Most Secret
No 111.
My Lord

I sit down to give Your Lordship an account of the Mannerin which I have endeavoured to execute, the very important orders transmitted to me in Your Letter No 43., which I received on Monday Night. The next Morning after having carefully perused Your Lordships Dispatches, and their several Inclosures, I went as usual to Versailles. I determined to avail myself of the Hint you were so good as to give me, and begin with speaking to M de Maurepas. I contrived to let Him Know, that I wishedto see Him in Private, and when I went to Him, was immediately carried into his Closet.

I began our Conversation by saying, that He no doubt remembered, a sort of personal Engagement we had taken, some Months ago, when after Mutual Professions of our desire to preserve a good understanding between the two Nations, we agreed that if any Incident dangerous to the Public Tranquillity should arise, we would first talk upon the Subject like private Gentlemen, and endeavour to find a Remedy. He answered that He remembered it perfectly. I am now come Sir to fulfill my Part of the Engagement, and before I go to M de Vergennes, to whom I shall of course Speak Officially, I am come to You as Lord Stormont come to tell You Sir, that things are dans un grand Etat de Crise. The Evil is of the first Magnitude, and you alone can apply the Remedy, and prevent the Consequences, which, if that Remedy is not applied, must necessarily ensue. I will not trouble you with a Minute Repetition of the Complaints I have made from Time to Time, I will only recapitulate them very Shortly. I then My Lord mentioned Succinctly the behaviour of Monsr D'Argout, (He put me in Mind that there was Another Governor appointed). The Ships that were going from Marseilles Laden with Artillery and Ammunition, (He said they were stopt, and would not go) those preparing at Dunkirk, Bordeaux, and Nantes, and then came My Lord to the principal Point, the Assistance and Protection given to the American privateers: I dwelt upon this, stated it in the Strongest Light, and told Him expressly that armed Ships, that were suffered to take refuge in the Ports of France whenever they pleased, were refitted there, were supplied with Arms and Ammunition, had many French Sailors on board, and went from France with a professed design to cruize upon our Coast, were to all Intents and Purposes, cruizing against us, so that it was great Moderation indeed in the Captain who chased the Reprizal, to stop his pursuit as He had done, when He came near the Coast of France. I added that that Ship had taken refuge in the Port of St Maloes, and the other two were probably gone into Some other Port of France, where they would refit and sail from thence on some other Cruize and Send tlteir Prizes, as I imagined but did not know they had sent many of the Ships, they had lately taken to be disposed of in France. what use Sir could the Rebels make of their own Ports that they do not make of Yours, if this Sir is your friendship to us, if this is Peace, I beg you to tell me what can deserve a contrary Name. He seemed Struck, and answered in Short broken sentences. I assure You I wish, and mean Peace — but what would you have us do — We cannot prevent our People supplying the Americans in the Course of Trade; the thirst of Gain and the Partiallity of this Country to them, makes that impossible. It is not our Business to decide on the Legality of Prizes (I had told Him My Lord that in case the Ships lately taken had been sent to France, I expected they would be restored) We cannot do as Portugal has done, cannot forbid the Americans our Ports, and expose ourselves to a War with them. I answered it is pretty extraordinary Sir that there Should be such menagement for these Rebels and Pirates, and so little for a great Nation, with which solemn Treaties have bound you; in the ties of Friendship, and to which you make the most friendly Professions, all we desire is a conduct suitable to those Professions, and similar to that of every other friendly Power. The desire of Gain is a universal Passion, as prevalent in Flanders, as in France, Yet you see no such Things, as those we now complain of, happen in the Empress Queens Dominions; The Rebels do not send their Prizes into Her Ports, do not refit there. I have observed Sir with great Regret, that when I have made Representations to You, they have been attended to for the Moment, and fair Promises made, but some secret in visible Influence has always counteracted my Representations, and rendered your promises without effect. He dropped a Word or two here, that orders were given but were often eluded. I answered You will not seriously tell a Man who has spent so much of his Life in France, that any officer in this Country dares to disobey the Kings Commands. The supplying the Rebels with Cloth and other Necessaries, which I know Merchants will send wherever there is a great prospect of gain, is a very different Thing from furnishing them with Ammunition, Arms and even Artillery, which is repugnant to all Idea of friendship, and directly contrary to the Express Declaration you gave many Months ago.

