68o A. D. 1781. 



they reprefented, that the property belonging to themfelves and their 

 correfpondents m Great Britain, for whom they were agents, which was 

 fairly bought under the fandion of afls of parliament, was forcibly 

 taken from them, without permitting them even to mark or number 

 the packages, or to know in what veffels they were to be flnpped, while 

 infurances were already made at home on Ihips, which were engaged to 

 cany the goods to Great Britain. They therefor gave notice to the 

 commanders, that they fliould hold them accountable for all damages to 

 be fuftained in confeqnence of the detention of their property and the 

 annullment of their infurances, and fhould feek redreis for their dam- 

 ages from the laws of their country: and they demanded permiflion for 

 their partners and factors at S'. Euflathius to afcertain the amount of 

 their goods (hipped off under their authority. They alfo warned their 

 excellencies ot the fatal confequences of fetting fuch an example to their 

 enemies, who by the fate of war might become mafters of the Bricifh 

 iflands ; that the confequence of fuch a mode of warfare mufl: be the 

 ruin, not only of every one concerned in the iflands, but alfo of their 

 generous creditors at home, who were fo liberally fupporting the ex- 

 penfe of the war by fubfcriptions. And they held up as a warning and 

 example to them the conduct of the comte d'Eftaing at Grenada, who 

 by ifluing edidls to forbid the payment of debts due in Great Britain, 

 though he feized no private property, drew upon himfelf the univerfal 

 deteftation of the enlightened people of France, in confequence of 

 whofe remonftrances, carried to the throne of an abfolute monarch, 

 his conduct was feverely reprobated, his edids were refcinded, and the 

 Britilli inhabitants of Grenada were put upon the fame footing with the 

 French fubjeds. 



Admiral Rodney gave a very brief anfwer, fignifying, that he had not 

 leifure to perufe the memorial ; that he was furprifed that Britilli fub- 

 jeds fhould lodge their property in an ifland, where, they muft know, 

 it was to be applied to the fervice of the enemies of their country ; and 

 that he confidered every thing on the ifland as Dutch, and was firmly 

 refolved to treat it as Dutch. 



April 6"" — The merchants in Britain were too deeply interefl;ed in 

 the property feized at S^ Euflathius to fit down unconcerned fpedators 

 of the event. They commenced adions againft the commanders *, and 

 they alio prefented a petition to the king in the following words f . 



♦ After litigations, protrafleJ through ftveral but every fcntence of this petition is fo full of 



years, the admiral and general were call ia many commercial argument and comnitrtial facls, tliat 



itn'tsfor heavy fums. I thought, I could not do jullice to it, or to the 



f I by no meani approve of a large book, and reader, without giving it entire, 

 very fcldom load my work with long tranlcripts : 



