and Holland, and all the Powers of Europe. The outrages committed upon the Dutch commerce, and the insults offered to their flag, ought to be, and are, alarming to all the maritime Powers. The late successes of the English will have no tendency to allay the fears of these Powers; on the contrary they will increase the alarm, by showing the precarious situation they will all be in if England should finally succeed, which some of them may perhaps apprehend from the late brilliant fortune of Admiral Rodney.

One cannot but be struck with the rapid series of fortunate incidents for the English, which have been published here in about the course of three months, that I have been in Europe. The little affair of Omoa began it; the repulse at Savannah succeeded, with all its consequences, the Curaçoa fleet was next; Langara's fleet soon followed; Gibraltar was relieved; Don Gastons's squadron was dispersed by a storm; and Admiral Rodney had opportunity to get safe out of Gibraltar. The French East India fleet brings up the rear. There is hardly in history such a series of events, that no human wisdom could provide against or foresee. Yet after all, the advantages gained are by no means decisive, although no doubt it will raise the ambition of the English, and in some degree damp the ardor of their enemies.

It must not have this effect, however, upon America. Let the maritime Powers fare as they will, we must be free, and I trust in God we shall be so, whatever be their fate. The events of war are uncertain at sea, more than even by land; but America has resources for the final defence of her liberty which Britain will never be able to exhaust, though she should exhaust France and Spain, and it may not impossibly be our hard fate, but it will be our unfading glory finally to turn the scale of the war, to humble the pride, which is so terrible to the commercial nations of Europe, and to produce a balance of power on the seas. To this end Americans must be soldiers and seamen.

It is proper, however, to keep constantly in sight the Power against which we have to contend; the English have in all the ports of England, in a condition for actual service, or at least given out and reported to be so, twenty ships-of-the-line. In the course of the spring and the month of June, eight others which are now repairing, and three new ones in the course of the year. The whole squadron for the channel will be thirty-one. The squadron of Arbuthnot, at

New York, consists of five. That of Jarvis at the Western Islands is two, including the Dublin, which was detached from Admiral Rodney, and is now in bad condition at Lisbon. One only at Jamaica, for the Lion is too far ruined to be counted. The fleet at the other islands, joined by the Hector, detached from Rodney, the Triumph and the Intrepid, lately sailed from England, are nineteen, seven of which at least are in too bad a condition for actual service. That of India, including two of which serve for convoys, consists of ten, two of which, however, are returning to be repaired or condemned; the Lenox is a guard-ship in Ireland.

Rodney entered Gibraltar with four Spanish ships-of-the-line, the Phoenix of eighty guns, the Monarca, the Princessa, and the Diligente of seventy, besides the Guipuscoa, now the Prince William, of sixty-five, which he took with the convoy on the 8th of January. He entered, also, with the Shrewsbury of seventy-four, which joined from Lisbon. His squadron must therefore have consisted of twentyfour ships-of-the-line. If he left the Panther and another at Gibraltar, he must have gone out with twenty-two. Whether he has gone with the whole fleet to the West Indies, or whether with part of it, and what part, is yet undetermined by the public.

France and Spain, however, have a vast superiority still remaining, which, if it should be ably managed, will easily humble the English; but if it should be unwisely managed, or continue to be as unfortunate as it has been from the moment of the Count d'Estaing's sailing from Toulon, it will even in this case last long enough to consume and exhaust their enemies.

I have the honor to enclose the Mercure de France of the 11th of March, the Hague Gazette of the 6th and 8th, the Amsterdam Gazette of the 7th, and the Leyden of the 7th.

I have to acknowledge the receipt of three excellent letters, one of

* Mr. Jennings was an American, and although he resided in London during the war, he was a warm friend to the cause of his country.

VOL. II.-42

This fleet seems to have been met at sea by the Admiral by perfect accident, of which the English do not appear to have had the least hope, nor the Spaniards the smallest fear. It must, therefore, be allowed to be one instance of the good fortune of the English Ministry and their Admiral, or rather as it is reported, of the King and his Admiral.

Their good fortune, however, did not end here, for eight days afterwards, on the 16th of January, they fell in with Don Juan de Langura, with eleven vessels-of-the-line, who being so much inferior, could not hope for a victory. He fought the English, however, upon the retreat with so much bravery, skill, and success, that they were able to take only three of his ships. The Phoenix, of eighty guns, and the Princessa, and Diligent, of seventy-four, were taken and the San Domingo blown up. The S. Genero, the S. Justo, and the Monarcha, having separated before the battle, and the S. Juliano, the S. Eugenio, the S. Augustine, and S. Lorenzo, having since arrived in Cadiz, although in a bad condition.

