§ From William Jams. 12 September 1806, Lisbon. “Since the foregoing1 no event of the smallest political importance has taken place regarding this Country. The same veil of mys⟨ter⟩y, too still continues to hide from the world the object of Lord St. Vincents visit. Nothing is doing to the Navy, no recruists [sic] are getting for the Army, Public paper still at 19 ⅌ Cent discount, about which it has been for six months with a small variation of 3 ⅌ Cent, for a fortnight only, shortly before his (Lord St. Vincents) arrival, and it has not varied greatly the whole war the general discount having been fourteen to seventeen ⅌ Cent. Even speculation as to His Lordship’s object is almost silent. For the first week after he got Prattic, thousand⟨s⟩ of both sexes went on board to see his ship. Those were treated with the utmost civility & the Ladies with the greatest gallantry, giving Tea, Coffee, cold collations &c; but this rage is now over; so that we are now as quiet as before His Lordship arrived. The length of time to which the Negotiations at Paris have spun out, when the world supposed that every thing was done but signing, conduces to a general opinion that they will not be succeeded by Peace. Perhaps it is owing to the King of Prussia’s not proving so tractable as was expected about the restoration of Hanover: or perhaps some farther Continental arrangements are to be made, which it may be thought will not impede the Peace, and which it is found more convenient to do before signing the Preliminaries. There is some talk of another Coalition should the negotiations not succeed; but I presume those are founded almost entirely on the speculations in the English News-papers.

“Two days ago there were two more detained Tripolines released from quarantine. Wilson, a swede, who was quarter-master of the Philadelphia commanded one. With him was Thomas Prince, an American seaman, belonging to the same frigate, who turned mussulman. He wishing to return home the Portugueze Commodore had the politeness to send one of His Lieutenants & the Chaplain to me with him, yesterday & luckily the Schooner Mary & Eliza Captn Harsiden, was just on the point of sailing for Boston, to which place Prince belongs, and I immediately put him on board. He says he is the only Native born American who changed his religion. The Portugueze Commodore gave him a new Jacket, wais[t]coat, & trowsers, hat shirt & shoes. By Captn Harsiden I forwarded a letter just received from Mr Simpson. I shall inclose duplicates of letters to & from His Excy Mr d’Araujo relative to the imprisonment of Mr da Silva.2 I have appointed Mr John Crispin my deputy Consul for Faro. He is the most respectable English Merchant in that place connected with some of the most respectable British Merchants here.”

Adds in a postscript: “Constitution, Captn. Campbell arrived here six days ago. She gets prattic to day. Captn Campbell wrote the Secy of the Navy by Captn D’apredau.”

Adds in a second postscript: “14 Septr. In going on board the Constitution yesterday in the afternoon, I observed that two men of war & a frigate were beginning to undergo a repair.”