Sir
By your Letter of the 16th Instant I see that you are surprised that the Englishmen which are fled to this town for refuge have taken the Oath of allegiance, and I am Sorry that you should be so easily astonished.1
The Oath is Voluntary and momentaneous, one of its conditions being that they shall be at liberty to disengage themselves as soon as their personal Interest calls them out of this province.
If you have perceived some motions of precautions in this place, you might have thought that as there are two parties of enemies in it which have an inveterate hatred against each other,2 I ought to take the necessary measures to secure the interior good order & tranquility of an Asilum which ought to be respected as being under the Dominion of my Sovereign, of Course you will give me leave to repeat to you that you have Nothing to see in the precautions which I take; & that I have no reason to be afraid of you, & that consequently, tho' the occasion is trifling, your question to know whether myself and my people are Alarmed to see two Men of War before this town is superfluous & very offensive be assured that we can see very clearly; and that there is a great differance between Men of War as you call them & Sloops of War3 which they realy are and that I neither ought nor chuse to answer to the question regarding the Alarm which they may give, Our respective Courts are in such perfect harmony that it is impossible for me to give you any Explication of the Sensation your two Vessels cause me, therefore you may uttergo for the present in this uncertainty, or wait for the opportunity (if you think it may present itsself) being assured that your Vessels cause me neither Allarm nor uneasiness.
You say that if you were come as an Enemy to spain that you would not have remained so quiet & peaceable; give me leave to Ask you if you can persuade yourself that I would have remained inactive if I had been of that oppinion.
finaly you mention that the late damages which the Subjects of his Britannic Majesty have received have been with my assistance; If you have been informed So who has made such a Supposition has not told the truth and your listning to, & believing such falcities with so much readiness will perhaps lead us by Degrees to the extremity of acting the one & the other, Contrary to the Intentions of our Courts. I may perhaps be the most Sorry for it tho' I am resolved not to disuade you from a Willfull Error, if you do not take the first step towards it, in letting me know which is the Said assistance, & being sincerely willing to veryfy a mistake which is of great consequence to us both. Votre tres affectiouni Sevr.
Le 21st April 1778
