The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution Volume IV Part 7

1st. France is to enjoy the right of fis.h.i.+ng and drying on all the west coast of Newfoundland, down to Cape Ray. Miquelon and St Pierre to be restored, and may be fortified.

2d. Senegal remains to France, and Goree to be restored. The Gambia entirely to England.

3d. All the places taken from France in the East Indies to be restored, with a certain quant.i.ty of territory round them.

4th. In the West Indies, Grenada and the Grenadines, St Christophers, Nevis and Montserat, to be restored to England. St Lucia to France.

Dominique to remain with France, and St Vincents to be neutralized.

5th. No Commissioner at Dunkirk.

The points not yet quite settled are the territory round the places in the Indies, and neutralization of St Vincents. Apparently these will not create much difficulty.

Holland has yet hardly done anything in her negotiation.

Spain offers for Gibraltar to restore West Florida and the Bahamas. An addition is talked of the island of Guadaloupe, which France will cede to Spain in exchange for the other half of Hispaniola, and Spain to England, but England, it is said, chose rather Porto Rico. Nothing yet concluded.

As soon as I received the commission and instructions for treating with Sweden, I waited on the Amba.s.sador here, who told me he daily expected a courier on that subject. Yesterday he wrote a note to acquaint me, that he would call on me today, having something to communicate to me. Being obliged to go to Paris, I waited on him, when he showed me the full powers he had just received, and I showed him mine. We agreed to meet on Wednesday next, exchange copies, and proceed to business. His commission has some polite expressions in it, to wit; "that his Majesty thought it for the good of his subjects to enter into a treaty of amity and commerce with the United States of America, who had established their independence so justly merited by their courage and constancy;" or to that effect. I imagine this treaty will be soon completed; if any difficulty should arise, I shall take the advice of my colleagues.

I thank you for the copies of Mr Paine's letter to the Abbe Raynal, which I have distributed to good hands. The errors we see in histories of our times and affairs weaken our faith in ancient history. M. Hilliard d'Auberteuil has here written another history of our revolution, which however he modestly calls _an essay_, and fearing that there may be errors, and wis.h.i.+ng to have them corrected, that his second edition may be more perfect, he has brought me six sets, which he desires me to put into such hands in America, as may be good enough to render him and the public that service. I send them to you for that purpose, by Captain Barney, desiring that one set may be given to Mr Paine, and the rest where you please. There is a quarto set in the parcel, which please to accept from me.

I have never learnt whether the box of books I sent to you, and the press to Mr Thompson, were put on board the Eagle or one of the transports. If the former, perhaps you might easily purchase them at New York; if the latter, you may still receive them among the goods for Congress, now s.h.i.+pping by Mr Barclay. If they are quite lost let me know it, that I may replace them.

I have received several letters from your office with bills to pay Ministers' salaries. Nothing has yet been done with those bills, but I have paid Mr Laurens 20,000 livres.

I have this day signed a common letter to you drawn up by my colleagues, which you will receive herewith. We have kept this vessel longer for two things, a pa.s.sport promised us from England, and a sum to send in her; but she is likely to depart without both, being all of us impatient that Congress should receive early intelligence of our proceedings, and for the money we may probably borrow a frigate.

I am now entering on my 78th year; public business has engrossed fifty of them; I wish now to be, for the little time I have left, my own master. If I live to see this peace concluded, I shall beg leave to remind the Congress of their promise then to dismiss me. I shall be happy to sing with old Simeon, _now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation_.

With great esteem, &c.

B. FRANKLIN.

TO COUNT DE VERGENNES.

Pa.s.sy, December 15th, 1782.

Sir,

I have the honor to acquaint your Excellency, that our courier is to set out tomorrow at ten o'clock, with the despatches we send to Congress, by the Was.h.i.+ngton, Captain Barney, for which s.h.i.+p we have got a pa.s.sport from the King of England.[9] If you would make any use of this conveyance, the courier shall wait upon you tomorrow at Versailles, and receive your orders.

I hoped I might have been able to send part of the aids we have asked, by this safe vessel. I beg that your Excellency would at least inform me what expectations I may give in my letters. I fear the Congress will be reduced to despair, when they find that nothing is yet obtained.

