John Jay to Arthur Lee, 26 January 1780

Cadiz 26 Jan 1780 1

Sir

As a Knowledge of the Measures you may have taken ^ acquire ^ ^ taken ^ and the Information you may have gained relative to the o ^ acquired relative to the ^ in pursuance of your objects of your Commission ers Plenipotentiary from the un ^ from the united States of America ^ to conclude Treaties with his most catholic Majesty may would probably un enable me with greater Facility and Advantage to execute the Duties imposed of my Appointm t . Permit me Sir to request the Favor of you to communicate the same to me in such manner as ^ you ^ may be most ^ in your opinion be ^ ^ may judge ^ ^ most prudent ^ and at the same Time most full. 2

Maj r . Scull sailed with me in the ^ imbarked with us at ^ Ph a . in the Confederacy with Design to go to France for the Benefit of his Health but unfortunately died on the Passage–€”. 3 After ^ his ^ Death and after the it became certain that The Confederacy ha was not in Condition to prosecute her Voyage, M r . Vaughan 4 the second L t . Lieut who had taken care of ^ Charge ^ of the Majors Effects, delivered me a Number of Letters found among them among which were some for you these with others that are large & to appearance contain many Enclosures, are now in my Possession–€” After the arrival of the Confederacy at Martinico where to where when it became certain that that the Confederacy after losing her Masts and injuring her Rudder, was not in Condition to proceed to Europe

I have in my Possession some Letters from you directed to you–€” They are voluminous & probably contain printed Papers. They may also be imp confidential and important ^ to you ^ . Under these Circumstances I can only judge of your Inclination by what w d . be my own under in a similar Situation. Hence I am led to ^ I should wish they might be ^ detain d . them till you ^ I ^ cou d have an opportunity of directing the Manner of their Conveyance–€” Upon this Principal they shall remain among my Papers till I recieve your orders what to do with them. 5 I am Sir your most obed t . & very hble Serv t .

The Hon–€™ble Arthur Lee Esq r