The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution Volume VIII Part 6

It is somewhat singular, that M. Del Campo should have been appointed near three months past to treat and confer with me, and yet I should be left all that time without any information of it. It shows, that the King is ready to do what may depend upon him, but that his Ministers find it convenient to interpose delays without necessity, and without even the appearance of it.

After the King's return from Aranjues, I took an opportunity of asking M. Del Campo when I might promise myself the pleasure of commencing our conferences. He replied, that his health was not as yet sufficiently re-established to permit him to do business. The fact however was otherwise.

On the 27th of December, I again waited on him for the same purpose.

He told me it was very uncertain when our conferences could commence, and that he must first converse with the Count on the subject. I asked him whether he had not received his instructions. He answered, that he had not, for that they were not as yet completed, nor indeed as he believed as yet begun.

In this state things remained during the whole time the Court continued at Madrid. Above a month since the date of my letter to Dr Franklin about our bills had elapsed without an answer, nor had any prospect of obtaining aids here opened. I therefore wrote him the following letter.

"Madrid, December 31st, 1781.

"My Dear Sir,

"I learn from the Marquis d'Yranda, that my letter of the 21st ultimo has reached you. The want of a good opportunity has for some time past prevented my writing to you so particularly as I could have wished.

"Things remain here exactly in _statu quo_, except that your aid daily becomes more necessary, and will soon be indispensable. These are matters that require no explanation. I have received two letters, dated the 22d and 26th of November, from Mr Adams, on the subject of certain instructions, pa.s.sed the 16th of August, which he had lately received, and of which I was ignorant until the arrival of these letters. I think them wise. A courier from France arrived here two days ago; by his return I hope to write you particularly, &c.

"I am, &c.

JOHN JAY."

On the 11th of January, I wrote the following letter to the Doctor, by the Amba.s.sador's courier.

"Madrid, January 11th, 1782.

"Dear Sir,

"The last letter I had the pleasure of writing to you was dated the 31st ultimo, and referred to a former one of the 21st of November last, in which I stated my difficulties on account of the bills, the improbability of my obtaining any relief here, and consequently the necessity I was under of recurring to your interposition to save them from protest.

"I have not as yet been favored with your answer. I can readily conceive, that this affair has added not a little to your embarra.s.sments, and therefore I lament, not complain of the delay. I borrowed from M. Cabarrus about thirty thousand dollars. He is not perfectly easy, and I have no prospect of borrowing more from him or others, at least without a.s.surances of speedy repayment, which I am not in capacity to give. The Court indeed owes me, on their old promise of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, a balance of about twentyfive thousand six hundred and fifteen dollars, but I have no reason to rely on receiving it soon, if at all.

"I also begin severely to feel the want of my back salary. It is in vain for me to expect it from America, and unless you can supply it, it will be necessary for me immediately to disenc.u.mber myself of most of my expenses, and confine myself to mere necessaries, until a change may take place for the better. This circ.u.mstance conspires with those of a more public nature, to make me very solicitous to know what you can, or cannot do for me.

"As to the affairs of the negotiation, they have not advanced since Major Franks left me. The Minister is too sick, or too busy, to attend to American affairs. He refers me to M. Del Campo, who has been named for the purpose, and when I apply to him, he tells me, that his instructions are not yet completed, and that he cannot tell when they will be.

"I am, &c.

JOHN JAY."

I must, however, do the Minister the justice to say, that for some little time then past, and during the whole month of January, I have good reason to believe, that he was greatly and constantly engaged in pressing business, for on speaking several times during that period to the Amba.s.sador of France, about the delays I experienced, and the propriety of pressing the Minister to pay some attention to our affairs, he repeatedly told me, that he knew the Minister to be then extremely hurried, and advised me not to make any application to him for the present.

On the 26th of January, 1782, agreeably to a previous appointment, I had a long conference with the Amba.s.sador of France. I entered into a detail of the various pretexts and delays, which the Minister had used to avoid coming to any decision on our affairs, and made some remarks on their keeping me suspended at present, between the Count's incapacity to do business, and M. Del Campo's want of instructions.

I reminded the Amba.s.sador that the fate of the bills drawn upon me was a serious subject, and if protested might eventually prove injurious to France and Spain, as well as America, and that though France had already done much for us, yet that it still remained a question of policy whether it would not be more expedient for her to advance about thirty thousand pounds sterling to save these bills, than risk the expensive evils which the loss of our credit might occasion even to her. The Amba.s.sador seemed to admit this, but was apprehensive that the great and pressing demands for money caused by the great armaments, which France was preparing to send to different parts of the world, would render such an advance very inconvenient, if not impracticable.

