preclude me from entering into further details; details which will
be unnecessary after those you will assuredly receive from himself. It
is the happiest circumstance of my life, that the man whose services I
was instrumental in procuring to my country, should be the one to whom
in a great measure I owe my first public appearance at the Court of
Spain.

The precipitate departure of the Marquis prevents me from copying, in
time for this conveyance, the public accounts. In ten days they will
all be complete, and I hope I shall be enabled, by our Minister in
France, to pay the balances, which are not considerable, and by that
means commence our political career here with the credit and
reputation, which we have hitherto preserved.

I have the honor to be, Sir, &c.

WILLIAM CARMICHAEL.

FOOTNOTES:

[14] See the letters here referred to in _M. de Lafayette's
Correspondence_, in the present work.

* * * * *

TO ROBERT R. LIVINGSTON.

Madrid, March 13th, 1783.

Sir,

I had the honor to address you on the 18th and 30th of January, and
the 21st ult. In the last I advised you, that this Court had consented
to receive me in a public character, and as such I had been formally
invited to dine with the _corps diplomatique_, at the Count de Florida
Blanca's table. On the 22d ultimo, accompanied by the Marquis de
Lafayette, I went to the Pardo, the present residence of the royal
family, where we dined together, a circumstance which not a little
surprised several of the foreign Ministers, who knew that I had for
some time neglected to pay my court there. Those of Russia and Vienna
were particularly curious. From their conduct then and since, I am
persuaded they are mortified in having led their respective Courts to
believe, that a connexion between the United States and Spain was more
distant than it appears to be at present.

The not having as yet been presented, occasioned many conjectures, and
subjects me to many questions. I have been asked by several of the
foreign Ministers, if I meant to pay the usual visits, and to make the
customary notifications of this event to the _corps diplomatique_
here. I have in general replied, that I had not determined as yet what
would be my conduct on the occasion, but that certainly, if presented
in the absence of Mr Jay, I should v