The consequences to the expanding trade of the young country had been nothing short of catastrophic. Liston picked up Pinckney’s Congressional Report on European Spoliation of American Trade to refresh his mind on the figures.
It was staggering – worse even than the dire predictions of the fire-breathing Hamilton. In the Caribbean, worst hit, no less than three hundred ships had been taken and, counting the dangerous waters on the approaches to war-ravaged Europe since the Jay treaty, nearly a thousand American flag vessels had hauled down their colours and been carried into French ports; ship, cargo and crew.
Liston could barely credit that the proud Americans would submit to such intolerable and cynical actions by a so-called ally – but they had. President Adams had stoutly resisted all attempts by Liston and even his own party to be embroiled in a European war, whatever the provocation, but there had to be limits.
Even so, Liston could see his difficulty. The opposition Republicans were led by the astute and learned Jefferson, talked about as the next president, who would never allow him to declare war on an ally. In any case he did not have the means: he had only a few frigates that had been left part built after a brief alarm over Algerine pirates nearly half a dozen years ago.
Yet something had to give. In the last few months, insurance rates in the Caribbean had soared to an impossible 25 per cent of ship and cargo value.
The French were defeating whole nations; coalitions against them had crumbled and they were clearly about to break out of Europe to the wider world. It had made them arrogant and confident, but Liston felt that the latest act was beyond sufferance: envoys of the United States in Paris, attempting to negotiate an amelioration of French attitudes, had been met with a demand for two hundred thousand dollars as a pre-condition for any kind of talks.
This incitement to naked bribery had appalled the Americans, and when it had leaked out there had been outrage. For the first time it appeared President Adams would have to move – to declare war? And with what?
Liston dipped his pen and began to write.
Chapter 10
‘May I correct you, sir? We do have a navy,’ Gindler said, with an ironic smile, ‘As of a week ago. Might I explain?’
It seemed that there had been congressional authorisation for a ‘naval armament’ since the Algerines trouble, but this had been a War Department matter of the time. Now Congress wanted the reality, and had therefore recently established a Department of the Navy to act like the British Admiralty and was to appoint a full secretary of the Navy.
‘So, our navy is born.’ Gindler had an engaging smile, but Kydd detected a harder layer beneath his cheery manner.
Kydd’s head was still muzzy after his visit to the Blue Anchor, and he tried to concentrate. ‘Y’ don’t just say you’ll have a navy – you now have t’ find ships, officers. How are y’ going t’ do that? And dockyards, victualling, slops . . .’
He looked at Gindler – and felt that this vigorous new country might just find some way. ‘Wish ye well of it, Mr Gindler,’ he said sincerely. Then he added, ‘But I’d be obliged now, sir, if you’d explain what you were doing.’
‘Certainly. I was spying on you, Mr Kydd.’
‘Wha’?’
‘We need to know what a British officer is doing on our soil, you’ll agree?’
‘Then why th’ skulking about? It’s no secret why I’m here.’
‘Ah. This is not to do with your own good self, I do assure you. It has rather more to do with our democratic way, Mr Kydd. If the citizens of this town, living as they do in Connecticut, find out that I, as an agent of the federal government, am poking around in a matter they conclude is theirs, then I’ll soon need a fast horse out of Exbury.’
‘Oh? Have you got what you came for, then?’ Kydd thought the whole thing sounded more than a little far-fetched.
‘Shall we say, sir, that I’d rather like to be shaking hands with an English officer as he steps into his boat to return to his ship?’
‘Aye. Well, thanks t’ your citizens, the Frenchman lies here untouched an’ my ship must sail away. Have no fear, you’ll have y’r wish, Mr Gindler. At noon I throw out my signal and the boat will come to take me and my English carcass off.’ He smiled wryly, then added, ‘But do walk with me until then, an’ tell me more of y’r plans for a navy.’
Kydd retrieved his baggage from Jacob Hay and stood with Gindler on the small jetty. Tenacious was approaching and would heave to on the three-mile line for a space while telescopes spied the shore for Kydd’s signal. If there was none, she would fill, stand out to sea and return on the following day.