Επιστολή του Φορέστη (Κέρκυρα 22 Φλεβάρη 1804) με την οποία ενημερώνει τον Hawkesbury μεταξύ άλλων εκ νέου για το ζήτημα της ύψωσης της ιονικής σημαίας από μη ιονικά σκάφη με άδειες που δίνουν πραγματικά διορισμένοι ή και παρανόμως διορισμένοι πρόξενοι ή πράκτορες της επτανήσου πολιτείας. Συγκεκριμένα αναφέρει και σε ένα παράδειγμα σκάφους γαλλικού, που ο καπετάνιος είναι Ιθακήσιος και την αδεια για να υψώσει γαλλική σημαία την έδωσε κάποιος Γάλλος αξιωματούχος, που είχε οριστεί από τον Romieu ως υπεύθυνος στην ΜασσΑλήα για τις εμπορικές υποτίθεται υποθέσεις των Επτανήσων, κάτι όμως που η Γερουσία δεν αποδέχτηκε. Όμως αυτός ο αξιωματούχος ένα κόπτης που ήρθε από την Αίγυπτο έδινε με δική του άδεια σημαίες των Επτανήσων. Ο Φορέστης επισημαίνει τους κυνδίνους από αυτές τις πρακτικές για το βρετανικό εμπόριο και ενημερώνει και τον Νέλσονα. Συγκεκριμένα γράφει:
I have the honor to enclose to your Lordship a duplicate of my last dispatch No.7 and beg leave to refer your Lordship to my Letter of the 26th of May last wherein I acquainted your Lordship of the application I made to this Government respecting the arbitrary conduct of their ministers and consuls in foreign parts by granting the Flag of this Republic to vessels which did not belong to the islands; in consequence of which the senate passed a decree, or Code of Maritime Laws, by which all the passes which were granted by the consuls or agents abroad were recalled, and these agents prohibited from granting any such passes in future which decree I also transmitted to your Lordship with the above mentioned letter.
I also beg to leave to refer your Lordship to my letter of the 30th of August last when I mentioned the appointment conferred by the first consul of France upon a certain Eliah Faraen, a Coptian (who he brought with him from Egypt) as commissary at Marseilles for the commercial concerns of the Republic of the Seven Islands, with an annual assignation of six thousand French livres. This appointment has been officially announced to the Senate, in a note from M. Romieu the French Minister here wherein he demanded a confirmation of the appointment as also of the pension. This Government being surprised at the inconsistency of the demand had reference to count Mocenigo who represented it to the court of St. Petersburg. In the meantime the Senate gave the French Minister an indecisive answer, not by any means acknowledging the abovementioned Faraen as commissary. Notwithstanding the decree of the Senate referred to in my letter of the 26th of May last, the abovementioned Faraen, though not acknowledged as consul of the Republic, continues to grant passes and the colours of these Islands to vessels; and on the 12th instant a French built Brig named St. Spiridion, anchored in this port from Marseilles twenty nine days, laden with various merchandize for here and Smyrna, under the flag of the Seven Islands which was furnished to her by the said Faraen. The master of her is of the Island of Ithaca.
I accordingly held a conference with the Senate and Count Mocenigo the Russian Minister Plenipotentiary, and pointed out to them how prejudicial it may be to the British interest to permit a man who is in every respect attached to the French nation and a creature of the first consuls, and indeed one who is not even acknowledged by this Republic as its consul, to cover the vessels of His Majesty’s Enemies with a neutral flag, and thereby enable our enemy with more facility to evade the vigilance of our cruisers. The Senate assured me that this man had no authority whatever from them to officiate as consul; and Count Mocenigo also informed me that he had written to St. Petersburg with respect to the appointment of this Faraen, and that the Chancellor held a conference with the French minister there on the subject but that no answer has yet arrived to the Government how they are to act. I can perceive by the pass of the abovementioned vessel that this man has granted other similar ones. In consequence of which I have written to Lord Nelson apprizing His Lordship of the insufficiency of such passes not doubling that His Lordship will take the proper measures. …