[Admiralty Office] 16th March 1776
Sir
Mr [John] Robinson Secretary to the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury having [by] his Letter of the 10 instant, acquainted my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty that Intelligence had been received that Mr Willing a Merchant of Philadelphia, and one of the Congress has prevailed on them to permit the Merchants in the different American Colonies to export to Spain &ca Twenty thousand Barrels of Flour on their giving Bond to the Congress that the return for the said Flour shall be in Ammunition; that Mr Willing some time ago sent his Partner Mr Morris to Cadiz who is still there, and that the three Cargoes are arrived there,2 I am commanded by their Lordships to acquaint you therewith that you may direct the Captns of the Ships under your Command to use their utmost endeavours to inter cept the Ships employed on this trade. I am &c Geo Jackson By the Post
1. PRO, Admiralty" 2/551, 286.
2. A garbled bit of intelligence about the activities of Willing, Morris & Co. Robert Morris did not go to Cadiz or any place else on the European continent.
