To John Jay from Floridablanca, 19 September 1781
From Floridablanca
[ce Mercredi 19 Septre 1781]
Le Comte de Floridablanca auroit eté bien charmé de pouvoir s’entretenir long temps avec Mr de Jay si ses incommodites habituelles et ses affaires toujours pressantes ne l’y eussent empeché.1 il aura donc l’honneur de le voir ce soir vers les huit heures si Mr Jay veut se donner la peine d’y venir, soit seul ou avec le Major Franks: et en rendant compte au Roi du resultat de leur entretien il tachera d’obtenir de Sa Majte qu’elle daigne nommer quelque autre Personne pour conferer avec Mr de Jay en cas de besoin a fin d’eviter autant que possible au susdit Mr Jay les embarras qu’il a eprouvé jusqu’a present.
[Translation]
[Wednesday 19 Septr 1781]
The Count de Florida Blanca would have been charmed to have had it in his power to have a long conference with Mr. Jay, if his ordinary indispositions2 had not prevented him—he will therefore have the honour to see him this evening about eight OClock if Mr. Jay will give himself the trouble of waiting on him, either alone, or with Major Franks,3 & in communicating to the King the result of their conference, he will endeavour to prevail upon his Majesty to name some other person to confer with Mr. Jay in case of need, in order to avoid as much as possible the embarrassments which Mr. Jay has hitherto experienced.
RC, in French, NNC (EJ: 8215). Dft, in French, SpMaAHN: Estado, leg. 3884, exp. 15, doc. 4 (EJ: 12116). C, in French, with English translation, embedded in JJ to the President of Congress, 3 Oct. 1781, below, DNA: PCC, item 89, 421 (EJ: 11912). LbkCs, with English translations, DNA: PCC, item 110, 1: 476 (EJ: 4176); NNC: JJ Lbks. 1 and 6; CSmH (EJ: 3425). Translation taken from DNA: PCC, item 89, copy.
1. The present letter replies to JJ to Floridablanca, 17 Sept. 1781, above, on which notes sketching the present reply were made.
2. The translation sent to Congress omits reference to Floridablanca’s always pressing business, mentioned in the original French text and in his earlier letter to JJ of 5 Sept., above. In notes made in Spanish on JJ’s letter of 17 Sept. (above), the word enfermeddes (illnesses) is used rather than the more general French term incommodités (indispositions).