[Lisbon / Nov. 18. 1798. / W.^m Smith.] [Address: James McHenry Esq. / Secretary of War / by Henry [undecipherable]] Dear Sir, Lisbon, Nov: 18.98. After reading in the Papers that Congress had resolved to raise standing armies & provisional armies & volunteer Corps &c &c, I gave up all hopes of getting a Letter from you during the alarms of Invasion, sensible that with all your wonted activity, your time would not suffice for even your official duties. Wishing you well thro' all these arduous toils, I only presume to request a that line from you when you are satisfied that the Country is perfectly safe against external & internal foes. — The Great Nation have now so much on their hands near home & have succeeded so badly with their late invasions that I think you may for the present lay aside your fears of invasion. They mean now to have recourse to coaxing & dividing the people of America — their story now is that they never meant to quarrel with us, that they have always shewn the greatest affection for us, but that Pitt & his [undecipherable] & [underline: John Adams] with his faction are combined to drive America into war to bring about a clos. alliance with England; that France is on her part & always has been very desirous to terminate all differences between the sister Repub[lics]. In order to make this Tale go down in France & to impose on their Slavish Allies, they fabricate intelligence from America, which is printed in their papers, some specimens of which I send by this conveyance to the Sec.^y of State. — They are now well convinced that they can do us no injury & that their cause is daily losing ground in the U. States, but they are stupidly taking the very course the most likely to irritate & widen the breach; deceived by their intolerable vanity & by the false intelligence of their partizans they still assert that the opposition to them is merely that of a party, headed by J. A.; latterly their Gazettes begin to hold the same language about Turkey; they say that the G. Seignor has been duped by the intrigues of Pitt & has been forced into a declaration of war against them, of which he will soon repent, & then they gravely tell a ridiculous story, that the English Ambass.^r at Const.^e set fire to the City, on [undecipherable] which it is customary for the Grand S.^r to go abroad & ride about the Streets on horseback, & then a mob prepared for the [undecipherable: purposes] with Pitt's guineas shouted war with the French, that the G.S. was frightened & promised the populace he wo.^d declare War ag.^t the French. It is [strikethrough: very] curious to see them abusing [underline: John Adams] & the Grand Seignor at the same time & nearly in the same manner, the fact is that abuse is the principal weapon they can wield ag.^t Turkey & the U.S. they fear a war with both, knowing they can't hurt them; but, at the time that they insult the constituted authorities, they profess great love for the two Nations; in that true spirit of inconsistency & folly, which characterizes all their proceed[ings], while their Gazettes printed under the eye of the Directory contain sarcasms & lampoons about the G. Seignor, they have assured his Ambassador at Paris that he & his Suite shall continue to be respected tho the French Minister & all their Consuls are imprisoned in Turkey: this is a proof of their fear; how differently would they have acted tow[ards] the smaller neighbouring powers? thus, in the same spirit, notwithstanding all our hostile measures, their spirit conduct is placid & gentle towards us (except continuing to capture our Ships) at last in language — they took off the Embargo, & shew their reluctance for war, & it's said, have sent a proposal to our gov.^t to renew the negotiations in some neutral country — had they not dreaded a serious rupture with us, how they would have bounced on hearing of only the mildest of our acts against them? The destruction of their Toulon fleet was a severe blow — five of the prizes are here, & (by way of compliment to me I presume) the [underline: Franklin] is anchored immed.^y before my house: She is a very fine Ship but dreadfully battered. They have since lost the Hoche, two of battle Ships & some frigates on their way to Ireland, & may they go on losing in the same way till they learn to do Justice to the rest of the world — [undecipherable] our Country, is the prayer of yours very sin[cerely] At a late entertainment given as [undecipherable] for the [undecipherable] Humphries was not invited, but [undecipherable] with [the?] Neopol.ⁿ ministers & whose respective [undecipherable] are probably [undecipherable] time banished to Sicily & Sardinia to end their days in [obscurity?]. So much for [undecipherable] professions! — I see by the late French papers that the [underline: Minister] of war, [undecipherable] complains sadly of desertions; he says the conscripts march fast enough, when called out, but that they desert immed.^y after. The minister of finance on his side, complains of the emptiness of the Treasury — more [undecipherable] men he [sought?] — they have already remarked Piedmont & next probably soon have Naples — then they'll be [undecipherable] heard at Spain & Portugal. — In the meantime, [undecipherable] as to organizing your "gros bataillons" or [undecipherable] our turn will come next. — [undecipherable] lead me to our common [friends?] [undecipherable] as ever sincerely Yours &c [signature] [have you done any thing by [undecipherable] friend?]