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swer opens to me, and as I must, believe that in great part, a finesse, I cannot but lament that it had not been prepared by discussion.'

As the court of Spain was now become the centre of some very interesting and important intrigues, by which she was attempting to impose the project of a general pacification, under the pretended mediation of Russia only, and to substitute this project in the place of the separate and exclusive treaty, now on the point of dissolution, I felt myself justified in taking every measure which my judgment dictated, and my connec tions gave me opportunity to pursue, for bringing that event to pass, of which I apprise Lord Hillsborough in the following paragraph of my letter No. 20, viz:—

'An express from Vienna, brought to Count Kaunitz, in the evening of the 27th instant, the important particulars, relative to the mediation of his imperial majesty, jointly with the Empress of Russia. This court being at the Pardo, the Ambassador Kaunitz took the next day for communicating with Count Florida Blanca, and yesterday a courier arrived from Paris, with the instructions of that court, to Count Montmorin, on the subject.

When the minister of Spain shall deliver the sentiments of his Catholic Majesty to the imperial ambassador, which will take place on the day after to-morrow, they will probably be found conformable to those of France, of which I find Count Kaunitz is already possessed. I shall think it my duty to apprise your lordship of any particulars that may come to my knowledge, proper for your information.'

In my letter No. 21, of the 3d of February, I acquaint Lord Hillsborough that 'the answer of Spain to the proposition of the emperor's mediation was made on the day mentioned in my letter No. 20, and as I then believed it would conform to that of France, so in effect it happened, with this further circumstance, that in future reference is to be made to the Spanish ambassador, at Paris, who, in concert with the minister of France, is to speak for his court, being instructed in all cases for that purpose.'

Upon this arrangement, I observe that it is made, 'as well to soothe the jealousy of the French court, who, in their answer, glanced at the separate negotiation here carrying on with Great Britain, as for other obvious reasons.' In speaking of the emperor's proposed mediation, I explain the reason that prevailed with me for expressing my wishes in a letter, No. 8, of the 4th of August. That the good offices of the imperial court might maintain their precedency, before those of any other, and

that I am well assured it was owing to the knowledge Russia had of these overtures, made by the imperial court, that she put her propositions to the belligerent powers in terms so guarded and so general, as should not awaken any jealousy in the first proponent,' and I add, 'that I know the instructions of Monsieur de Zinowieff, the Russian ambassador, to have been so precise, on this head, so far removed from all idea of the formal overture, pretended by the Spanish minister, that I think he would hardly have been induced to deliver, in any writing, as Monsieur Simolin did in London, although it had been so desired.'

I shall obtrude upon my readers only one more extract from this letter, in which, 'I beg leave to add a word, in explanation of what I observe, at the conclusion of my letter No. 20, touching the answer made to Mr. Hussey, viz: that it were to be wished it had been preceded by a discussion; this, I said, my lord, because the answer was no sooner settled, and given to the king, than a disposition evidently took place, to have reconsidered and modified the stipulation for Gibraltar, now so glaringly inadmissible; but this, and every other observation touching our negotiation, traversed by so many unforeseen events, will, for the future, as I hope, find its course in a more general and successful channel."

I make no other comment upon the good or ill policy of laying me under those restrictions, but that I could else have prevented the transmission of that article, which gave the deathblow to my negotiation.

For this I was prepared, and after the revolution of a few days received his majesty's recall, communicated to me in the following letter:

'St. James's, 14th February, 1781.

SIR: I am sorry to find from your last letter, No. 19, and from that written from Count de Florida Blanca to Mr. Hussey, which the latter received at Lisbon, that an entire stop is put to the pleasing expectation, which had been formed from your residence in Spain. Had I been as well informed of the intentions of the Court of Madrid, when you went abroad, as I now am, you would certainly not have had the trouble and fatigue of so long a voyage and journey. There remains nothing now for me but to acquaint you that I am commanded by the king to signify to you his majesty's pleasure, that you do immediately return to England: when I say immediately, it is not intended that your departure should have the appearance of resentment, or that you should be deprived of the opportunity of expressing a just sense of the marks of civility and attention which Mr. Cumberland has received since his arrival in Madrid.

I am, with great truth and regard, sir,
Your most obedient humble servant,

I had now his majesty's commands, signified to me as above, for my return to England, and his lordship's interpretation of

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them to direct my behavior in avoiding all appearance of resentment which I did not feel, and expressing that sense of gratitude which I did feel, for the many marks of civility and attention which I had received in the person of Mr. Cumberland, since his arrival in Madrid. To these excellent rules of conduct I was prepared to pay the most correct and cheerful obedience.

For the favor of his lordship's information, that he would have spared me the trouble and fatigue of my long journey, if he had been aware that there was no occasion for my taking it, I could not but be duly thankful, and I am most sincerely sorry that nobody could be found with prescience to inform his lordship what the intentions of the court of Madrid would be for a whole year to come, nor to apprise me what my recompense would be upon the expiration of it. If such inspiration had been vouchsafed to both, I think I can guess who would have been the greater gainer of the two.

