John Jay Papers
Documents filtered by: Correspondent="Jay, John" AND Correspondent="Montmorin de Saint-Hérem, Armand Marc, Comte de"
sorted by: date (ascending)
Permanent link for this document:
https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jay/01-02-02-0317

To John Jay from Montmorin, 15 March 1782

From Montmorin

[Le Pardo] le 15 mars 1782

J’arrive dans le moment du pardo, Monsieur, Mr le C Du florida blanca n’avait pas encore reçu votre lettre d’hier, mais j’y ai Suplé en lui exposant la Situation critique, et pressant dans la quelle vous vous trouviés. il m’a dit que vous pouviés accepter des lettres de change jusque a la concurrence de quarante à cinquante mille piastres, bien entendu que Mr. Cabarus persistait dans les mêmes dispositions qu’il avait temoigné en dernier lieu relativement au tems qu’il pourrait attendre le remboursement des avances qu’il ferait pour cet objet. Vous pouvés donc en conséquence vous entendre avec Mr. Cabarus pour l’aceptation des lettres de change jusqu’a la concurrence de quarante a cinquante mille piastres courantes et lui montrer ce billet pour Sa Sureté; je desire que cette Somme vous tire d’embarras dans le moment, et vous donne le tems de prendre des mesures pour les lettres de change qui doivent encore échoir quoique cette nouvelle ne soit pas aussi complétement bonne que je le desirais, j’ai fait un plaisir de vous l’apprender, et de vous renouveller les assurances de mon Sincére et inviolable attachemens.

Le Ct De Montmorin

[Translation]

[Pardo] March 15, 1782.

Sir:

I have just come from the Pardo. The Count de Florida Blanca had not received your letter of yesterday,1 but I supplied the deficiency by explaining to him your critical and difficult situation. He told me that you might accept the drafts to the amount of fifty thousand dollars, provided M. Cabarrus remains in the same disposition he has displayed hitherto, relative to the time he would wait for the reimbursement of the sums he has advanced for this purpose.2 You can, therefore, make an arrangement with M. Cabarrus for the acceptance of the bills to the amount of forty or fifty thousand dollars, and show him this note as his security.

I hope that this sum will relieve you from your present embarrassment and give you time to adopt measures for meeting the bills which shall hereafter become due.

Although this information is not so fully satisfactory as I could wish, I take pleasure in communicating it to you, with assurances of my sincere and inviolable attachment.

The Count de Montmorin.

LS, in French, NNC (EJ: 7998). Addressed: “A / Monsieur Jay / A Madrid”. Endorsed: “ . . . Ansd. immediately.” LbkCs, in French, embedded in JJ to the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, 28 Apr. 1782, below, DNA: PCC, item 110, 2: 96–97 (EJ: 4218); CSmH (EJ: 3467); NNC: JJ Lbks. 1 and 6. Translation taken from RDC description begins Francis Wharton, ed., The Revolutionary Diplomatic Correspondence of the United States (6 vols.; Washington, D.C., 1889) description ends , 5: 365.

2For Cabarrús’s offer, see JJ to Floridablanca, 2 Mar. 1782, above. For his demand for increased security, which Floridablanca refused to meet, see JJ to BF, 18 Mar. 1782, below.

Index Entries