Thus the English have been permitted, against probabilities and appearances, to throw succor into Gibraltar, and perhaps Mahon, to give a little fresh confidence to the Ministry, and make a few bonfires for the populace, but have added very little to their riches or their power. In the mean time, Rodney must have been retarded by these unlucky accidents in his course to the West Indies, and given opportunity to the Count de Guichen to arrive before him in the West Indies, and prevent the reconquest of the Grenadas, and perhaps do more; but of this Congress will be informed sooner than I.

These successes have not suppressed the independent spirit of Ireland, which is going on in a regular train, deliberating upon bills for the independence of the judges, the habeas corpus, the restriction of subsidies, and discipline of their troops; and they seem determined to throw off all the authority of the British Parliament; nor that of the Committees of Correspondence and petitioners in the counties of England which threaten associations, and, as the Ministry themselves say, sedition, faction, tumults, and rebellion; nor provided a fleet for the British channel for the ensuing summer, nor assuaged the serious resentment of Holland for the piracies committed in violation of the faith of treaties, as well as the laws of nature and nations, upon their commerce. As it is most interesting to us to

know the forces to be employed in America, by which word I comprehend the West India Islands, as well as the coasts of the Continent, all these being connected together in such a manner as to make but one whole, I beg leave to lay before Congress in one view the French force that is intended to be in that service.

There are actually at Cape François, the Tonant, of eighty-four guns; the Robuste and the Fendant, of seventy-four; the Sphinx, of sixty-four; and the Amphion, of fifty; in all, five. At Martinique, the Admirable, the Magnifique, the Dauphin Royal, and the Diadème, of seventy-four; the Réfléchi, the Vengeur, the Artisane, of sixty-four; and the Fiers, of fifty. In all eight, making in the whole thirteen ships-of-the-line, reckoning as such two fiftys. If the Count de Guichen should, happily, arrive, he has seventeen, which will amount to the number of thirty, besides frigates. Six others are preparing at Brest with all possible expedition, under the command of M. de Ternay. The Duc de Burgone, of eighty guns; the Neptune, of seventy-four, M. Destouches; the Magnanime, of seventy-four, M. de Vaudreuil; the Eveille, of sixty-four, M. de Trobuiand; the Jason, of sixty-four, M. de Marigny. With this fleet the troops are to be embarked; and there are many conjectures that it is intended for North America. The Languedoc, the Cæsar, the Provence, and the Fantasque, of the fleet of the Count d'Estaing, are careened and refitted, and the Royal Louis, of one hundred and ten guns, the Northumberland, and the Astrea, are to be launched immediately.

In the course of my perigrinations at Brest, L'Orient, and Ferrol, I have had an opportunity to see most of these ships, and to be on board many of them, and one would think there was force enough to protect us, and quiet our fears; but the battle is not always to the strong, and we must wait patiently for time to decide events.

I have the honor to be, &c.,

Dear Sir,

JOHN ADAMS.

TO SAMUEL ADAMS.

Paris, March 4th, 1780.

This will be delivered to you by Mr. Izard, who goes out in the

Alliance, with Mr. Lee, Mr. Wharton, Mr. Brown, and others. He will wait on you, of course, and will be able to give you good information concerning the intentions of the English, and their military preparations by sea and land, and those of the French and Spaniards at the same time. He will also give his opinion very freely concerning American and other characters here, as well as

measures.

In many things his opinions may be just, but in some, and those not a few, I am sure they are wrong. The great principle, in which I have differed from him, is this: in the mode of treating with this Court. He has been always of opinion that it was good policy and necessary to hold a high language to this Court; to represent to them the danger of our being subdued, if they did not do this and the other thing for us, in order to obtain money and other aids from them. He is confident they would not have dared to refuse any thing.

Although no man in America, or in the world, was earlier convinced than I was that it was the interest of France and Spain to support the independence of America, and that they would support it, and that no man is more sensible than I am of the necessity they are under to support us, yet I am not, nor ever was, of opinion, that we could with truth or with good policy assume the style of menace, and threaten them with returning again to Great Britain, and joining against France and Spain, even telling them that we should be subdued, because I never believed this myself, and the Court here would not have believed it from us. The Court have many difficul ties to manage, as well as we, and it is delicate and hazardous to push things in this country. Things are not to be negociated here as they are with the people of America, even with the Tories in America, or as with the people of England. There is a frankness, however, that ought to be used with the Ministry, and a candor with which the truth may be, and has been, communicated; but there is a harshness that would not fail to ruin, in my opinion, the fairest negociation in this country.

We are anxious to hear from you, having nothing since the beginning of December, and very little since we left you.

Your friend and servant,

JOHN ADAMS.