1William Bingham to the American Commissioners, 28 November 1777[–4 December 1777] (Franklin Papers)
..., despite British objections, sailed from France in October. The departure of the Spanish “galleon” (the treasure fleet) was delayed, thereby eliminating any possibility that Spain would join the Franco-American alliance the following spring. Dull, French Navy, pp. 81, 94–5.
2Conrad-Alexandre Gérard to the American Commissioners, 5 December 1777 (Franklin Papers)
, pt. 1 (Philadelphia, 1982), pp. 29–32, and French Navy, pp. 83–101.
3Intelligence from Brest, 12 January 1778 (Franklin Papers)
, Feb. 1; Dull, French Navy, pp. 96 n, 102 n. had in fact sailed for America on Jan. 6 with Simeon Deane and his dispatches: Dull, French Navy, p. 93 n.
4Gérard to the American Commissioners, 17 March 1778 (Franklin Papers)
...had informed Britain of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce and the two countries were breaking diplomatic relations; Stormont had already announced his recall, and on the 17th the French Ambassador was ordered home from London. See Dull, French Navy, pp. 103–5.
5John Paul Jones to the American Commissioners, 4 April 1778 (Franklin Papers)
The frigate they promised was to accompany Jones until he was clear of the coast. She was new, and of only 26 guns: Dull, French Navy, p. 357.
6John Bondfield to the American Commissioners, 23 June 1778: résumé (Franklin Papers)
Almodóvar, the new Spanish ambassador to St. James’s, was charged with discovering what Britain would offer Spain to remain neutral: Dull, French Navy, p. 114.
7John Bondfield to the American Commissioners, 27 June 1778: résumé (Franklin Papers)
...legal action against British vessels sequestered since March in French ports, and authorized attacks at sea against British shipping. The latter order was made formal on July 10 but no official declaration of war was ever issued. Dull, French Navy, pp. 119–20.
8Charles-Guillaume-Frédéric Dumas to the American Commissioners, 3 July 1778: résumé (Franklin Papers)
, 680; Dull, French Navy, 118–20.
9Dumas to the American Commissioners, 31 July 1778 (Franklin Papers)
...armies of Emperor Joseph and King Frederick, from Madrid about the arrival of the Vera Cruz treasure fleet at Cadiz, from St. Petersburg predicting a Russo-Turkish war, from Paris about the operations of the French navy and from London reporting the arrival of the Carlisle commission, General Clinton’s entry into New Jersey, and the sailing of an American squadron. For a further description...
10Intelligence from Toulon and Other Places, 3 August 1778 (Franklin Papers)
Dull, French Navy, pp. 352–5, provides information on French ship construction.