Folio 244: Stormont to Weymouth. He reports on a long talk with the Portuguese ambassador...

Folio 244: Stormont to Weymouth. He reports on a long talk with the Portuguese ambassador [Souza], who rejected the charge made by Vergennes that his brother's [Portuguese ambassador to Spain] letter to Grimaldi was evasive or that Pombal was not sincere [see f.223]. He believed that Spain wanted to draw France into war against Portugal. Stormont replied that Portugal had nothing to lose by answering Spain's natural query with a clear statement that she would suspend hostilities during negotiations. He repeated Britain's commitment to Portugal but said that Portugal should take account of how much of Britain's naval forces were employed in America. He compared commitments under the Treaty of Paris and the Family Compact and said that Portugal would be very ill-advised, if she did not prefer an accommodation to a war. Souza agreed and said he would send a dispatch to Pombal. He wanted to send a courier not through Spain but via Falmouth and without the knowledge of Pinto.

Date and place: 1775 Dec 20 Paris.