Whitehall 21st March 1778
Duplicate
Most Secret
Sir
Since my Letter to you of the 8th Inst. by Major Drummond1 was dispatch'd The French King has by his Ambassador avow'd the having signed a Treaty of Amity & Commerce with the Rebel Agents at Paris.
The inclosed Printed Copies of the Message from His Majesty to Parliament and of the Addresses of both Houses in return2 will fully inform you of the just indignation which this most offensive proceeding of the Court of France has excited. And His Majesty in consequence of the advice of His most confidential Servants has taken the resolution to avenge the insulted honor of His Crown and vindicate the injured rights of His People by an immediate attack upon the French possessions in the West Indies
The Orders which His Majesty has thought fit to give for this purpose are contained in the Instructions you will receive herewith,3 as also for the distribution of the Troops which will remain after that Service is supplied.
No more Corps than the Three Regiments I told you were destined for Nova Scotia can be spared from hence, and the measure now adopted will necessarily supercede the operations pointed out to you in my Letter by Major Drummond for the beginning of the Campaign
The Force to be collected at New York is so considerable, that I cannot doubt Your being able to maintain that important Post. The possess[ion] of which will be so necessary to give Dignity & Effect to the Commissioners negotiations; and should the war continue, I will still hope You may find means, in conjunction with the Squadron that will be left in North America, to keep up an alarm on the sea Coasts of the Rebellious Provinces, and perhaps disable them from materialy annoying our Trade.
The large reinforcements of Troops sent lately from France to the Islands of Martinico and Guadaloupe make it highly necessary, that the Object of our Expedition should be unsuspected; And in order to divert the public attention and conceal our purpose, it has been given out here, that the Troops in America are to return to Great Britain forthwith. Should that opinion be entertained by the French Officers in the West Indies: it will serve to confirm them in it, if you also assign the same reason for the embarkation of the Troops.
It has been found necessary to employ a considerable number of the Recruits raised for the Regiments with You upon a different service. It may therefore be expected that some of those Regiments will in consequence be too much reduced to take the field. If that should be the case, it is His Majestys pleasure that you incorporate the remaining Men into other Corps, and send home the Commissioned and noncommissioned Officers to recruit I am [&c.]