With the greatest and most sincere respect, I am, Sir, your Excellency's most obedient and most humble servant,

B. FRANKLIN.

FOOTNOTE:

[9] _Copy of a Pa.s.sport given to the s.h.i.+p Was.h.i.+ngton, to carry over the Preliminary Articles._

GEORGE the Third, by the Grace of G.o.d, King of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, and so forth. To all Admirals, Vice Admirals, Captains, Commanders of our s.h.i.+ps of war, or privateers, Governors of our forts and castles, customhouse comptrollers, searchers, &c., to all and singular our officers, and military and loving subjects whom it may concern, greeting. Our will and pleasure is, and we do hereby strictly charge and require you, as we do likewise pray and desire the officers and ministers of all Princes and States, in amity with us, to permit and suffer the vessel called the Was.h.i.+ngton, commanded by Mr Joshua Barney, belonging to the United States of North America, to sail from either of the ports of France, to any port or place in North America, without any let, hinderance, or molestation whatsoever; but on the contrary, affording the said vessel all such aid and a.s.sistance as may be necessary.

Given at our Court of St James, the tenth day of December; 1782, in the 23d year of our reign. By his Majesty's command.

T. TOWNSHEND.

COUNT DE VERGENNES TO B. FRANKLIN.

Translation.

Versailles, December 15th, 1782.

Sir,

I cannot but be surprised, Sir, that after the explanation I have had with you, and the promise you gave, that you would not press the application for an English pa.s.sport for the sailing of the packet Was.h.i.+ngton, that you now inform me, you have received the pa.s.sport, and that at ten o'clock tomorrow morning your courier will set out to carry your despatches. I am at a loss, Sir, to explain your conduct and that of your colleagues on this occasion. You have concluded your preliminary articles without any communication between us, although the instructions from Congress prescribes, that nothing shall be done without the partic.i.p.ation of the King. You are about to hold out a certain hope of peace to America, without even informing yourself on the state of the negotiation on our part.

You are wise and discreet, Sir; you perfectly understand what is due to propriety; you have all your life performed your duties. I pray you to consider how you propose to fulfil those, which are due to the King? I am not desirous of enlarging these reflections; I commit them to your own integrity. When you shall be pleased to relieve my uncertainty, I will entreat the King to enable me to answer your demands.

I have the honor to be, Sir, with sincere regard, your very humble and obedient servant,

DE VERGENNES.

TO COUNT DE VERGENNES.

Pa.s.sy, December 17th, 1782.

Sir,

I received the letter your Excellency did me the honor of writing to me on the 15th instant. The proposal of having a pa.s.sport from England was agreed to by me the more willingly, as I at that time had hopes of obtaining some money to send in the Was.h.i.+ngton, and the pa.s.sport would have made its transportation safer, with that of our despatches, and of yours also, if you had thought fit to make use of the occasion.

Your Excellency objected, as I understood it, that the English Ministers by their letters sent in the same s.h.i.+p, might convey inconvenient expectations into America. It was therefore I proposed not to press for the pa.s.sport, till your preliminaries were also agreed to. They have sent the pa.s.sport without being pressed to do it, and they have sent no letters to go under it, and ours will prevent the inconvenience apprehended. In a subsequent conversation your Excellency mentioned your intention of sending some of the King's cutters, whence I imagined, that detaining the Was.h.i.+ngton was no longer necessary; and it was certainly inc.u.mbent on us to give Congress as early an account as possible of our proceedings, who will think it extremely strange to hear of them by other means, without a line from us. I acquainted your Excellency, however, with our intention of despatching that s.h.i.+p, supposing you might possibly have something to send by her.

Nothing has been agreed in the preliminaries contrary to the interests of France; and no peace is to take place between us and England, till you have concluded yours. Your observation is, however, apparently just, that in not consulting you before they were signed, we have been guilty of neglecting a point of _bienseance_. But as this was not from want of respect for the King, whom we all love and honor, we hope it will be excused, and that the great work, which has. .h.i.therto been so happily conducted, is so nearly brought to perfection, and is so glorious to his reign, will not be ruined by a single indiscretion of ours. And certainly the whole edifice sinks to the ground immediately, if you refuse on that account to give us any further a.s.sistance.

We have not yet despatched the s.h.i.+p, and I beg leave to wait upon you on Friday for your answer.

It is not possible for any one to be more sensible than I am, of what I and every American owe to the King, for the many and great benefits and favors he has bestowed upon us. All my letters to America are proofs of this; all tending to make the same impressions on the minds of my countrymen, that I felt in my own. And I believe, that no Prince was ever more beloved and respected by his own subjects, than the King is by the people of the United States. _The English, I just now learn, flatter themselves they have already divided us._ I hope this little misunderstanding will therefore be kept a secret, and that they will find themselves totally mistaken.

With great and sincere respect, I am, Sir, your Excellency's most obedient and most humble servant,

B. FRANKLIN.

TO ROBERT R. LIVINGSTON.