From John Jay to Floridablanca, 6 December 1781
To Floridablanca
[Madrid 6th. Decr. 1781]
Mr. Jay presents his compliments to the Count de Florida Blanca, and has the honor of requesting his Attention to the enclosed memorial.1
Mr. Jay had the honor of calling at his Excellency’s on Tuesday Evening last, but had the Misfortune of not finding him at home. As Mr. Jay wishes to regulate his Visits by his Excellency’s Convenience, he begs the favor of his Excellency to inform him when it would be agreeable that Mr. Jay should wait on his Excellency and have an opportunity of conversing with him on the Object of Mr. Jay’s mission2
LbkCs, with enclosed memorial, embedded in JJ to the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, 28 Apr. 1782, below, DNA: PCC, item 110, 2: 39–44 (EJ: 4199); NNC: JJ Lbks. 1 and 6; CSmH (EJ: 3448).
1. The enclosed memorial from Richard Harrison and Diego, Louis, and Lorenzo Le Couteulx of 27 Nov. 1781 reported that two American ships consigned to them had arrived at Cádiz from Havana with cargoes of sugar that were obtained in exchange for flour shipped from Philadelphia. They indicated that these shipments were undertaken because the owners were informed at Havana that because they had paid appropriate royal duties there on their cargo, they would not have to pay any in Spain. However, upon arrival they found they were required to pay high duties, as if they were importing not Cuban produce but the products of a foreign country. They requested that Spain redress this complaint. See also JJ’s comments on Floridablanca’s failure to respond to the memorial in his letter to the Secretary for Foreign Affairs of 28 Apr. 1782, below.
2. See Floridablanca’s reply of 7 Dec. 1781, below.