[Extract]
Secret No 5

. . . I told him,² which is true, that I have intelligence from America, which says, that Franklin is come with his Pocket full of Letters of Marque, and that his Intention is to engage french Ships, fitt those Ships with Men of this Country, anp by putting an American or two on board, and giving Lettres de Marque try to make these Vessels pass for American Privateers. I spoke of this as a wild, and Extravagant Idea, the Execution of which, would never be suffered here, M de Vergennes answered with great seeming openess, that what Franklin had, or had not brought, He could not pretend to say. Je n'ai pas fouille clans ses Portefeuilles, But this I can Say, that if he has such Letters, he never will make use of them here, upon a thing of this Nature, I have no occasion to wait to take the King my Masters Pleasure, I can answer you at once, and in the most positive Manner, from what I know of his Majestys fixt Resolution, which is not to suffer, any Armament, or Enrollement whatever, to be made in his Dominions, in favour of the Americans.

According to the last Accounts, I have seen from Toulon, there are there, Eighteen Ships of the Line, which have got in their lower Masts, and lower standing Rigging. Three seventy four Gun ships, are careened, and the others are to be so, two at a time. According to these accounts, There is no Stoppage of sailors, nor any extraordinary hands employed at Toulon. Most of the above mentioned Ships, are represented to be my Lord, as being in a very bad Condition, and such as we should think, almost unfit for service.

I am told that M d'Estaing, is going to Brest, not to take the Cornman(}. of the fleet, but to quicken the Preparations. The general opinion of the Navy is, that M du Chaffaults fleet will not put to sea this Winter, if it sails at all.

I acquainted M de Vergennes yesterday, with what I mentioned to your Lordship last week, viz that the proprietor of the ship the Vine, does not know what is become of her, but say[s] that part of the Cargoe has been sold along the french Coast. M de Vergennes answered, if there has been such a sale, it must have been Clandestinely, and en fraude, and certainly was not authorized, by ariy judicial proceeding. according to the best Information I have been able to get, the Cargoes of the two Vessels Franklin took, have been sold in the like Clandestine manner, but I do not find, that the ships have been brought into any Port of France.