the
Minister promised me that the cutter should be immediately appraised,
and the value paid to the captors, one of whom afterwards came here,
and after waiting two or three months returned to Cadiz, without
having received any other money than what I gave him to purchase his
daily bread.

As the Minister could not see me on Saturday evening, it was not till
Monday evening the 10th of December that I had an opportunity to
converse with him.

He began the conversation by observing, that I had been very
unfortunate, and had much reason to complain of delays, but that they
had been unavoidable. That M. Del Campo had been appointed near three
months ago to treat and confer with me; that shortly after the Court
removed from St Ildefonso that gentleman's health began to decline;
and that his indisposition had hitherto prevented his attending to
that or any other business, but that he hoped by the time the Court
should return from Aranjues (to which the King was then about to make
a little excursion) he would be able to proceed on it, and that he
should have the necessary instructions for the purpose.

I told the Count, that these delays had given me great concern, and
that I was very solicitous to be enabled to give Congress some
positive and explicit information, on the business alluded to. He
replied, that I must now confer on those subjects with M. Del Campo,
for that for his part his time and attention were so constantly
engaged by other matters, that he could not possibly attend to this,
especially while at Madrid, when he always enjoyed much less leisure
than at the Sitios. He then proceeded to congratulate me on our late
successes in Virginia; he assured me, that the King rejoiced sincerely
in those events, and that he himself was happy to see our affairs
assume so promising an aspect. I was about to descend to particulars,
and to remind the Count of the various memorials, &c. which still
remained to be considered and despatched, when he mentioned he was
engaged for the rest of the evening in pressing affairs. This
intimation put an end to the conference.

It is somewhat singular, that M. Del Campo should have been appointed
near three months past to treat and confer with me, and yet I should
be left all that time without any information of it. It shows, that
the King is ready to do what may depend upon him, but that his
Ministers find it convenient to interpose delays without necessity,
and without even the appe