they cannot
immediately make a diversion in our favor, they would give a subsidy
sufficient to enable us to continue the war without them, or afford
the States their advice and influence in making a good peace.

Our present demand, to enable us to fulfil your orders, is for about
eight millions of livres. Couriers, we understand, are despatched with
this memorial to Madrid by both the ambassador of Spain and the
minister here; and we are desired to wait with patience the answer, as
the two Courts must act together. In the meantime, they give us fresh
assurances of their good will to our cause, and we have just received
a fourth sum of five hundred thousand livres. But we are continually
charged to keep the aids, that are, or may be afforded us, a dead
secret, even from the Congress, where they suppose England has some
intelligence; and they wish she may have no certain proofs to produce
against them, with the other powers of Europe. The apparent necessity
of your being informed of the true state of your affairs, obliges us
to dispense with this injunction; but we entreat that the greatest
care may be taken that no part of it shall transpire; nor of the
assurances we have received, that no repayment will ever be required
from us, of what has been already given us, either in money or
military stores. The great desire here seems to be, that England
should strike first, and not be able to give her allies a good reason.

The total failure of remittances from you, for a long time past, has
embarrassed us exceedingly; the contracts we entered into for clothing
and arms, in expectation of those remittances, and which are now
beginning to call for payment, distress us much, and we are in
imminent danger of bankruptcy; for all your agents are in the same
situation, and they all recur to us to save their and your credit. We
were obliged to discharge a debt of Myrtle's, at Bordeaux, amounting
to about five thousand livres, to get that vessel away, and he now
duns us at every post for between four and five thousand pounds
sterling, to disengage him in Holland, where he has purchased arms for
you. With the same view of saving your credit, Mr Ross was furnished
with twenty thousand pounds sterling, to disentangle him. All the
captains of your armed vessels come to us for their supplies, and we
have not received a farthing of the produce of their prizes, as they
are ordered into other hands. Mr Hodge has had large sums of us.

But t