[Extract]
No 6.

. . . I am however to observe to Your Lordship that he [Grimaldi] concluded with saying that the extent to which our Armaments and others had now gone was owing to want of confidence and communication, in order to restore which this Court was ready and would be the first to induce such explanations to be brought on between us and £ranee as should remove all seeds of mistrust whatever, and not occasion more preparations than such as related to their Disputes in South America, and to Ours in North America. Without adopting his proposition I-confined myself to say that France having been the first Mover ought of course to be the first to lay aside the extraordinary preparations begun in her Ports and such a step on her part would doubtless give great satisfaction. This he said could not happen of itself without something being said,or understood upon it, and repeatedly offered that this Comt would very willingly speak first. This kind of @verture I apprehend may be owing to either the French finding that they have brought too formidable an Armament out against them, and their Desire of saving through the Channel of Spain the point of Honour in retracting, or to the success of His Majesty's Arms shewing both Spain and France how desperate a task any open assistance to the Americans would become, and I presume to add that under these circumstances it looks as i{the Court of France would be glad of a pretence to reassume a pacific Appearance, and perhaps both Spain and France might be more ready to give solid assurances of not assisting America. Your Lordship however is the best Judge whether the Language of France gives any sanction to this Idea.