From John Jay to Floridablanca, 22 March 1781
To Floridablanca
Madrid 22 March 1781
Sir
Mr del Campo having informed Mr Carmichael that the exact amount of the Cloathing purchased by Mr Harrison, & the Expences attending it, ought to be ascertained, in order that the whole may at once be settled: I think it my Duty to acquaint your Excellency, that I have no further Intelligence on this Subject than what was conveyed in the last Letter I had the Honor to write you on the 15th. Instant.1 It would seem from the Envoice that the whole of the Goods purchased are comprized in it. Mr. Harrison has generously offered to do this Business gratis. The Expences of Shipping cannot be precisely ascertained till the accounts on that Head are closed and Mr. Harrison informs me he is not permitted to ship the Remainder of the goods till the Ballance of the purchase money shall be paid.
I wish to have this Business conducted in a Manner perfectly agreable to your Excellencys Inclinations, & therefore shall immediately write to Mr Harrison for express & full Information about it.2
With Respect to the Bills of Exchange payable in the Course of next month, I find myself in so delicate and painful a Situation that I hope your Excellency will pardon my Sollicitude about their Fate.3
The President of Congress in a Letter of Decr.,4 mentions the Reciept of a few Lines I wrote him the 16 September last requesting Congress to forbear drawing further Bills on me. So that I flatter myself all the Embarrassments attending that Measure will be confined to those already issued.
As yet I have not the least Intelligence of my other Letters to Congress on the Subject of the Ships & Timber. I have no Doubt of their earliest Attention to those Matters, and am persuaded that their answer will perfectly correspond with the assurances your Excellency has recd. of their sincere Desire to cultivate and confirm his Majesty’s Friendship towards them. And least lest the want of their answer respecting the Timber should delay any arrangements which your Excellency might incline to take on that Subject, I will in that Case immediately undertake on their part to confer upon and enter into Engagements whereby his Majesty during the Continuance of the War shall not only freely export from the united States Masts Spars & Timber for the use of his royal navy, but also recieve such additions aid therein as circumstances may require & permit.5 I have the honor to be with perfect Respect and Consideration Your Excellency’s Most obedient & most h’ble Servant
John Jay
His Excellency the Count De Florida Blanca
ALS, with Spanish translation, SpMaAHN: Estado, leg. 3884, exp. 4, doc. 108 (EJ: 12161).
1. JJ to Floridablanca, 15 Mar. 1781, in which JJ enclosed an inventory of the goods purchased by Harrison at Cádiz. SpMaAHN: Estado, leg. 3884, exp. 4, doc. 106 (EJ: 12091). On the clothing, see Notes on John Jay’s Conference with Floridablanca, 23 Sept. 1780, above.
2. Letter not found.
3. In his reply of 24 Mar., below, Floridablanca informed JJ that he had charged Campo and Gardoqui to handle both these matters. See the editorial note “Spain’s Finances and the Bills Drawn on John Jay” on pp. 367–68; and Gardoqui to JJ, 25 Mar., below.
4. See the President of Congress to JJ, 18 Dec. 1780, above.
5. JJ’s concern to see an arrangement to supply Spain with ships and naval stores led him to contemplate making a commitment that he felt might exceed his powers. See JJ to the President of Congress, 25 Apr., and, for the approval, the President of Congress to JJ, 28 May 1781, both below.