ves obliged, by your Excellency's
putting it in my power to convey to them exact details of any
complaints against their officers.

"I have the honor to be, &c.

JOHN JAY."

Much reason has been given me to believe, that the hard proceedings
against Captain Hill were not justifiable, and the Minister's
declining to furnish me with a state of the facts supposed to be
alleged against him speaks the same language. What intelligence the
Count may have respecting this misconduct of any other of our armed
vessels, I know not, nor have I heard any other insinuations of that
kind, except what are contained in his note.

The Count omitted to take any notice of my last letter on this
subject, and it was not before the 26th of November, that the matter
was determined by the order alluded to in the following polite
letter.

Translation.

"My Dear Sir,

"From respect to your Excellency and to the American Congress, the
King has determined that Captain Hill, on satisfying, or giving
security to satisfy, the damage he has done to one of our vessels, on
account of which he is detained, shall be at liberty to return to his
country when he pleases. For this purpose I communicate the enclosed
order to the Corregidor of Bilboa, and repeating myself to be at the
service of your Excellency, I pray God to preserve you many years.

COUNT DE FLORIDA BLANCA."

The next day I sent the Count some American papers, which had just
come to hand, and enclosed them with a card, in which there was this
paragraph.

"Mr Jay has received the letter, which his Excellency did him the
honor to write yesterday by M. Gardoqui, and is greatly obliged by the
permission granted to Captain Hill to depart, as well as by the polite
terms in which that circumstance is communicated to Mr Jay."

As further remonstrance on this subject would have been useless, I
thought it best to appear satisfied, and not, by any expressions of
discontent, to hazard new obstacles to the attainment of our more
important objects.

I must now return to the old subject. Although the Count had been some
weeks at the Escurial, and I had in vain waited with great patience
for the letter, which the Minister had promised to write to me on
leaving St Ildefonso, yet as many bills would become payable in
December, and I was unprovided with fund