L30/14/203/10

From Baron Juel, The Hague (In French):

14 Nov 1776

From: 1776 To: 1776

Translation: My Dear My Lord, I owe you tender and sincere thanks for the obliging letter you sent me on the 6th of last month. You doubtless know, My dear Ambassador, that I had the pleasure of spending four months in England last summer, a visit that was as pleasant as it was useful, and which I will remember with affection for the rest of my life. Besides I can honestly swear that nowhere have I amused myself as much as I did in England; and that I have never seen a more interesting country or a happier people than that of Great Britain. I travelled through nearly all the parts of the Kingdom and stopped in the towns of Portsmouth, Salisbury, Bath, Bristol, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, York, Derby and Oxford. All these places surpassed my expectations and I found nothing to say against your home land save that I did not find Lord Grantham and his brother there, but at least I had hoped that on one of my excursions to find the location of the Grantham residence, of which you had the goodness to show me the plan. Sometime you must tell me in which area it is to be found, perhaps I passed by it without knowing it. A number of your friends that country, knowing the happiness I had in seeing you in Madrid, have asked for news of you at the moment. I only remember the names of a few of them and can only name Milady Edgecumbe, Lord Darmouht(sic), and the Chevalier Pen. It is true that all the Papers have done me the honour of naming me Minister at the court of London supposing that because Mr de "Diode" is about to retire, that he has been recalled. I am unable to confirm this news as there is no question of it, nor can I foresee that there ever will be. If I could have over again, the time which has passed since my departure from Spain I believe that I would have made a great deal of effort to obtain a position which I count one of the most agreeable that the King may grant in a foreign Court. In a short while, I will have been in this profession for ten years, I am in my third appointment and in the particular situation of wanting to return home soon. I hope My dear My Lord, that I speak to you with the frankness which characterises there real friendship I bear you. For the rest, I have a lot of trouble in believing that the person in question has the slightest appearance of success. He can perhaps be ambitious, but all that would not be able to remove the difficulties which are against it, but which count for very little. I have had the pleasure of having the good Sparre here with me for eight days, but his pleasures have not distracted so much that he forgot to pass on the compliments with which you charged him, but you may believe that I did not leave him time to give them to me, or that you and your brother were prominent in our conversations. He finally went home and I have no doubt that his is returning to Spain. "I admire very often my dear friend your firmness to stay so long time in that country before you beg leave to make an excursion; but on the other side I consider that the critical circumstances not would allow your Lordships absent. I believe without flattery; that your Presence at that Court is certainly on of the most happy Circumstances and very convenient for your country and nothing in the world shall more please my, than to hear that the event answer your Expectation" [In English] I was in despair to learn that the visit to St Ildephonse was harmful to your health even to the point of being obliged to give it up for the future. I beg you to give a thousand tender expressions of friendship to dear Mr. Robinson and never cease to believe that no-one can hold you in higher regard or love you more than I do, I remain for the rest of my days, Your very devoted friend and servant, Juel. P.S. Preparations are being made here for the equipping in the Spring of a squadron of twelve vessels against the King of "Mavol". Half of them will carry 50 canons and the rest 36. Farewell my dear My dear My Lord.

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Juel,
Piede,
Sparre

England, Morocco