Aranda at Paris the proposed treaty, my business here is confined to the arrangement of the public accounts, and the payment of the bills still due, the collecting intelligence, and the solicitation of redress of the various complaints laid before the Ministry in behalf of individuals. For this last purpose, I wait on the Count de Florida Blanca and M. Del Campo from time to time, and in a respectful manner solicit their attention to these affairs. Personally, I have no reason to complain ; in my political character I should have more, if I did not know that the first Powers in Europe are treated with the same inattention and delay. I mention this, not to excuse the conduct of this Court, but to convince you that it is not singular with respect to us. I have in some instances promises of redress, and it is to be hoped that circumstances, patience, and good humor, will terminate these affairs to the satisfaction, in some measure, of the parties interested.

While Mr. Jay remains at Paris, as the public despatches are addressed to him, I shall be deprived of intelligence from America, except what I may acquire by private correspondence from thence. I have not had the honor to hear from Mr. Jay since he left this place, which may have been occasioned by delay or ill health on the road and afterwards. I bave no correspondence with Messrs. Adams and Dana, from whom I might receive, and to whom I might contribute, hints that might be of service to the public interest. Messrs. Grenville and Oswald are still at Paris; but on this subject you will have from others much more accurate information than it is in my power to give you.

The Count d'Artois is expected here to-morrow, and will be received and treated as an Infant of Spain. This visit is highly

pleasing to the royal family. He is expected with impatience. Nothing worth your notice has yet passed at Gibraltar. The besiegers and the besieged equally prepare the one for the attack, the other for the defence of the place. A courier extraordinary from France brings advice of the capture of eighteen transports and merchantmen bound to Quebec and Newfoundland. Unhappily the New York fleet, which sailed with the vessels captured, had two or three days before separated from them. A fifty-gun ship and a frigate, which escorted them, escaped. I have not yet received M. Cabarrus's account. When these are once delivered and settled, I shall take the earliest opportunity of transmitting to Congress and to Mr. Jay copies of all the public accounts in this country. I entreat your indulgence and frequent remembrance of me.

I have the honor to be, &c.,

WILLIAM CARMICHAEL.

TO ROBERT R. LIVINGSTON.

Sir,

St. Ildefonso, September 8th, 1782.

My last were of the 17th and 26th ultimo. I am still without the least information from America since the 1st of May, the date of your last letter. His Excellency the Count de Florida Blanca, whom I had the honor to see yesterday, seemed apprehensive that Congress might be induced to believe, from the capitulation accorded to the British at Providence, that this Court had not, after what happened at Pensacola, instructed its commanders to take care in future that the garrisons of such places as his Catholic Majesty's forces might reduce should be disposed of in such a manner as not to be prejudicial to any of the belligerent Powers. His Excellency assured me how much he should be concerned if an oversight of the general employed on this occasion should create a misunderstanding injurious to the harmony which the King wished to cultivate with America, and prayed me to take the earliest opportunity of conveying these sentiments to Congress. He proceeded to inform me that immediately after the Court received the articles of capitulation at Pensacola, instructions were sent to M. Galvez to oblige the enemy to consent in future to the transportation of their prisoners to Europe;

that these orders did not reach him until he had left the Havana, previous to the necessary arrangements for the expedition against the Bahama Islands.

I assured his Excellency that I found myself happy in having an occasion to represent every instance of his Majesty's good will, and begged leave to remind him that several complaints, sustained by citizens of America, laid before his Excellency by Mr. Jay, and since his departure by myself, remained unredressed; that I presumed his Excellency had given the necessary orders for their relief, but that his Majesty's favorable intentions had been hitherto frustrated by the delay, and in some cases by the injustice of persons employed in the service of Government. I insinuated how agreeable it would be to me to remove the unfavorable impressions that his conduct had made, or might make, in the breast of my countrymen, by having it in my power to communicate the orders which had been given, or which his Majesty might be pleased to renew, for this effect. I particularized the case of the Lord Howe, an English vessel with a valuable cargo, brought into Cadiz by a part of her crew, Americans, detained by order of the Admiralty, and the captors confined, in some measure, as prisoners of war. I represented, in the strongest terms, the little respect paid to a positive resolution of Congress granting to the captors of vessels the property taken in this manner, a resolution occasioned by the notorious injustice of the cominon enemy, who commenced this practice of seducing American seamen, and encouraging their own to enter into our service with the purpose of afterwards betraying the confidence reposed in them.

His Excellency desired me to pass him an office in French on the subject, and promised me an answer in writing, with the intention, I imagine, of its being sent to Congress. You will please to observe that the negligence of Mr. Harrison's banker, to whom he addressed his letters to me on this subject, retarded my knowledge of the detention of this vessel. I had, however, spoken to M. Del Campo immediately on hearing of its arrival at Cadiz, and repeated to him the substance of the resolution of Congress, from an apprehension that the officers of that port would observe the same conduct as those of the Canaries had done in the case of the Dover cutter. I avoided mentioning particularly the latter affair until I should have obtained the promised answer, as, if that proves favorable, as I expect it will, I shall renew with redoubled ardor my representations VOL. V.-7