1 Juan de Miralles, Spain's agent to the United States, who frequently dined and met with various delegates to explore American views on issues of interest to the Spanish government. At this time, Miralles was apparently most concerned over American intentions in the Floridas and in the Illinois country. The former had taken on special meaning when on November 2 Congress endorsed a plan for the reduction of East Florida. And the latter became a matter of particular interest after Congress learned on November 27 that a Virginia expedition under the command of George Rogers Clark had captured "Fort Chartres & its dependencies" in the Illinois country. See JCC, 12:1091, 1167n; and PCC, item 71, 1:189-93. Miralles' efforts to ascertain congressional intentions in these areas were the primary subject of his December 28, 1778, dispatch to Jose de Galvez, the Spanish Minister of the Indies.

   "I have managed," Miralles explained, "to arrange to confer in my home and in that of the French Minister Plenipotentiary with the new President of the Congress

   "In regard to the first plan, the French Minister and I pointed out to them that they were exposing themselves to the risk that before long those new settlers would shake off the yoke of the central government by creating a new republic, because of the freedom which the remoteness of that immense and fertile country offered them, for they could carry on their commerce without the need of communication with any of these states, because navigation by way of the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico would enable them to export their productions to all parts of the world as well as to import everything needed from abroad. The settlers would shake off that yoke even sooner if the English were in possession of Canada, for the English, because of the possibility of trade with them and of importing everything they might need from Europe by way of the Saint Lawrence River, would make every possible effort to alienate the new settlers from loyalty to and dependence upon the United States, promising them every imaginable advantage in addition to independence.

   "As for Florida, we said that because Florida was a former possession of Spain, the Spanish Monarch would never complacently see other nations possess it, and that therefore the United States could never Ratter themselves that they would enjoy perfect peace and harmony with Spain, although it was our opinion that the United States should continue preparations and efforts to effect the conquest of Florida, in which Spain (if the system of neutrality with England should change) perhaps would join with the naval forces necessary for that conquest, because of the ease offered by the proximity of Havana, and we believed that Spain would not refuse to compensate the United States for the expenses incurred and for whatever seemed reasonable, with the presentation in cash of an amount agreed upon and on stipulated terms, when Spain came into possession of the province.

   "With respect to the first plan, that of the interior of the province of Luisiana, in consideration of the reflections expressed (which the President and the members confessed were very fair and reasonable) our opinion was that the Americans should enter into negotiation with Spain for the purpose of turning over to her all of that territory they now held in return for a sum of money in specie, making an agreement on stipulated terms for the payment. With that money they would have enough to cover in part the payment of the enormous debts for which they are obligated, measures which are very difficult for them because specie is exhausted, and although they have an abundance of paper money and can print more, that money cannot be used to pay the debts they owe in Europe. Moreover, they ought to think of a way to make the paper money less abundant so as to make it more valuable than it is now, and-the only way to do that is to recall as much of it as possible, paying the equivalent in specie, since with one million in specie they can collect four or more in paper, suppressing as much as possible and reducing the currency to a quantity more useful for circulation in these states.

   "These thoughts and several more in the same vein made a favourable impression on the President and the members, who agreed to present and to explain them to

   "As the territory of the interior of Luisiana or Illinois is most important to the members of Congress from the province of Virginia, because it borders on that state and because a majority of the investors in the company mentioned above are settled in Virginia, it is likely that the representatives from Virginia will regard with disfavour the separation of those lands and anything which may lead to the ruin of that company and the plans it has made. Therefore, if His Majesty is pleased to resolve that to take possession of that territory is in his Royal interest, it ought to be negotiated immediately and definitively with the Congress, without giving time for those investors and the rest of the Virginians to comprehend it, for they can cavil and introduce dissension among the members of Congress to thwart that negotiation." Indiferente General, Legajo 1606, Archivo General de Indias, Seville (Aileen Moore Topping translation, DLC).