Had any kind, good-natured incendiary been so confidential. as to have told me that it was his intention to set fire to London as soon as I was well out of it; or had Count Florida Blanca had the candor to have premised that his invitation of me into Spain had no other object in view but to give me the amusement of a tour, and himself the pleasure of my company, it would, perhaps, have been very flattering to my vanity, but I don't think it would have suited my principle to have passed it off for a negotiation, and I am quite convinced it would not have suited my finances to have paid his excellency the visit, and sacrificed my fortune to the amusement of it.

It certainly would be extremely convenient if we could always see to the end of an experiment before we undertake it. I could not see to the end of the riots in London when they were reported to be so terrible, yet I predicted as truly as if I had foreseen it, and was reprimanded notwithstanding; if then I acted wrong by guessing right at the only favorable occurrence that happened whilst I was in Spain, how should I have escaped a severer reproof if I had been as successful in foretelling the many evil occurrences of that disastrous year, during the whole course of which I kept alive a treaty, which was never lost till it was taken out of my hands?

If here I seem to speak too vainly of my unsuccessful services, I have to appeal to the testimony of that great and able minister, Prince Kaunitz, who, together with his tender of the mediation of the imperial court, communicated to the British cabinet, suggests a wish that I may be included in the commission, if such shall be appointed, at the general congress;

and is pleased to give for his reason the favorable impressions. which his correspondence with Spain had given him of my conduct there in carrying on a very arduous business, which many circumstances contributed to embarrass. This I should never have had the gratification to know had it not been communicated to me by a friend after my return to England, who, concluding I had been informed of it, was complimenting me upon it. Thus I went abroad to find friendship and protection, and came home to meet injustice and oppression.

If the following fact, which is correctly true, and which I now for the first time make public, shall prove that those whom I could not put at peace with my country, were yet at perfect peace with me, I hope I shall not be suspected of having overstrained the privilege allowed me by my letter of recall, and carried my complaisance too far upon my farewell visit to the Spanish minister at the Pardo. I certainly harbored no resentment in my heart, and having free leave to avoid the appearance of it, had no object but to express, as well as I was able, the grateful sense I entertained of the many favors which the king and court of Spain had condescended to bestow upon me and mine. In replying to these acknowledgments, so justly due, Count Florida Blanca, assuming an air of more than ordinary gravity, and delivering himself slowly and distinctly, as one who wishes that a word should not be lost, addressed the following speech to me, which, according to my invariable practice, I wrote down and rendered into English in my entry book, whilst it was yet fresh in my memory; and from that record I have transcribed not only this, but every other speech that I have given as authentic in these Memoirs:

'Sir, the king my sovereign has been entirely satisfied with every part of your conduct during the time you have resided amongst us. His majesty is convinced that you have done your duty to your own court, and exerted yourself with sincere good will to promote that pacification, which circumstances out of your reach to foresee, or to control, seem for the present to have suspended. And now, sir, you will be pleased to take in good part what I have to say to you with regard to your claims for indemnification on the score of your expenses, in which I have reason to apprehend you will find yourself abandoned and deceived by your employers. I have it therefore in command to tell you, that the king my sovereign has taken this into his gracious consideration, and tenders to you through me full and ample compensation for all expenses which you have incurred. by your coming into Spain; being unwilling that a gentleman, who has resorted to his court, and put himself under his im

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mediate protection, without a public character, honestly endeavoring to promote the mutual good and benefit of both countries, should suffer, as you surely will do, if you withstand the offer, which I have now the honor to make known to you.'

What I said in answer to this generous, but inadmissible offer, I shall make no parade of; it is enough to say that I did not accept a single dollar from the King of Spain, or any in authority under him, which, as far as a negative can be proved, was made clear, when upon my journey homewards my bills were stopped, and my credit so completely bankrupt, that I might have gone to prison at Bayonne, if I had not borrowed five hundred pounds of my friendly fellow-traveller Marchetti, which enabled me to pay my way through France and reach my own country.

How it came to pass that my circumstances should be so well known to Count Florida Blanca is easily accounted for, when the dishonoring of my bills by Mr. Devisme at Lisbon, through whose hands the Spanish banker passed them, was notorious to more than half Madrid, and could not be unknown to the minister. The fact is, that I had come into Spain without any other security than the good faith of government, upon promise, pledged to me through Mr. Robinson, secretary of the treasury, that all bills drawn by me upon my banker in Pall Mall, should be instantly replaced to my credit, upon my accompanying them with a letter of advice to the said secretary Robinson. This letter of advice I regularly attached to every draft I made upon Messrs. Crofts, Devaynes and Co., but from the day that I left London to the day that I returned to it, including a period of fourteen months, not a single shilling was replaced to my account with my bankers, who persisted in advancing to my occasions with a liberality and confidence in my honor, that I must ever reflect upon with the warmest gratitude. If I was improvident in relying upon these assurances, they who made them were inexcusable in breaking them, and betraying me into unmerited distress. I solemnly aver that I had the positive pledge of treasury through Mr. Robinson for replacing every draft I should make upon my banker, and a very large sum was named, as applicable at my discretion, if the service should require it. I could explain this further, but I forbear. I had one thousand pounds advanced to me upon setting out; my private credit supplied every farthing beyond that; for the truth of which I need only to refer the reader to the fol lowing letter: