[Extract]
N^o. 175
My Lord

Before I went to Versailles I carefully perused the different Papers transmitted to me in your Lordships Dispatch N° 70, and made an Extract of such Parts of Governor Morris's Letters as I thought it would be proper to communicate to M de Vergennes; and in order to avoid the possibility of any Personal Discussions between Governor Morris, and M de Bouille, and at the Same Time to guard Against the Danger of a Discovery of the Channels thro' which Mr Morris receives His Intelligence, I entitled this Extract Authentic Advices from Martinico, and in my Conversations with the french Ministers gave no Intimation of the Channel thro' which the Intelligence comes but spoke of it as certain

The Spanish Ambassador who happened to go in before me had a Conference with M de Vergennes of an hour and a Quarter: to shew Him that I had remarked it, I began mine with saying, that He was destined to long Conferences that Day, and that I was very sorry to have a great deal to say to Him and always upon the same very unpleasant Subjects. He answered, as He often does, that He was there to Hear. and I went on with observing to Him, that the fraudulent Practice of Purchasing Prizes made by the Rebels still continued, and was a great detriment to many of His Majesty's Loyal Subjects, who had given in a Petition upon this occasion, which Petition was signed by no less than a hundred considerable Merchants, all sufferers by a Practice which was contrary to all friendship, all Justice, and which would not be tolerated in open War. Were we Sir in a state of Actual War with France, you would not suffer the Prizes made upon us by your own Subjects to be disposed of till they were legally condemned, and now, Frenchmen go out to sea to meet the American Pirates, purchase from them the English Ships they have taken, carry these Ships into some french Port, new paint them and make them pass for french Vessels. There are several Such Ships Sir at this Moment in the River of Nantes as I know from a Person lately come from thence, of two of them, which I claim as is my Duty, I know the Names, one is called la Mignonne, which I have already spoke to you about, the other Le Duc de Chartres. M de Vergenne's answer was the Same as usual; that these were abuses which the government did not tolerate, but could not totally prevent, tho' every means was taken to prevent them: that the immense gain got by such Purchases was such a Temptation, as made Men ingenious to find out means of eluding the Orders that had been given; and that I must be sensible how difficult it was to prevent purchases that were made out at Sea. I replied that there were many Marks of Evident collusion; that the American Pirates made Signs when they came near the Coast of France, and People went out in Boats to meet them; that these Ships were carried into french Ports, where they could not but be known; That Workmen were openly employed to paint and disfigure them; and that in a Word it was utterly impossible the Commanders in their different Ports should not see what was seen by everybody else, unless they wilfully shut their Eyes. He promised that the Matter should be inquired into, and at his desire I gave Him a Note of the two Ships, and likewise of the Privateer the Independance, Captain Young, that is still at Nantes and of the Dolphin Captain Nicholson that is at Painbouf, and serves there as a sort of Guardship. She has 70 Men on board, and several officers destined for a new French ship of 24 Guns, built for the use of the Rebels several of these 70 Men are English Sailors who tried to get away, and having got to Nantes, were, as my Informer assured me, put into the Town Prison at Nicholsons Request. (It is however possible My Lord that they had been guilty of some Irregularity, and that that was made the Pretence for their Confinement.)

After having dwelt upon all these particulars, and represented them in their true Light. I told M de Vergennes that serious as these Grievances were, they were far short of what passed at Martinico, I then took my Paper out of my Pocket—and when I gave it to M de Vergennes said that it would shew Him M de Bouilles' Conduct, as it really was, and begged Him to peruse it with Attention, and then tell me whether all this resembles Peace; or War. I said this decently, but strongly. He seemed Struck, took the Paper read it with great Attention, and when He saw the Number of Privateers fitted out by Prejean, He exclaimed why this is a Fleet! and after reading the whole, He said, Je vous avoue Milord que les Bras me tombent, and that it is impossible for me to reconcile these Advices, which you assure me are Authentic, with M de Bouilles' own accounts: He expresly says, that He has been careful to correct the abuses tolerated, or at least winked at by His Predecessor, and adds, that He is upon very good Terms with your Governors, and Admiral, and sends us copies of his correspondence with them. I told M de Vergennes that I had Intelligence, which accounted for all this, but ac counted for it in a very disagreeable Manner: our Intelligence, which I pretend not to warrant, says, that M de Bouille has declared, that He has lately received Orders from His Court, to give every countenance and Protection to the Americans and that all He does, or suffers to be done is in consequence of these fresh Instructions. M de Vergennes assured me upon his Honour, that if M de Bouille had said this, He said the Thing that was not, and that He had received no such Instructions. My Answer was, that I did not give this Part of my Intelligence as certain, and therefore had not inserted it in the Paper, not chusing to mix suppositions with undoubted positive Facts. It is Facts Sir we look to, it is by them alone that Nations are to Judge; Your Governor suffers these Privateers to be fitted out against us; He authorizes this Prejean to make War against the Subjects of Great Britain, and that for the Absurdest of all Reasons, because He was born in Arcadia.—M de Vergennes readily admitted the Absurdity of this Reasoning—After what you have told me Sir, I cannot possibly believe that M de Bouille is Authorized to act as He does, but I repeat, it is to His Actions alone that we can look. They are such as are totally inconsistent with every Idea of friendship and Peace. In my apprehension of things Martinico is making war against Great Britain, The fitting out Cruizers is an Act of direct Hostility, it is an Act permitted by the Governor, that is, by the Delegate of your sovereign. If After these Representations the abuse continues, the inference must be, that if the Governor has not secret Instructions to bear Him out, He has at least the secret approbation of his Court. M de Vergennes did not contravert my Arguments, but said with a forced smile, that unless M de Bouille had made Himself King of Martinico, his conduct would change, as nothing could be more contrary to the King His Masters Intentions, and Orders, than to suffer or countenance such unwarrantable proceedings. He ended with saying, you no doubt will go to M de Maurepas pray take the Paper with you (You will be so good as to return it me) and shew it to Him, He reads English as well as I do, and will be as much struck as I am. I took His advice, went to M de Maurepas as I intended, found Him alone, and After some short Conversation upon the same Topics I had dwelt upon with M de Vergennes, I gave Him the Paper. He read it with Attention, and I saw understood it perfectly, repeated what M de Vergennes had said of M de Bouilles correspondence, and assured me positively that He had no fresh Instructions

I observed to His Excellency, that I should not enter into the Motives or Reasons of M de Bouilles' conduct, that it was probable He thought he was acting agreeably to the secret wishes of his Court, but whether he is mistaken or not, a little Time will shew; if you do not approve his Conduct, you will force a change, if that change does not come, we must infer, your secret approbation. You hate long Reasoning Sir, and I will be very short: I will say but this, If these Acts of Hostility, carried on against us at Martinico, are suffered to continue, Your Excellency and I are giving ourselves a great deal of unnecessary Trouble in endeavouring to keep Matters quiet here, vous savez aussi bien que moi M le Comte, que si le Feu s'allume aux Extremites il gagnera bientot le Centre. He did not dispute this, but assured me that the Matter should be inquired into, and ended with saying, that that fellow Prejean must be removed. ... Iam [&c.]

P.S. . . .