George Bancroft, History of the United States from the Discovery of the American Continent, Vol. 10

[190] be made without the restoration of Gibraltar. Fired

Chap. VIII.} 1779.

by the prospect which now opened before him, the king of Spain pictured to himself¹ the armies of France breaking in upon the English at their firesides; and Florida Blanca said to Montmorin: ‘The news of the rupture must become known to the world by a landing in England. With union, secrecy, and firmness, we shall be able to put our enemies under our feet; but no decisive blow can be struck at the English except in England itself.’²

All this time the Spanish minister avoided fixing the epoch for joint active measures. Towards the

March.

end of March, Vergennes wrote impatiently: ‘How can he ask us to bind ourselves to everything that flatters the ambition of Spain, whilst he may make the secret reserve never to take part in the war, but in so far as the dangers are remote and the advantages certain? in one word, to reap without having sown? The difficulty can be excused only by attributing it to that spirit of a pettifogger which formed the essence of his first profession, and which we have encountered only too often. I cry out less at his repugnance to guarantee American independence. Nothing is gratuitous on the part of Spain; we know from herself that she wants suitable concessions from the Americans; to this we assuredly make no opposition.’³

Discussing in detail with Montmorin the article relating to the Americans, Florida Blanca said: ‘The king, my master, will never acknowledge their independence, ’