London, Wednesday 8 May, 1776
[Extract]
On the 17th of March, the English fleet, composed of 140 sails, that is to say many transport ships and very few Ships, Royal, sailed [from Boston] for Halifax. The provincial fleet chased the rear and captured 10 or 12 of the worst-sailing ships. 2 Only God or the winds know where the others are now ... Five days ago 4 packet-boats left England: one for the fleet on its way to Halifax, the others for New York, Rhode Island and Quebec. The Ministry is really hard pressed, and although the papers relate that the 1st Hessian division left Portsmouth it was not certain yesterday still whether Lord Germain would not go to this port in order to urge or force the Hessian General to sail, which he will not do until all the troops have arrived. Indeed I believe that the time is near when the Americans will be their own masters; and it is coming all the faster as General [Charles] Lee, after leaving 7000 men in fortified New York, departed with the 15 thousand men that remained in order to make straight for Quebec. 3 If the Americans have the upper hand, as everything leads to believe, are we not going to regret deeply that we did not give in to their solicitations? Then, instead of having acquired, as we could have done it at little expense and without risk, certain rights on the gratitude of these neighbors of our islands, we shall have alienated them for ever. Since they will have won without us, they will make a good peace, but against us. They will avenge themselves of our harshness, at our expense. Well! How important is a loan of two or three millions without compromising ourselves? Indeed, I can assure you on my sacred honor that I can get to them at second hand, even through Holland, all the assistance to which you will agree, without risk and without any other authorization but that which exists between us. Even the appearance of an effort might be sufficient, because I know that the Virginians are now able to manufacture saltpetre in abundance, and that Congress, since its meeting in Southern Carolina, has decided that powder which was manufactured only in Philadelphia would be manufactured in all the places where it is needed. Furthermore, the Virginians have 7000 regular troops and 70 thousand militia men, iron in abundance and manufacture almost as many weapons as all the rest of America put together. 4 But engineers, engineers and powder! or the money to get them; this is the result of all my meetings.