particular No 37
My Lord
I hope Your Lordship has received my letter by Mr Hobart, informing You, of the American Privateer, the "Reprisal," Having taken the Packet from Falmouth, and four English Merchantmen: These Ships the Reprisal carried not into Port Louis, as my first Information Said, but into Port LorienL
I told you my Lord, that I should press. M de Vergennes strongly, for the Delivery of these Ships with their Crews, Cargoes &c I went to him Yesterday Morning, with that Intention, But I had Scarce begun to state the Fact, when He interrupted me to say, that immediately upon the Receipt of this News, a Resolution was taken, to order the American Ship, and her Prizes, instantly to put to Sea, and that orders were given in Consequence. I asked him if the Orders were actually gone. His answer was, that they are not only gone, but probably carried into execution by this time. I then told him My Lord, that the Object of my Visit to His Excellency was, to apply for the Restitution of these Vessels; particularly the Packet, which was to be Considered as a King's Ship, but that, it was in vain to make that application now, as the orders they had given, if carried into Execution, as He presumed they were, evidently put it out of their Power, to comply with my Demand. He repeated, what he had said, re!ative to these Orders, and added, that M du Chaffault was instructed, not to suffer any American Vessel, to cruize near the Coast of France.
I expressed a wish, that these Instructions had been sent sooner, and observed to M de Vergennes, that the Reprisal, had been much too favourably treated at Nantes, that she had not only been furnished, with every thing she wanted, but had been suffered to go in, and out of the Port of Nantes, et de faire ce qu'on apelle ici la Navette I added, that as this was irregular, I was persuaded it was without his Excellency's knowledge. He assured me that it was, and then My Lord, after a short pause, He, entirely of his own accord, and without my having dropped a Word that could lead to it, added what follows. "I will deal Confidentially with You, I never conceal what I do. I have seen Franklin once,-and but once, I assure You, since his Arrival here, in my situation, il faut voir tout le monde du moins une fois. The only time that I did see him, I observed to him that He was come in a ship of War, and that it was not our Intention to receive, such American Vessels, into our Ports, that there were many Strong objections to it; nay more My Lord, I read him the Articles in the Treaty of Utrecht, which I told him, we considered, as applicable to the present situation of things, and which we were determined religiously to fulfill. 'Notwithstanding this fair Warning Ils y ont contrevenu. We send as you see their Armateurs out of our Ports, et ils n'y retourneront pas." I applauded this Resolution, as worthy of their Justice, and agreeable to the friendship, that subsists between the two Courts.
Your Lordship sees, that no Application of mine, for the Release of the above-mentioned Ships, could have come time enough, as the orders of this Court were issued immediately, upon the Information they Received, which of course preceeded mine. My intelligence did not reach me till friday night, I was tempted to go the Next Morning to Versailles, but as the Matter was of importance, and I wished much to have a favourable Answer, I thought it better to prepare the Way, by a previous Conversation with M Maurepas friend, and mine. To Him, I went on Saturday Morning, and Spoke very Strongly; I found him going to Versailles, when He got there, he was told, the above-mentioned orders were actually gone.
I think it my Duty to transmit to your Lordship, the inclosed Letter from Messrs Franklin, and Deane, which was left at My House on Monday Last, and to which I have returned no answer. 2 The person who left the letter made no mention from whence it came. 1 am with the greatest Truth and Respect My Lord [&c.]
P.S: I have just received the two inclosed Letters, from the Captain of the Swallow Packet, and Mr Hunter, I have no personal Knowledge of this Mr Hunter, but I must do him the justice to say, that He has been very Active, and useful, upon this Occasion. 3
S.
[Endorsed] Paris 26 Febry 1777 Lord Stormont (No 37) Particular R 2 Mch by Express from Dover 3 Inclosures
