P. S. My letters from England announce, that a fleet of one hundred and twenty sail, with provisions for the English Islands, is to sail from Cork in a short time, with an escort of two sail of the line and one frigate.
TO THE COMMITTEE OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS.
Paris, January 5th, 1779.
Gentlemen,
My despatches of April the 14th, May the 9th, 20th and 23d, June the 1st, 9th, 15th and 17th, July the 6th, 16th, 20th, 26th and 29th, August the 21st and 31st, September the 9th and 30th, October the 5th and 19th, November the 4th, 18th and 20th, and December the 5th, remain unanswered.
Nothing material has since happened in Europe. The late proceedings in Holland discover, that the English party have gained ground there. The truth is, that the English borrow their money and then bribe them with it; for it is so manifestly their interest to join against England, and their advantages from the trade of America, being free, are clearly so much greater than those of any other nation, that unless their rulers were blinded by some powerful application, it is impossible but that they should be active and earnest in promoting this revolution. The Court of France is acting with firmness and wisdom to restrain them by powerful motives of interest.
There does not at present seem any probability of an accommodation in Germany. The ordinary of the expense our enemy is to incur this year stands thus.
| Exchequer bills to be paid off, | £ 2,500,000 |
| British troops, | 3,640,000 |
| Foreign do. | 713,000 |
| Navy, | 4,589,000 |
| Militia, | 700,000 |
| £12,142,000 | |
| To this add transport service and extraordinaries, | |
| which cannot be less than | 5,000,000 |
| £17,142,000 | |
Troops. | |
| They purpose having on the British establishment | 82,744 |
| Foreigners, | 24,800 |
| Augmentation to the British by new levies, | 14,400 |
| Militia, including fencible men, | 39,701 |
| American Tories, | 6,000 |
| Irish establishment, | 14,685 |
| 181,685 |
Though they will never be able to realise this number, or near it, yet the expense will not therefore be diminished. With their taxes doubled, and such an enormous increase of expense while her commerce is so greatly abridged, it may easily be judged how long Great Britain can continue so ruinous a contest. Nothing seems more sure, than that she will not get even the stipulated number of recruits from Germany; much less has she any chance of an augmentation.