To John Jay from William Carmichael, 15 February 1780
From William Carmichael
[Madrid, 15 Feby 1780]1
Dear Sir
I arrived in this city late in the Evening of the 11th after a tedious and Disagreable Journey. We had heavy rains for more than two thirds of the time, which render’d the roads so very bad that neither persuasion, threats or money could induce our Muleteers to proceed faster. My own State of health and the situation in which I left Cadiz would have prevented me from quitting the company [of]2 my voyage if other circumstances of a more delicate nature had not forbid it. Besides that the number of courriers on the road made it impracticable for me to obtain Horses.
The next day altho much indisposed I waited on the French Embassador, who had by a message overnight requested Mr Girard to ingage me to dinner. I was received by Him and all his Family in the most friendly manner & was offerd every service in his power to render us without those personal professions which give birth to many unmeaning words and more suspicions. Indeed I have neither expressions or time to represent the apparent candor and Liberality of his Sentiments. He enter[ed] fully into the good disposition of his Court and informed me that the king as a further proof of his Friendship for us had agreed to pay us Annually the additional Sum of three millions of Livres during the Continuance of the [war]3 in order to enable us to procure the necessaries for our army &c. &c. and that his Majesty had also determined to send a considerable Maritime and Land force early in the year to America to be at the disposition & under the Direction of our General 17 sail of the line and 4 thousand troops are also to be sent to the West Indies, if they have not already sailed.4 Judge after this if Attention Candor5 and apparent unreservideness not the more necessary on my Part. On inquiry I found that Monsr. De Galvez was at the Pardo about two leagues from Madrid where the King resides at present and in the course of conversation discovered that the proper channel of address ought to have been thro’ the Marquis de Florido Blanco. Jealousy [it]6 seems prevails between these Ministers which renders our Situation more delicate and a little caution necessary The Embassador offered to introduce me, but as this could not be done with propriety without previous Application he undertook to make it the day following & to fix the time for my Reception. Thursday is the day appointed when I am to be Introduced to both, and I think the manner will be the [sole] [difficulty].7
Among other Strong Circumstances which induce this conclusion is the certain knowledge I have obtained that Monsr. Mirales recd. Instruction[s] several months past to enter Engagements with Congress to take into Pay a Body to assist in the Conquest of Florida.8 Your own good sense will point out the use which may be made of this intelligence and answers one point of the Instructions which I had the honor to receive from you. The Short time I have been in this City has not hitherto given me an opportunity of writing so circumstantially as I could wish in the matters above mentioned & much less to give a decided opinion on many objects Contained in your Instructions. I find however hitherto no difficulty of acquiring in time a knowledge in most of the Subjects recommended to my Attention. I have reason to beleive that the same disgusts do not subsist between the Court as between the Nation but the most perfect harmony & good understanding. I have been positively assured and from good authority that no Overture[s] have been made for Peace.
The Dutch are arming, which is a circumstance in our favor as their preparations originate from their discontent with England on acct. of the late affair of the Convoy.9 Mr Harrison is here and proposes to proceed to Cadiz next week which will furnish me a good opportunity of writing to you.10 I inclose you the last paper received from America. The People were in high Spirits & every thing in a good State in the beginning of January. I cannot conclude without mentioning the very polite ^manner^ in which the French [illegible] ^Embassador^ offered his personal civilities in every thing that depended on Him to be useful to you in this place. Mr Girard will write to you Himself, yet I must do him the Justice, to mention ^his^ personal Kindness to me & the Candid representations he has made in very public companies here of the ^prosperous^ situation of our Affairs. You will make use of the method I proposed to decypher this, as time did not permit me to use the other. I beg
you to make the proper Compliments for me to Mrs. Jay & Colonel Livingston. I am with Much respect Your Most Obedient & most Humble Servt
Wm. Carmichael
ALS, partly in code, decoded, NNC. Endorsed: “ . . . recd. 20 Feb. 1780”. ALS (copy), partly in code, decoded by Charles Thomson, enclosed in Carmichael to the President of Congress, 19 Feb. 1780, DNA: PCC, item 88, 1: 51–54. Endorsed by Thomson: “ . . . Read May 12 / enclosed in Feb. 19.” LbkC, decoded, DNA: PCC, item 108, 29–32. Es, enclosed in JJ to the President of Congress, 29 Feb. 1780, LbkCs in DNA: PCC, item 110, 1: 39–44 (EJ: 4084); NNC: JJ Lbks. 1 and 5; CSmH. Codes based on Entick’s New Spelling Dictionary (1777) were used in this letter. The ALS and ALS (copy) are encoded in Carmichael’s code (WE080b), the LbkCs in JJ’s code with Thomson (WE080a). See “John Jay’s Use of Codes and Ciphers” (editorial note) on pp. 9–10 and , 50–51.
1. Carmichael misdated this text as 1779, but not the duplicate he sent Congress. See JJ’s Instructions to William Carmichael, 27 Jan. 1780, above.
2. “Company” is decoded as “companion” in the ALS (copy) and the DNA: PCC, item 108, text. The word “of” was not decoded by JJ in the ALS (appears as “31 b 239”).
3. No evidence has been found that France made a commitment to 3 million livres tournois per year. For sums received, see the “Sketch of an Account of Loans, Subsidies, and Grants of Money in France, received on Account of the United States,” , 9: 699–700.
4. On the Ternay-Rochambeau expedition, see BF to JJ, 7 Apr.; Carmichael to JJ, 25 May and 14 Aug.; and JJ to Schuyler, 25 Nov. 1780, all below.
5. “Candor” is decoded as “caution” in the ALS (copy) and the DNA: PCC, item 108, text.
6. This word was inserted by JJ.
7. See Carmichael to JJ, 18 Feb., below. “Sole” not decoded by JJ. Appears as “16 b 345.” Rendered as “sole difficulty” in the ALS (copy) and in DNA: PCC, item 108, 31.
8. See Gouverneur Morris to JJ, 3 Jan., above; and JJ’s reply to Carmichael of 21 Feb. and Ternant to JJ, 26 Feb. 1780, both below.
9. In late December 1779, a Dutch merchant fleet, escorted by a small group of armed vessels, was stopped by a British party. After a short engagement, the British overpowered the Dutch convoy and took the ships to port; there the prize courts confiscated both the ships and the goods they carried. The failure of diplomatic protests by the Dutch proved a blow to the pro-British party in the United Provinces. , 146–47.
10. Richard Harrison, formerly a merchant conducting business for Virginia and other states in Martinique, with Floridablanca’s permission established himself at Cádiz, where he served as acting consul from 1780 until 1786. See Floridablanca to JJ, 29 July 1780, below; , 1: 98–99n4.