[Extract]
My lord, we cannot mark without justifiable alarm the daring acts of which the English Sea Officers are capable. As the war gets hotter, they will become more dangerous; and their avidity for spoils will increase as they get used to firing their guns. If the English people are generally proud and greedy, it can be said with them maritime pride exceeds national pride by several degrees and that the sailors are the most miserly and at the same time the most prodigal of all the people in England. The name of Lord Howe Commanding the naval forces over such an extended Coastline is more likely to exalt than temper this pride, and I sincerely hope that the British Ministry will not have to repent for employing him in circumstances that require more caution than valor and more shrewdness than military talent.
The facts presented in the various documents which you were kind enough to send me are assuredly of a dangerous as well as offensive nature. In conformity with your instructions, My lord, I spoke of it yesterday to Lord Suffolk in a friendly and confidential manner, telling him that our confidence in the promises and good intentions of the English Ministers had prevented us up to now from taking the precautions which circumstances might require for the protection of our Islands and our trade; but that; however, the Governors of St. Domingue and Martinique were complaining bitterly of the conduct on the part of the Commanding Officers of the English frigates cruising in the Seas neighboring our Colonies. "I know, Sir,["] this Minister replied immediately, ["]that a large quantity of powder leaves your Islands for America, that the American ships carry it under the French flag; I positively know this, so that I cannot doubt it." Although he was looking down, Lord Suffolk put a remarkable amount of dignity into these words.
I answered that it could very well be that the Americans obtained powder from our islands and others, and that I was equally convinced that England was no more sterile for them in this respect than any other country where there were people interested in this sort of smuggling. As for the flag, the English Frigates use ours as well as the American ships, from which I concluded it apparently was a ruse of war employed by both parties; furthermore, that the King's attitude towards His British Majesty was friendly and obliging enough to arouse all the gratitude of the King of England and his Administration; that these were the feelings which he had often expressed to me himself.
I went on with my speech presenting our detailed grievances against their officers, especially Captain [Robert] Keeler Commanding the Corvette Lynx which has just arrived in Portsmouth. I explained that he would agree with our motive for speaking confidentially since such procedures were obviously contrary to the intentions of the British Ministry and sinceour purpose was to bring him on the one hand to punish the defaulters, especially Captain Keeler, in a manner he would deem most suitable, and on the other hand to provide more effective means than in the past to prevent the repetition of such violations.
Lord Suffolk found my request to be very modest and promised to take it into consideration. I observed that I did not show him the letters in which our Governors express themselves with all the resentment inspired by pranks which they consider as an insult to the Sovereignty of the King as well as the respect due his flag, and that, wishing to avoid anything official in my approach, I preferred to tone down the affair rather than make it worse.
The Minister did justice to my intentions as well as my procedure. He agreed that our ports, our roads and our coasts should be respected, and that once the Americans were in our waters their shelter should be sacred; he assured me that he would speak to Lord Weymouth and to the Admiralty without wasting time.
Of course, I did not want to leave any trace of doubt with respect to the words used by Lord Suffolk when he interrupted me so seriously, and I thought it was best not to be afraid and come back to this matter. I therefore confessed to him that I was quite surprised he had placed this matter first in reply to what I had to tell him, and I asked him if his intention was that I report it to my Court. The Minister answered that he mentioned this fact only to show me the necessity that compelled them to visit most strictly the ships bound for or coming from our Colonies; furthermore, that he did not impute this traffic of powder to the Government, but merely to individuals who found it to their interest to sell ammunition to the Americans as the inhabitants of St. Eustache and other islands do it.
My lord, this is what happened during my conference with Lord Suffolk on the subject which you had assigned to me. Lord North to whom I mentioned this assured me that since my last grievances new orders had been sent but that distances caused delays in their execution.
The frigate Aldborough which ran aground recently in Plymouth was pulled out and towed. into the harbor on the 2nd. Her crew relates that she went through our Squadron composed of 2 Ships of the line, 3 frigates, 2 Corvettes and three Transport ships which appeared to be sailing for the Coast of Guinea.
