1. For background to this letter, see Miranda to H, April 1, 1797; February 7, 1798. When Miranda wrote this letter, he did not realize how unlikely it was that England would cooperate in carrying out his plans for the liberation of Spanish America. On April 6, 1798, for example, Rufus King wrote to Timothy Pickering: “… England since the arrival of Miranda here but without his knowledge has informed Spain not only that she will not countenance or assist the Spanish colonies in becoming independent—but that she will join her in resisting the endeavours of others to accomplish it provided that Spain will oppose the views of France against her own dominions and those of Portugal. At the same time that this communication has been made to Spain, an expedition has been prepared and the correspondent arrangements at Trinidad have been ordered, for the purpose of beginning the revolution of South America. In this event as I have before intimated to you England will at Philadelphia open herself to and ask the co-operation of the UStates. Miranda who is impatient with the delays that he experiences, as well as ignorant of the provisional decisions of this cabinet has concluded to send his friend and associate Mr. [Pedro José] Carro to Philadelphia” (LS [deciphered], RG 59, Despatches from United States Ministers to Great Britain, 1791–1906, Vol. 7, January 9-December 22, 1798, National Archives).

2. Caro, a native of Cuba, was conspiring to secure the independence of the Spanish American colonies by taking advantage of the conflict between England and Spain.

In his instructions to Caro, dated April 6, 1798, Miranda wrote: “A su arrivo de Vm. á New Yorck entregará la Carta que lleva para Mr Hamilton, á quien solamente podrá hablar con confianza en el asunto; y luego sin perdida de tiempo se pondrá en marcha para Philadelfia.… y sin perdida de tiempo entregar tambien la Carta de Mr King al Ministro de Negocios extrangeros de quien solicitará immediatamente una audiencia, afin de entregar al Presidente en propia mano los despachos de que está encargado; ó si algun motivo lo impideise en el momento, hará pasar estos Despachos por mano del Ministro al Presidente, solicitando el ser presentado á este privadamente, lo mas pronto que fuese posible” (Archivo, Miranda, XV description begins Archivo del General Miranda: Negociaclones 1770–1810 (Caracas, 1938), XV. description ends , 231). In these instructions Miranda is referring to his letter to H printed above; his letter to John Adams, March 24, 1798 (ALS, Adams Family Papers, deposited in the Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston; copy, Adams Family Papers, deposited in the Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston); King to Pickering, April 6, 1798 (LS, RG 59, Despatches from United States Ministers to Great Britain, 1791–1906, Vol. 7, January 9-December 22, 1798, National Archives). Miranda also asked Caro to deliver a letter to Henry Knox (Pickering to Adams, August 21, 1798 [ALS, Adams Family Papers, deposited in the Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston]). Miranda’s letter to Knox has not been found.

Caro, however, never came to the United States. On April 25, 1798, Miranda instructed him to go directly to Barbados and to send the letters entrusted to him to Pickering for transmittal (Archivo, Miranda, XV description begins Archivo del General Miranda: Negociaclones 1770–1810 (Caracas, 1938), XV. description ends , 248–49). On May 10, 1798, Caro wrote to Pickering, enclosed the letters in question, and explained the change in his plans (ALS, Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston). Caro’s letter to Pickering is printed in Archivo, Miranda, XV description begins Archivo del General Miranda: Negociaclones 1770–1810 (Caracas, 1938), XV. description ends , 256. A translation of Caro’s letter is in the Adams Family Papers, deposited in the Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston, and is printed in King, The Life and Correspondence of Rufus King description begins Charles R. King, ed., The Life and Correspondence of Rufus King (New York, 1894–1900). description ends , II, 658. Pickering received Caro’s letter on August 20, 1798, and on August 21 he wrote to Adams: “I enclose a letter which I received last evening under cover from Mr. Pedro Josef Caro, accompanied by a letter from Mr. King intended as an introduction to Mr. Caro; but the latter having missed a passage to the U. States, in the British Cutter which sailed from Falmouth for New-York on the 20th of April, & circumstances requiring his arrival in So. America with as little delay as possible, he forwarded the packet to me. A copy of the translation of his letter to me I have the honor to enclose.

“Under the same cover were enclosed two letters, one for Colo. Hamilton, the other for General Knox, which I forward by this post to those gentlemen.” (ALS, Adams Family Papers, deposited in the Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston.)

3. In his letter to Adams, dated March 24, 1798, Miranda enclosed a copy of his “instructions,” December 22, 1797, and an estimate of the population and products of Spanish America (ALS, Adams Family Papers, deposited in the Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston; copy, Adams Family Papers, deposited in the Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston). Miranda’s “instructions” were, in fact, a plan for the liberation of Spain’s American colonies and were signed at Paris by Miranda and two other revolutionists, José del Pozo y Sucre and Manuel José de Salas (two copies, Adams Family Papers, deposited in the Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston). The estimate was probably a copy of “Vista Politica de la América Española,” which is printed in Archivo, Miranda, XV description begins Archivo del General Miranda: Negociaclones 1770–1810 (Caracas, 1938), XV. description ends , 216–25. On March 20, 1798, Miranda sent a copy of this estimate to William Pitt, first lord of the treasury and chancellor of the exchequer (Archivo, Miranda, XV description begins Archivo del General Miranda: Negociaclones 1770–1810 (Caracas, 1938), XV. description ends , 212–14). The copy of Miranda’s letter to Adams, March 24, 1798, has a postscript dated April 28, which explains the change in Caro’s plans. Miranda wrote to Adams again on August 17, 1798 (ALS, Adams Family Papers, deposited in the Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston). On October 3, 1798, Adams wrote to Pickering: “Inclosed is a duplicate of a letter from Miranda, with some estimates. Read it and think of it. A number of questions and considerations occur. We are friends with Spain. If we were enemies, would the project be useful to us? It will not be in character for me to answer the letter …” (Adams, Works of John Adams description begins Charles Francis Adams, The Works of John Adams (Boston, 1850–1856). description ends , VIII, 600).

4. Henry Lee, a veteran of the American Revolution, was a member of the Continental Congress from 1785 to 1788, a member of the Virginia Ratifying Convention, and governor of Virginia from 1791 to 1794.

5. On November 24, 1792, William S. Smith wrote to Miranda: “I have received a letter from my friend Colonel henry Lee at present Governor of Virginia, dated Richmond 21st of September, he writes thus: ‘will you be so good, my dear friend, as to inform me of the real state of affairs in france, whether the Disunion prevalent there will endanger the Revolution—I am solicitous to know your sentiments on this subject, as I very much wish to cross the atlantic & offer to that illustrated Nation my humble services as a soldier.…’

“Permit me to congratulate you, my friend, on the offer of service of this soldier for one of more military address never enter’d the field:—he is a great acquisition for our great project & I will nourish him accordingly—send an extract of this letter to the Minister & ask a Commission for henry Lee as Brigadier general, Commandant of a legionary Corps.…” (Archivo, Miranda, XV description begins Archivo del General Miranda: Negociaclones 1770–1810 (Caracas, 1938), XV. description ends , 147.) On December 26, 1792, Miranda sent an extract of Smith’s letter to Jacques Pierre Brissot de Warville, a member of the National Convention (Archivo, Miranda, XV description begins Archivo del General Miranda: Negociaclones 1770–1810 (Caracas, 1938), XV. description ends , 156).

6. Henry Knox.

7. This postscript, in Miranda’s handwriting, appears only on the letter marked “Dup:” in the Hamilton Papers, Library of Congress.