To John Jay from Floridablanca, 20 August 1781
From Floridablanca
[A St Idefe ce 20 Aout 1781]
Le Comte [de] Florida Blanca est charmé d’apprendre que Mr. de Jay soit assez bien remis de sa derniere indisposition pour avoir fait le voyage de M[adri]d ici, et le remercie de son attention à le lui communiquer.
Les affaires trop pressantes dont il se trouve actuellement environné ne lui permettent pas de fixer le jour pour quelque entretien [avec Mr. de Jay], mais d’abord qu’il sera un peu debarassé il aura l’honneur de l’en avertir.
[Translation]
[St. Ildefonso 20th Augt—1781]
The Count de Florida Blanca is charmed to learn that Mr. Jay has sufficiently recovered from his last indisposition, to make the Journey from Madrid to this place, & thanks him for his attention in communicating it to him—
The too pressing business, with which he finds himself at present surrounded, do not permit him to fix the day for a conference with Mr. Jay, but the moment he shall be a little disengaged, he will have the honour to advise Mr. Jay of it—1
Dft, in French, SpMaAHN: Estado, leg. 3884, exp. 4, doc. 138 (EJ: 12167); C, with English translation, embedded in JJ to the President of Congress, 3 Oct. 1781, below, DNA: PCC, item 89, 406–7 (EJ: 11912); LbkCs, with English translations, DNA: PCC, item 110, 1: 458–59 (EJ: 4170); NNC: JJ Lbk. 1; CSmH: JJ Lbk. (EJ: 4170). The Dft is written beneath the text of a note from JJ of 18 Aug. announcing his return to health and asking when he could meet with Floridablanca. Words in brackets are in all the copies derived from the recipient’s copy (not found) but are missing in the Dft.
1. See JJ’s comments on Floridablanca’s note in his letter to the President of Congress of 3 Oct. 1781, below. The conference did not take place until 19 Sept. See Notes on John Jay’s Conference with Floridablanca, 19 Sept., below.