Your favor of the 15th Inst, was delivered to me last Evening.1 I congratulate you on your safe arrival, and hope the agreeable circumstances of your present Situation will compensate for the fatigue & trouble you experienced on the way to it.

It gives me pleasure to hear the French Embassador has been so obliging, & am glad to find from your letter that your Attentions to him at least keep pace with his civilities, especially as you are no Stranger to the distinction between the candor and politeness of a Gentleman and that unbounded confidence which is seldom necessary— The intelligence you recd: from him is so agreeable and so interesting that altho the nature of it leaves me no room to doubt of it’s having been signified by the Court of France to Congress, either thro’ Doctr: Franklin or the Count De la Luzerne, yet as unexpected accidents may have retarded it’s arrival, I shall also transmit it by a vessel which will sail in a few days for Boston—

I regret your not having been more particular on the subject of the mistake you have been led to suppose in the direction of my Letter, as I wish to have the means of determining whether it was from decisive authority Mr: Gerard, whose opinion I requested on that subject, without hesitation, told me, Mr. Galvez was the Minister with whom all Business with the United States was to be transacted, & urged several reasons for his being of that Opinion— From that Gentleman’s knowledge of the Courts of Europe, & the departments established for the dispatch of business in each, particularly with that of Madrid, with which his Court has been so long, and so intimately responsible connected, I was induced to desire & confide in his Information on that Point— Very conclusive Reasons therefore are necessary to induce a belief of his having been mistaken,— But as it is of importance that all Errors of this kind be known, & if possible corrected, I must request your attention to this matter in your next—

I am at a loss to determine from your Letter whether, or no you have sent my dispatches to Mr: Galvez— From your not having seen that ^Gentleman^, nor expecting to be introduced to him till the 17th. Inst, I conjecture that my Letter did not reach him till that day— If so, I fear the delay will appear as singular to him, as I confess it does to me. It does the more so to me as my Letter would have introduced you, and as you was apprized of my apprehension that pains would be taken to delay my receiving a decided answer as to my reception until the sentiments of France should be known. Perhaps the advice you received as to the time and manner most proper for delivery of it, was little influenced by a desire of gaining time— I wished to have felt the pulse of Spain and by their conduct on this occasion, to have been enabled to determine whether their councils with respect to the united States are in any and what degree independent of those of France, or whether directed by them—2 This would have been very useful in the further progress of the Business and might have been easily obtained had my Letter been delivered immediately on your arrival, because in that case, before the Sentiments of the french Court could have been asked and received, sufficient time would have elapsed to justify your applying to Mr. Galvez for an answer, and whatever that might have been certain inferences would have been deducible from it— For these reasons, and not from an Expectation of opposition from France I regret this delay—

But as my conjectures may prove groundless, and if just3 you may have ^very^ cogent Reasons I forbear further Remarks, ’till I shall again have the pleasure of hearing from you.

Are you sure that the Intelligence your heard respecting Mr. Mirales is certain? I am sorry by this Question to lengthen your next Letter, especially as writing in Cypher is tedious, and disagreeable. But that Intelligence is important; if credited it may have an influence on American Measures, which if it should be groundless, might be injurious. The transmission of Information to Congress, by which their Counsels, and Determinations might be affected is a very delicate business and demands the greatest care, and Precision. It is not uncommon you know for one Gentleman to think a matter certain, which another of no greater discernment, and judging by the same Evidence will deem somewhat doubtful. I would choose therefore with respect to all interesting Intelligence, and particularly such as I may transmit to Congress to possess as far as possible every circumstance necessary to form a judgment of its credibility, such as the Rank and Character of the Informants and the means they have of acquiring the Information they give, that I may represent it as entitled to that degree of credit only which on full consideration, it may appear to deserve. I observe this less with reference to the case in question than as a general Rule. Besides as we correspond in Cypher no danger can result from being explicit.

I am well satisfied that the short time you had been at Madrid did not admit of your writing on the several Subjects contained in your Instructions, on all of which, if allowed sufficient time I am persuaded you will be able to obtain important Information. However as the object of your going to Madrid was to prevent delays in my receiving an Answer to the Letter to Mr. Galvez, the other Instructions, however important are to be considered as secondary, and though I wish that great and constant Attention may be paid them, yet by no means to the neglect or prejudice of the first.

I am much obliged to you for the American paper enclosed in your Letter. Every thing from our Country is interesting. If you should find any more of them whose contents afford either information or Entertainment, send them and you shall receive from me all I may meet with here which come under that description.

The Letter you gave me reason to expect from Mr. Gerard has not yet arrived: perhaps the next Post will bring it: On the first occasion I have of writing to him, I shall take the Liberty of mentioning the Sense you have of his personal kindness and attention to you.

The polite Offers of the French Ambassador to be useful to me in all things that depand on him at Madrid, as well as his civilities to you, demand my acknowledgments, which I must beg the favor of you to present to him. I am, Dear Sir, &c.