I recapitulated in the course of the conference the various ill consequences, which might result from protesting these bills. Among others, I hinted at the necessity I should be under of a.s.signing to the world in those protests, the true reasons which had occasioned them, viz. that I had placed too great confidence in the a.s.surances of his Catholic Majesty. The Amba.s.sador objected to this as highly imprudent, and as naturally tending to embroil the two countries, which was by all means to be avoided, even though I could make good the a.s.sertion. I then enumerated the various a.s.surances I had at different times received from the Minister, adding, that whatever might be the consequence, I should think it my duty to pay a higher regard to the honor of the United States, than to the feelings of a Court by whose finesse that honor had been drawn into question.

There was also another circ.u.mstance, to which I desired him to turn his attention, viz. that as our independence had not been acknowledged here, the holders of the bills might commence actions against me on them; and that it was easy to foresee the embarra.s.sments, which would result to all parties from such a measure. The Amba.s.sador saw this matter in the same point of view.

It appeared to me useful to take a general view of the conduct of Spain towards us ever since my arrival, and to observe the natural tendency it had to encourage our enemies, impress doubts on the minds of our friends, and abate the desire of Congress to form intimate connexions with Spain; and that this latter consequence might become interesting also to France, by reason of the strict alliance subsisting between the two kingdoms.

I begged the favor of him to give me his candid advice what would be most proper for me to do. He confessed that he was perplexed, and at a loss what to advise me to; he hoped that the Dutch loan would enable Dr Franklin to make the advances in question, and that though he could not promise anything from his Court, yet that he would write and do his best. He advised me to give the Doctor a full statement of our affairs here; but that I had already done, by giving him the perusal of my letters to Congress of the 3d of October, &c.

He said he had written to the Count de Vergennes about the delays and embarra.s.sments I had met with, and that he received for answer, "that Spain knew her own business and interest, and that France had no right to press her on such points."

The Amba.s.sador advised me by all means to continue patient and moderate, and to cherish the appearance of our being well with this Court. I observed to him that one protested bill would dissipate all these appearances. He said that was very true; that he saw difficulties on every side, and that he really pitied my situation, for that these various perplexities must keep me constantly in a kind of purgatory. I told him if he would say ma.s.s for me in good earnest, I should soon be relieved from it; he renewed his promise to write, and we parted.

The next day, viz. 27th of January, I received the following letter from Dr Franklin.

"Pa.s.sy, January 15th, 1782.

"Dear Sir,

"Mr Grand tells me, that he hears from Madrid, you are uneasy at my long silence. I have had much vexation and perplexity lately with the affair of the goods in Holland, and I have so many urgent correspondences to keep up, that some of them at times necessarily suffer. I purpose writing fully to you next post. In the meantime I send the enclosed for your meditation. The ill-timed bills, as you justly term them, do us infinite prejudice; but we must not be discouraged.

"I am ever, with the greatest esteem, &c.

B. FRANKLIN."

The paper abovementioned to be enclosed, is in these words.

Translation.

COUNT DE VERGENNES TO B. FRANKLIN.

"Versailles, December 31st, 1781.

"Sir,

"I have received the letter you did me the honor to write me the 27th instant. I shall not enter into an examination of the successive variations and augmentations of your demands on me for funds to meet your payments. I shall merely remark, that whenever you shall consider yourself fully authorised to dispose of the proceeds of the Dutch loan, on behalf of Congress, I will propose to M. de Fleury to supply you with the million required, as soon as it shall have been paid into the royal treasury. But I think it my duty, Sir, to inform you, that if Mr Morris issues drafts on this same million, I shall not be able to provide for the payment of them, and shall leave them to be protested. I ought also to inform you, that there will be nothing more supplied than the million abovementioned, and if the drafts, which you have already accepted, exceed that sum, it must be for you to contrive the means of meeting them. I shall make an exception only in favor of those of Mr Morris, provided they shall not exceed the remainder of the Dutch loan, after deducting the million, which shall be placed at your disposal, and the expenses of the loan.

"I have the honor to be, &c.

DE VERGENNES.

"_P. S._ I remit to you herewith the letter of Mr Grand."

Although this letter of Dr Franklin does not in express terms promise me the aid I had desired, yet the general tenor of it, together with the grant of the million mentioned by the Count de Vergennes, led me to suppose, that on the receipt of it he would be able to make me the necessary advances. Under this idea I returned the following answer to the Doctor's letter.

"Madrid, January 30th, 1782.