The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution, Vol. 12
History
The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution, Vol. 12
United States -- Foreign relations -- 1775-1783; United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Sources
I do myself the honor to enclose the copy of a paper transmitted to me
by the Governor of Virginia. The clothing there mentioned is a part of
those supplies for the State of Virginia, which the Court of France
have charged to the United States. You will recollect the discussions
on the subject. It is with a very sincere desire to remove every
disagreeable trace of them, that I have agreed to a proposition made
me by the Governor of Virginia, in his letter dated in Council Chamber
on the 23d of September last, of which the following is an extract.
"The regulations you have entered into for clothing the continental
army will render useless to the State a quantity of necessaries now in
France, furnished by his Most Christian Majesty; as the terms we have
them on, which I have before transmitted to you, are such as will make
the payment easy to the United States, we shall be obliged to you to
take them off our hands, and take the debt so far as they go to the
States. You will have a copy of the invoice enclosed, by which you
will see, that they will be useful and necessary for the army, which
will, I hope, induce you to oblige the State." The enclosed referred
to, is that above mentioned. I make no doubt, that the Court will
choose to consider the whole of these supplies as advanced on the
credit of the United States. And therefore there is so much the less
objection to taking a part of the goods. As for the remainder, I think
it better for Congress to adjust the matter with Virginia than to
plague the King's Ministers with altercations about it.
I am, Sir, your most obedient and humble servant,
ROBERT MORRIS.
* * * * *
TO THE GOVERNOR OF CUBA.
Philadelphia, November 27th, 1782.
Sir,
I do myself the honor to present to you Mr John Brown of this city,
whom I have charged on the part of the United States with the
negotiation of bills at your port, to the amount of two hundred
thousand dollars. These bills will be drawn on Messrs J. L. & L. Le
Couteulx & Co. at Cadiz. I have already taken the proper measures for
placing in their hands the necessary funds. I presume that the actual
state of things will render it as convenient (either to your
Excellency on the part of the King, or to the merchants) to purchase
bills, as it will be to the United States to sell them. The risk which
attends sending of money to Europe, will probably have raised the
exchange so considerably, as to compensate the risk of bringing it
hither. This, I confess, is the principal reason with me for adopting
this measure.
I shall highly esteem any favorable assistance, which your Excellency
may be pleased to afford Mr Brown on this occasion; and I persuade
myself that the intimate connexion of interests between his Catholic
Majesty and my Sovereign during the continuance of hostilities against
the common enemy, will be a strong inducement with you to promote the
service of the United States.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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