My Lord

… from a conversation I had with Mr. Panin so lately as yesterday, relative to the navigation and commerce of the Black Sea, I am confirmed in the idea, your Lordship will have seen by my last letter, I had formed of the desire of this court to exclude other Powers from that navigation; but sensible of the difficulty they would find in availing themselves of its commerce without foreign assistance, M. Panin expressed his wishes, that we would open this new channel for them. This giving rise to a long conversation upon the subject, he frankly owned to me, in the course of it, that if we did not take some steps towards carrying on a work, which they had much at heart here but which they did not well know how to set about themselves, he should find it a difficult matter to prevent the impression which would be made in the favour of France by the specious proposals she was every day making. He seems to think, that our Russia and Turky Companies might establish such a correspondence between them, as would enable them to conduct this business to the advantage of Great Britain and this Empire; that the privileges, the British factories were entitled to by our Treaty of Commerce, gave them a superiority over every other nation, and render no new engagements necessary. Not having been authorized to treat this matter ministerially, I could only assure M. Panin, of the readiness he would ever find in us to promote the interests of a country, with which we had been so long connected, by every means in our power; but that, in order to do this effectually, I could wish His Excellency would trace out, more particularly than he had done, what these were, what security there would be for such factors as might be employed either at Taganrog or Kinburn, and at the same time endeavoured to explain to him the real motives of France had for their proposals, and how delusive they were; in which he entirely agreed with me, and assured me, that with regard to the security I mentioned, it would be fully provided for, and every possible encouragement given, by the furnishing of ships, seamen etc. to such persons as should be willing to engage in the undertaking. In consequence of your Lordship’s letter, I shall take an early opportunity of seeing him again, and communicate to your Lordship both what I shall be able to collect from him, and what occurs to myself on this interesting business.

….

I have the honour to be with great respect

My Lord….

Gunning

The Earl of Suffolk