Rufus King letter to George Washington, 6 February 1797

London, 6 February, 1797.

Sir,

I have had the honor to receive your letter of the 22d of December. Count Rumford being in Bavaria, I have requested the Minister of that country at this Court to forward your letter to the Count with his next despatch. I have delivered to Mr. Fulton the letter for him, and, as soon as Sir John Sinclair returns to town, I will also deliver the letter addressed to him. I have before sent two copies of the Gazette, containing the publication of the Chancery order that you inclosed to me for that purpose. By this opportunity I transmit a third.

Our affairs here, relative to the execution of the treaty, are in a good train. Some delays and difficulties have existed, but they exist no longer, and the Commissioners are going on in a satisfactory manner. In the conferences that I have had "uith this Government, upon these and other topics, I have found them candid and impartial, in as great a degree as I had expected. Several important points, not settled by the treaty, still remain open, and both time and patience are requisite, even now, to form a safe opinion, how far we shall in the end, be able to agree. I think I am not deceived in supposing, that a sincere and general desire exists in this country to live in harmony and friendship with us. This disposition is, however, fettered and enfeebled by prejudices, and opinions connected with the national commerce and marine, which make the Government slow and cautious in every step which has a reference to these important concerns.

Some uneasiness has been manifest here for some few weeks past, concerning the situation of the British territories in the East Indies. It is not very easy to obtain good information upon this subject, but there is reason to believe, that much disaffection exists among the native troops in the Company's service. The establishment is understood to be twenty thousand Europeans, and sixty thousand native or black troops. Whatever the origin of these discontents may have been (and they are supposed to be of several years' standing), they have lately risen to such a pitch, that the Local Government of India has been compelled first to temporize, and then, as is commonly the consequence, to submit to measures they were unable to prevent. Lord Cornwallis is suddenly to be sent to Bengal, and with such extensive powers as, it is hoped, will enable him to restore Philadelphia tranquillity. What may be his success, my want of accurate information forbids me to conjecture.

From the continent, as a balance to the glory acquired by the Arch Duke, we have just received the accounts of the astonishing victories lately gained by Bonaparte in Lombardy. The immediate consequences must be the fall of ^lantua, and the easy subjugation of the South of Italy.

Whether these victories, or any recent information from America, have had any influence with the Directory, respecting the situation of General Pinckney, remains to be ascertained ; but I have this morning been informed, by letters from Paris, that, on the 28th ultimo, the General was ordered by the Directory to leave Paris, and that he intended to depart on the 31st for Amsterdam.

With perfect respect, &c.,

Rufus King.