The Admitting into Your Ports American trading Vessels, that bring You Tobacco and other Articles You want, tho' not a friendly act, is far short of what we particularly Complain of at this Time, viz the Harbouring their Privateers, supplying them with all they want, refitting some, and fitting out others, such as the Dolphin, which ship was actually equipped at Nantes, the allowing them to make this use of Your Ports, without which permission they could not possibly remain in these Seas. The furnishing them by secret connivance with Men, Arms, ammunition and thereby enabling them to cruize against us, and insult our Coast, is joining in the Hostilities. It is in fact sir a Part of the force of this Country that is directed against us, and whether under the flag of France, or not, is in my Opinion a Matter of indifference, a mere Formality; Be assured sir that Your whole Conduct with regard to the Rebels has made a Strong Impression in Europe et excite un fremissement General. I know what some of the greatest, and most respectable Persons in Europe think of it; with regard to us Sir, if you recollect all that Has passed since the first preparations for sending out the Amphitrite, (the Whole of which Transaction I know Sir as well as those who were concerned in it, but hope I shall never be forced to publish all I know). If you recollect I say, all that has been done since that Period, You will be forced to admit, that the whole carries a strong Appearance of an uniform Plan of secret Assistance, and proves that we have acted with great Moderation, But you know Sir as well as I do, that all human things have bounds beyond which they cannot go. We are now come to the utmost Verge of those bounds, and must either return to Peace and Harmony, or Pass the Line, and proceed to an immediate Rupture. Your personal Situation Sir at this Moment is worthy of Envy, You can say to Yourself, with more Truth than any Man this Day in Europe, The Lot of Millions, the fate of Nations is in my Hands; I most ardently wish Sir, that you may make a Proper use of the great Power and Influence You have so justly acquired, and may employ them to the preservation of Peace, which You certainly may Preserve if you please. They amuse you with idle stories, who tell You that some of our Cabinet are for Peace, and others for War; All our Ministers equally desire Peace, but it must be a fair and real Peace,oot a Nominal one, that is a Cloak for secret Hostilities, and insidious Designs. If your Conduct is not changed, If Your Succours to the Rebels Continue, if You protect and Harbour their Privateers, Every one of His Majestys Confidential Servants equally sees the necessity of War. The King and His Ministers whole Conduct shews, that we utterly disclaim that Rash dangerous Policy that to mad Views of Ambition Sacrifices the Blessings of Peace, or forfeits them for any trivial cause. We know, we con­ fess that War is a grievous Evil, but we Know too que ce n'est pas le dernier des Maux.

I hope Sir that You sufficiently Esteem those who sincerely esteem You, to believe that whenever we are brought to the Necessity of chusing between the Calamities of War, and the least Diminution of our Honour, our Election is soon made. What the result of this Conversation will be I know not, that will depend upon You, I have done my part, have fulfilled the promise I made, have spoke to You as Lord Stormont, spoke with great Sincerity and frankness and with that eagerness with which it is impossible for me not to Speak, when I give a loose to my Sentiments upon such weighty Subjects as these.

To M de Vergennes I shall Speak as a Minister, execute my Orders Strictly, and mix Nothing of my own. He thanked me repeatedly for coming to Him first, and for the manner in which I had spoke to Him. He no doubt guessed the general purport of the Orders I alluded to, but made no Inquiry. He entered into no explanation of what they would do, I mean my Lord that His promises were not specific. He only Said in general Terms, that they must find a way to Satisfy us, and must see to hinder the American Privateers from Staying in their Ports. He desired me to be full and particular in my Conversation with M de Vergennes, and said, that after I had talked to Him Vergennes, they would concert together, and try to form some fixt regular Plan, that should give us satisfaction. we have our Grievances too added He. M de Vergennes has a long list to give You. I replied that every just Ground of Complaint would certainly be Attended to, and that all I wished was, that their Conduct towards us, might be as friendly as ours to them had constantly been, and if they pleased would continue to be.

What passed in my Conversation with M de Vergennes, I reserve for a Separate Letter.²

I am with the greatest Truth, and Esteem My Lord [&c.]