S Tet Pe -PoA P EAR: S 
fure you, that if his Catholic ma- 
jefty confents to make a declaration 
in his name, bearing in fubftance, 
that he had determined to offer to 
his Britannic majefty a juft and {uit- 
able fatisfaétion for the infult offered 
to his flagz—fuch offer, joined to a 
promife of making reftitution of the 
vefiels captured, and to indemnify 
the. proprietors, under the conditi- 
ons {pecified in the official letter of 
Mr. Merry on the 16th of May, 
will be regarded by his Britannic 
majefty as conftituting in itfelf the 
fatisfaction demanded: and his faid 
majefty will accept of it as fuch by a 
counter-dec'aration on his part. J 
have to add, that as it appears un- 
certain if the veflels the North 
Weit, an American veffel, and the 
Iphigenia, had truly a. right to en- 
joy the protection of the Britith 
flag, the king will with pleafure 
confent that an examination of this 
queftion, as well as that relative to 
the juft amount of the loffes fuftained 
by his fubjects, may be left to the 
determination of commiffioners to 
be named by the two courts. B 
Having thus recapitulated to your 
excellency the heads of what I ob- 
ferved to you in converfation, I flat- 
ter myfelf you will weigh the whole 
in your mind, with that {pirit of 
equity and moderation which cha- 
racterifes you, that I may be in a 
condition of fending to my court, 
as foon as poffible, a {atisfa€tory an- 
{wer as tothe point contained in the 
official paper fent to Mr. Merry on 
the 4th of the month, and which, 
for the reafons | have mentioned, 
cannot be regarded by his Britannic 
majelty as fulfilling his juit expec- 
tations. 
I have the honour to be, &c. 
ALLEYNE FirzHERBERT. 
[299 
The Count de Florida Blanca’s Reply, 
Fune 18. 
OU will pardon me, fir, that 
I cannot give my aflent to the 
principles laid down in your laft 
letter; as Spain maintains, on the 
moft folid grounds, that the deten- 
tion of the veilels was made ina 
‘port, upon a coaft, or in a bay of 
Spanifh America, the commerce and 
navigation of which belonged ex- 
clufively to Spain, by treaties with 
all nations, even England herfelf. 
The principles laid down cannot 
be adapted to the cafe. The veffels 
detained attempted to make an efta- 
blifhment at a port where they found 
a nation actually fettled, the Spanifh 
commander at Nootka having, pre- 
vious to their detention, made the 
molt amicable reprefentations to the 
agereffors to defit from their pur- 
ole. 
Your excellency, wiil alfo permit 
me to lay before you, that it is not 
at all certain that the veflels detained 
navigated under the Britith flag, al- 
though they were Englifh veffels; 
there having been reafon to believe 
that they navigated under the pro- 
tection of Portuguefe paffports, fur- 
nifhed them by the governor of 
cao as commercial veflels, and 
not belonging to the royal marine. 
Your excellency will add to thefe 
reafons, that by the reftitution of 
thefe veffels, their furniture and car- 
goes, or their value, in confequence 
of the refolution adopted by the vice- 
roy of Mexico, which has been ap- 
proved of by the king, for the fake 
of peace, every thing is placed in 
its original ftate, the object your 
excellency aims at—nothing remain- 
ing unfettled but the indemnification 
of Jofits, and fatisfaction for the 
infult, 
