[Extract]

No. 12

As the Act passed for prohibiting trade and intercourse with any of our rebellious Colonies, will enable His Majestys ships to take their vessels, and that the latter conforming or not with the usual forms in the several ports of Europe, will not exempt them from that risk, I have written to some of His Majesty's Consuls that they might be less anxious upon that subject, in soliciting the government here for their assistance, or making the difficulty in obtaining such assistance matter of complaint, but I have added a caution to them that they should be very vigilant, that a temporary relaxation in one case, is not construed into a precedent in others.