' votres. La France est assez peuplée de gens de guerre pour en user ainsi avec l'Angle

6 terre.

'J'ai l'honneur d'être,

'Avec autant d'estime que respect,

FROM THE SAME.

'Martinique, Mars 12, 1781.

Les François qui sont de retour à la Martinique, et qui ont éprouvé et partagé les mal'heurs de St. Eustache, m'ont assuré avoir 'été traités avec moins de rigueur que les 'autres habitans de cette isle.'

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'TO THE MARQUIS DE BOuille'.

'St. Eustatius, March 23rd, 1781.

I have received the honour of your Excellency's letters, and am sorry to find that a man of such high rank and character as the Marquis de Bouillé should descend so far as, from an intelligence which he himself 'confesses came to him in an indirect way, 6 to use menaces.

'British Admirals neither fear, nor use 'threats. They are responsible for their ac'tions to none but their sovereign and their country, and were never known to insult an open and declared enemy. Such have been ever treated with respect and humanity.

6

'Perfidious people, wearing the mask of friendship, traitors to their country, and ' rebels to their king, deserve no consideration or favour, and none shall they ever meet ' with at my hands.

'I must again repeat to your Excellency, ' what I had the honour to communicate to you on my first arrival in these seas, that I 'can no longer permit private flags of truce

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'to pass between the King my master's

islands, and those of the French.

The

' communication I am determined to prevent,

and I have given orders to all my cruisers 'to seize and detain all flags of truce but such

as General Vaughan and myself may be "honoured with from your Excellency, or 'such as we may have the honour to send you, without exception, whether English or 'French.'

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6

6

'FROM THE MARQUIS DE BOUILLE'*.

Martinique, March, 1781.

I am satisfied that a British Admiral and French General ought to be responsible only to their king and country. To both I 'owe reprisals; and cruel as it may be to have 6 recourse to them, you set the example at 'St. Eustatius, and I shall pursue it.

"Your Excellency no doubt forgot that you were writing to a French General, who, from

* The Editor has to regret that he has been unable to obtain a copy of this letter in its original language.

the events of the war, has been for some 'time in the habit of despising insolence. I had the honour to write to your Excellency that I would not exchange any more prisoners. They shall all, without exception, 'be sent to France.

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I repeat once more, that you may act as you please towards our flags of truce. To quiet your apprehensions on that score, I ⚫ shall send no more, In future the interpre

'ters of our sentiments shall be our cannon.

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By those means we shall avoid all political disputes, so fastidious and disgusting in themselves, and which are more in the de'partment of ambassadors than of soldiers.'

TO PHILIP STEPHENS, ESQ.

St. Eustatius, March 26th, 1781.

'I must desire you will acquaint their Lord

6

ships that Captain Cadogan, in his Majesty's

ship Licorne, with the trade for Jamaica, has

'sailed, and that Martinique continues to be

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Majesty's ships, under the command of Rear-Admiral Sir Samuel Hood.

'A circumstance which I think it highly necessary their Lordships should be acquainted with, has lately come to my ears, ' and which will prove the rancour the people settled in this island, and who called them'selves English subjects (though they lost 'the noble privilege annexed thereto when they became Dutch burghers), bore to their 'mother country.

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'It was well known that his Majesty's fleet employed in these seas, where the wear and 'tear is much more considerable than in the

6

European, have frequently been in want of all sorts of cordage, more especially since 'the late hurricane, and the storm of wind 'the squadron under my command encoun'tered on its leaving the coast of America.

The distressed situation of the fleet under my command obliged me to give orders to the storekeeper of his Majesty's yard at Antigua to purchase cordage to refit them; and although by himself and his deputies every endeavour was made to purchase some at St. Eustatius, such was the ill-will of the