[Extract]

I have received, Sir, your letter No. 261 which you took the trouble to send me on the tenth of this month.

The King saw with pleasure, Sir, the suppression of the clause concerning our fishing rights on the coast of Newfoundland which was inserted in the Bill restricting fishing for the inhabitants of New England. His Majesty approved the indirect means to which you resorted in order to obtain the said suppression all the more because this matter would not have justified a ministerial action on our part. The courtesy displayed by the British Ministers on this occasion is another proof of the sincerity of their conciliatory feelings and their desire to avoid any cause for the smallest argument between the two courts; for this reason, we entertain no doubts whatsoever regarding them, and, for our part, we are certain that His British Majesty is convinced that our intentions correspond perfectly with His. . . .

It seems, Sir, that there is much concern with regard to the ships being commissioned in Spain. If the British ministers speak to you about this, you will assure them, as if you were speaking for yourself, that these ships now being commissioned are part of the design with regard to the King of Morocco. They will easily be convinced of it if they consider the small number of ships that one intends to put to sea.