[Extract]

I believe, My lord, that it is essential for England to defend with force the Portuguese possessions in Europe. However, if the die is cast, and in spite of our combined efforts we find it impossible either to bring M.de Pombal to the terms requested by Spain, or to stop our ally and prevent the invasion of Portugal, it seems to me, My lord, that we should not waste a single moment and enter into secret negotiations with the Americans. Because England, compelled in such case to make peace at all costs with her Colonies, would throw herself at their feet in order to obtain from them the means that they alone can bring her to wage an offensive war in America. I shall never believe possible the conquests of England in that part of the world without the help in men, victuals, ships, everything finally that the English drew from their colonies on the continent during the last war. Today, they have to exhaust Europe in order to supply their army in America. You can see, My lord, from the facts how fruitless is such an operation. You will conceive better than myself how much this difficulty would increase if these ships carrying supplies were to avoid on their way the the French and Spanish naval forces, their privateers, as well as the American privateers, if we had them on our side. And this will happen if we wish to ensure their independence, a price that they cannot expect on the part of Great Britain in reward for the services that they would render to her.

The supporters of this independence begin to complain bitterly of what they call our apathy at this time. The manner in which the Americans regard our interest had caused them to consider our secret or public assistance as infallible. The resentment against our indifference joined to the cruel inconvenience to which this People must submit in a struggle hand to hand against England and all her Navy, when they have none to oppose, may bring them to agree to a peace with the mother country all the more easily since we may expect that in such case they themselves would dictate the terms. America joined to England in order to take vengeance for our total inaction when she needed us presents a new scene in Europe; that of a powerful nation that knows her forces and which keeps them all active under the protection and conduct of the English flag.

I am most inclined to believe, Mylord, that all the expenses which we might incur in preventing this union would be money well invested. 2

It is true that the small American squadron made a raid on the Island of [New] Providence and the governor escaped to St. Augustine. They removed a few hundred barrels of powder and were rumored to have sailed from there to Cape Frarn;:ois. This is what this famous expedition which was to astonish Europe amounted to. 3

A packet-boat dispatched from Virginia by Ld Dunmore ran aground on the Sorlingues [Scilly] Islands off Cape Lizard. One assures that all the packets which it carried were lost although the crew escaped. This report aroused strong suspicions on the part of the opposition that the news was very bad, especially since Ld Sandwich confessed publicly that he expected nothing more of the expedition against Virginia after the complete scattering of Sir [Peter] Parker's fleet.