[Extract]
Gentⁿ

I sincerely congratulate you as well as the hon^ble Congress on the favorable & important News which the General¹ received a few Days ago, by a Packet Boat which sailed from Rochelle the 4th Sept^r;—The Substance of which is—that a Courier had been dispatched from Versailles with Instructions for the Ambassador at the Court of London, to claim all French Vessels that have been captured (without the Limits) by the English & which have been regularly cleared out for any French Port—which Regulation, if not complied with, is to be the Signal for retiring from the Coast.­ The General has received orders to put every thing in Readiness for War, & to lay an Embargo on all the Ships destined for Europe, to prevent their falling into the Hands of the Enemy;

The Minister announces 5000 additional Troops for this Island & Guadeloupe­—The Transports are already engaged for them, at Havre, Nantz, & Bourdeaux,—At Brest, Rocheford, & Toulon, they work Night & Day, & the greatest Preparations are making for the immediate Commencement of Hostilities;—The French Seem wisely intent upon putting their Navy on a respectable Footing, having learnt from the dis­astrous Events of last War, how much depends upon a proper Arrangement in that Department—

Altho the General hourly expects the Declaration of War, I cannot imagine the Minister will think it prudent to declare it, untill he has dispatched the Troops des­tined for this Place—The West Indies will be a busy Scene of Action—The General's Plan is immediately to attack the English Islands, & as his Success depends on conducting his Operations with Such Rapidity, as to hinder any Relief from being thrown in, I am almost confident that nothing will be done before the Arrival of the expected Reinforcement of Troops—

The Restitution of the Ship Seine² & her Cargo, is loudly demanded by the Court ofVersailles;—The Circumstances that attend the Capture of this Vessel, are happily disposed to occasion a Subject of reciprocal Complaint & Altercation;—England can­not restore her without Showing in an excessive Degree her Weakness; & France can­ not relinquish her Claim, & preserve her Dignity;—as, whatever might have been the real Destination of this Vessel, the General of this Island dispatched her, as by order & on Acc^t of his Majesty, as a Store Ship to Serve the Garrisons at Miquelon & S^t Domingo—The Difficulties that will present, in reconciling their various & contend­ing Claims on each Side, & the vague & wild Pretensions formed on the Part of France, to Serve as Pretexts for a War, will render the Negotiation of this Dispute very unsat­isfactory, & will force them to refer it to thelast appeal the ultima Ratio Requm—...

I herewith have the honor of inclosing you Copy of a Letter which Mr Carmichael intimates a Desire of having communicated to you;—I have by no means neglected what he so strongly recommends, in regard to the Advantages which my Situation af­fords me of precipitating a War betwixt France & England;—I have always been fully convinced of the Policy of irritating the two Nations, of affording them Matter for present Resentments, & of renewing in their Minds the Objects of their antient An­imosity;—The Attempt has not been altogether unavailing;—for the General informs me, that in a Memorial which was lately presented to the Court of Versailles by Lord Stormont, the Scenes that have been transacted in these Seas, form the most lively Subjects of Complaint—

Should France declare War against G Britain We shall have a free & full Indul­gence in her Ports; A Number of new Arrangements will be necessary, in order that our Affairs may be conducted with some Degree of Propriety & Regularity—As many Prizes will naturally be brought in here, I wish to be acquainted with the Manner by which they are to be adjudged the lawfull Property of the Captors, & what Formali­ties are to be observed, & what Process carried on, in their Condemnation;

By referring to a Letter which I had the honor of writing to you under Date of Sept^r 24 1776 you will please to observe, that I had given Encouragement to an es­tablished House here to make an Importation of Muskets;—It was accordingly affected, & the Muskets have been laying here for a considerable time past—The Want of Sufficient Funds prevented me from treating for them;—At present, I would wish to decline the Purchase; but I am afraid, I Shall be under the Necessity of taking them—they are offered at a moderate Advance on the first Cost—I should  be happy to have your opinion upon the Subject—& I have the honor to be [&c.]