270
LETTER LXXXVII. TO JOHN ADAMS.
Paris, August 10, 1785. DEAR SIR,
Your favor of the 4th instant, came to hand yesterday. I now enclose you the two Arrets against the importation of foreign ma nufactures into this kingdom. The cause of the balance against this country, in favor of England, as well as its amount, is not agreed on. No doubt, the rage for English manufactures musL be a principal cause. The speculators in exchange, say also, that those of the circumjacent countries who have a balance in their fa vor, against France, remit that balance to England from France. If so, it is possible that the English may count this balance twice : that is, in summing their exports to one of these States, and their imports from it, they count the difference once in their favor; then, a second time, when they sum the remittances of cash they receive from France. There has been no Jlrret relative to our commerce, since that of August, 1784. And all the late advices from the French West Indies, are, that they have now in their ports, always three times as many vessels as there ever were before, and that the increase is principally from our States. I have now no further fears of that Arrefs standing its ground. When it shall become firm, I do not think its extension desperate. But whether the placing it on the firm basis of treaty be practicable, is a very diffe rent question. As far as it is possible to judge from appearances, I conjecture that Crawford will do nothing. I infer this from some things in his conversation, and from an expression of the Count de Vergennes, in a conversation with me yesterday. I pressed upon him the importance of opening their ports freely to us, in the mo ment of the oppressions of the English regulations against us, and perhaps, of the suspension of their commerce. He admited it ; but said we had free ingress with our productions. I enumerated them to him, and shewed him on what footing they were, and how they might be improved. We are to have further conversations on the subject. I am afraid the voyage to Fontainebleau will interrupt them. From the inquiries I have made. I find I cannot get a very small and indifferent house there, for the season, (that is, for a month) for less than one hundred or one hundred and fifty guineas. This is nearly the whole salary for the time, and would leave no thing to eat. I therefore cannot accompany the court thither, but I will endeavor to go there occasionally from Paris. They tell
