From John Jay to Floridablanca, 28 June 1780
To Floridablanca
[Madrid 28 June 1780—]1
Mr. Jay presents his respectful Compliments to his Excellency the Count D’Florida Blanca. & has the Honor of informing him that he has been called upon to accept Bills to the Amount of between ten and eleven thousand Dollars. That the far greater Part of them belong to Messrs. Joyce2 of this City, who have agreed to wait for an answer until Monday next.
Mr. Jay exceedingly regrets his being obliged to give his Excellency so much Trouble; but still flatters himself, that when his Excellency considers that it is his Duty which imposes that Necessity upon him, that his Goodness will excuse it—3
AD, with Spanish translation, SpMaAHN: Estado, leg. 3884, exp. 4, doc. 54 (EJ: 12136). C embedded in JJ to the President of Congress, 6 Nov. 1780, below, LbkCs, DNA: PCC, item 110, 1: 230 (EJ: 4123); NNC: JJ Lbk. 1; CSmH.
1. JJ forwarded this letter to William Carmichael and asked him to read, seal, and deliver it. JJ to Carmichael, 28 June, Dft, NNC (EJ: 7653).
2. In a letter of 28 June, Dft, NNC (EJ: 8254), JJ informed Messrs. Patrick Joyce and Sons, a Madrid firm considered anti-American in sentiment (see JJ to Robert Morris, 28 May 1780, Dft, NNC [EJ: 9319]), that he had sent an express to Aranjuez to determine whether he would be allowed to accept the bills, and that he could not respond until he heard from Floridablanca. To compensate the firm for any time lost, JJ agreed to compute the six-month term after which payment would be due from the present date rather than from the date on which he might accept the bills. These bills and bills presented by Francisco Cabarrús were among the first groups of bills to appear of the £100,000 drawn on JJ at the end of 1779. See the letter from the Committee for Foreign Affairs to JJ, 11 Dec. 1779, above; Cabarrús to JJ, 19 June, ALS, NNC (EJ: 8260); JJ to Carmichael, 19 June, Dft, NNC (EJ: 7650); and JJ to Cabarrús, 20 June, Dft, NNC (EJ: 8259).
3. Floridablanca wrote JJ on 29 June, below, that he would have to consult with the king and his ministers before authorizing payment. On 3 July the minister inquired when the bills would become payable. On 4 July, JJ replied that they would be payable six months after 28 June, and that two other bills, each for $333, were payable six months from the first of June. Floridablanca then informed JJ he would meet with him the following evening. See Notes on John Jay’s Conference with Floridablanca, 5 July, below; Floridablanca to JJ, 3 July, below, and 4 July, AL, NNC (EJ: 8251); and JJ to Floridablanca, 4 July, AL, SpMaAHN: Estado, leg. 3884, exp. 4, doc. 59 (EJ: 12140).
The Joyce bills were soon followed by bills amounting to $1,665 presented by Don Carlos Maria Maraci. Messrs. Patrick Joyce and Sons indicated that they were willing to accept payment at Bilboa, if the house that would pay the bills was specified on the acceptance. Floridablanca refused to indicate immediately either which house would pay the bills or whether he would permit JJ to accept Maraci’s bills. Although they continued to press JJ, both parties agreed to give him more time. See JJ to the President of Congress, 6 Nov., below; Floridablanca to JJ, 29 June, RC, in French, with English translation, NNC (EJ: 8253); Floridablanca to JJ, 12 July, RC, in French, with English translation, NNC (EJ: 8250); JJ to Carmichael, 22 and 29 July, Dfts, NNC (EJ: 7655, 7657).
On 11 Aug., JJ notified Floridablanca that more bills amounting to $6,600 had been presented. Floridablanca replied the next day that he was “mortified” not to be able to answer, as he was still awaiting the arrival of a previously mentioned unidentified person. On 17 Aug., JJ informed Floridablanca that the holders of the bills had begun to grow impatient and forwarded him a letter from Messrs. Patrick Joyce and Sons. He followed this with an even more urgent letter to the minister on 18 Aug., below (see also the editorial note “John Jay’s Conference with Floridablanca” on p. 97). On 27 Aug., with the situation still unresolved, JJ conferred with Montmorin about the course to be adopted. See Notes on John Jay’s Conference with Montmorin, 27 Aug., and Notes on John Jay’s Conference with Floridablanca, 8 Nov., below; Floridablanca to JJ, 4 July, AL, NNC (EJ: 8251); JJ to the President of Congress, 6 Nov., below; and JJ to Floridablanca, 11, 16, and 18 Aug., below, and 17 Aug., AL, SpMaAHN: Estado, leg. 3884, exp. 4, doc. 68 (EJ: 12148).