ates General, when they shall have leisure to
attend to matters of this kind, to disavow any future tributary treaty
with them. These pirates respect still less their treaty with Spain, and
treat the Spaniards with an insolence greater than was usual before the
treaty.

The scarcity of bread begins to lessen in the southern parts of France,
where the harvest has commenced. Here it is still threatening, because
we have yet three weeks to the beginning of harvest, and I think there
has not been three days' provision beforehand in Paris, for two or three
weeks past. Monsieur de Mirabeau, who is very hostile to Mr. Necker,
wished to find a ground for censuring him, in a proposition to have
a great quantity of flour furnished from the United States, which he
supposed me to have made to Mr. Necker, and to have been refused by him;
and he asked time of the States General to furnish proofs. The Marquis
de la Fayette immediately gave me notice of this matter, and I wrote him
a letter to disavow having ever made any such proposition to Mr. Necker,
which I desired him to communicate to the States. I waited immediately
on Mr. Necker and Monsieur de Montmorin, satisfied them that what had
been suggested was absolutely without foundation from me; and indeed
they had not needed this testimony. I gave them copies of my letter to
the Marquis de la Fayette, which was afterwards printed. The Marquis,
on the receipt of my letter, showed it to Mirabeau. who turned then to a
paper from which he had drawn his information, and found he had totally
mistaken it. He promised immediately that he would himself declare his
error to the States General, and read to them my letter, which he did.
I state this matter to you, though of little consequence in itself,
because it might go to you misstated in the English papers.

Our supplies to the Atlantic ports of France, during the months of
March, April, and May, were only twelve thousand two hundred and twenty
quintals, thirty-three pounds of flour, and forty-four thousand one
hundred and fifteen quintals, forty pounds of wheat, in twenty-one
vessels.

My letter of the 29th of June, brought down the proceedings of the
States and government to the re-union of the orders, which took place
on the 27th. Within the Assembly, matters went on well. But it was soon
observed, that troops, and particularly the foreign troops, were on
their march towards Paris from various quarters, and that this was
against the