From John Jay to Floridablanca, 14 September 1780
To Floridablanca
[St Ildefonso 14th Septr. 1780]
Sir
The information I received yesterday from your Excellency, by Mr Gardoqui, has drawn the affair of the Bills of Exchange to a conclusion. He told me that the Exigencies of the State would not permit his Majesty to provide for the payment of more of those bills than were already accepted, amounting to about 14′000 dollars.
As it is important that every Nation at war should know exactly the State of their resources, and as America has been induced to Consider the friendship of his Catholic Majesty as among the number of hers, I must request the favour of your Excellency to tell me frankly, whether the United States may expect any, and what, aids from Spain. The General assurances of Amity which that Country has received from this, together with what has passed between your Excellency & myself relative to Cloathing for our Troops, and supplies of Specie in America, will I Hope be considered as authorizing this Question; and the more so, as Mr. Gardoqui, (to whose arrival your Excellency postponed the discussion of these matters) informs me, he is not instructed to say any thing to me on these, or indeed any other Subjects.— I have the honor to be with Great Respect Your Excellencys Most Obedt & Most Hble Sert.
John Jay
His Excellency The Ct. de Florida Blanca1
ALS, SpMaAHN: Estado, leg. 3884 bis, exp. 8, doc. 24 (EJ: 12105). C, in French, FrPMAE: CP-E, 601: 464–65 (EJ: 4014); LbkCs, embedded in JJ to the President of Congress, 6 Nov., below, DNA: PCC, item 110, 1: 284; NNC: JJ Lbk. 1; CSmH.
1. See JJ’s comments on this letter in JJ to the President of Congress, 6 Nov., below; for Floridablanca’s response, see Gardoqui to JJ, 15 Sept., below. For JJ’s report to Vergennes on his conference, see his letter of 22 Sept., below. Montmorin forwarded a copy of the above letter to Vergennes and reported that, as Vergennes had suggested, he had urged JJ to hide his discontent and make it appear in public that he was satisfied with Spain’s conduct and its intentions toward the United States and that JJ appeared to comply with his recommendation. Montmorin to Vergennes, 22 Sept., FrPMAE, CP-E: 602: 8v–9r.