posals to induce this court to treat without us. I understand that several sacrifices were offered to be made, and among the rest Canada to be given up to France. The substance of the answer appears in my last letter to Mr. Hartley. But there is a sentence omitted in that letter, which I much liked, viz. "that whenever the two crowns should come to treat, his most christian majesty would show how much the engagements he might enter into, were to be relied on, by his exact observance of those he already had with his present allies.”

If you have received any thing in consequence of your answer by Digges, you will oblige me by communicating it. The ministers here were much pleased with the account given them of your interview by the ambassador.

With great respect I am, sir, your excellency's &c.

B. FRANKLIN.

DEAR SIR,

Soho Square, May 24, 1782.

IT is with the greatest pleasure I take up my pen to acknowlege your remembrance of me in yours to my brother, and to thank you for those expressions of regard which I can assure you are mutual. My brother has desired me to copy some letters and papers, by way of sending you duplicates. I am particularly happy at the employment, because the greatest object of my parliamentary life has been to co-operate with him in his endeavors to put a period to this destructive war, and forward the blessed work of peace. I hope to see him again in that situation, where he can so well serve his country with credit to himself; and while I have the honor of being in parliament, my attention will be continued to promote the effects, which will naturally flow from those principles of freedom and universal philanthropy you have both so much supported. While I copy his words my own feelings and judgment are truly in unison, and I have but to add the most ardent wish that peace and happiness may crown the honest endeavors towards so desirable an end.

I am, dear sir, with the greatest respect and esteem, yours sincerely,

Dr. Franklin.

W. H. HARTLEY.

From David Hartley, Esq., M. P., to Dr. Franklin.

MY DEAR FRIEND,

London, May 25, 1782.

YOURS of the 13th instant I received by Mr. Oswald. I did not doubt but that the news of a general and absolute release of the American prisoners, which lord Shelburne was so good to communicate to me, in answer to that part of your letter of the 5th of April, in which you speak so pathetically of sweet reconciliation, would give you much sincere and heartfelt pleasure. God send that it may be the happy omen of final reconciliation and durable peace. I should be very happy to hear that good news from you, and in any way to contribute to it. Having on that subject communicated the preliminaries, dated May, 1782, to lórd Shelburne, you may be assured that I have no reservations upon that head respecting America, in any circumstances or condition whatever. You know all my thoughts upon that subject, and the principles upon which they are founded, and therefore that they are not changeable.

It would give me the greatest pleasure if I could hope for any opportunity of seeing you. I could say many things which are otherwise incommunicable, and which perhaps would contribute to facilitate the road to peace. I think I see in many parts, much matter to work with, out of which a peace, honorable to all parties, and upon durable principles, might be established. No degrading or mortifying conditions, to shorten peace and rekindle war. Perhaps I might not say too much if I were to add, that simply the adoption of reason among nations, and the mere rectification of obsolete and gothic absurdities, which carry no gratification, would afford VOL. VI.

30

a fund of remuneration to all parties, for renouncing those objects of mutual contention, which, in the eye of reason, are no better than creatures of passion, jealousy, and false pride. Until the principles of reason and equity shall be adopted in national transactions, peace will not be durable amongst men. These are reflections general to all nations. As to the mutual concerns between Great Britain and North America, reconciliation is the touch-stone to prove those hearts which are without alloy. If I can be of any assistance to you in any communications or explanations conducive to peace, you may command my utmost services. Even if a French minister were to overhear such an offer, let him not take it in jealous part. Zealously and affectionately attached to my own country and to America, I am nevertheless most perfectly of accord with you, that justice and honor should be observed towards all nations. Mr. Oswald, will do me the favor, to convey this to you. I heartily wish him success in his pacific embassy. Yours ever most affectionately,

G. B.

SIR,

To Dr. Franklin."

Paris, June 5, 1782.

WHILE Mr. Laurens was under confinement in England, he promised, that on condition of his being liberated upon his parole, he would apply to you for an exchange in favor of my lord Cornwallis, by a discharge of his lordship's, granted upon the surrender of his garrison at the village of York, in Virginia; and, in case of your being under any difficulty in making such exchange, he undertook to write to the congress, and to request it of that assembly; making no doubt of obtaining a favorable answer, without loss of time.

This proposal, signed by Mr. Laurens's hand, I carried and delivered, I think, in the month of December last, to his

This subject is more detailed in Vol. V. page 226, of this edition.

majesty's then secretaries of state, which was duly attended to; and in consequence thereof, Mr. Laurens was soon after set at full liberty. And though not a prisoner under parole, yet it is to be hoped, a variation in the mode of discharge, will not be supposed of any essential difference.

And with respect to Mr. Laurens, I am satisfied he will consider himself as much interested in the success of this application, as if his own discharge had been obtained under the form as proposed by the representation which I delivered to the secretaries of state; and, I make no doubt, will sincerely join my lord Cornwallis in an acknowlegment of your favor and good offices in granting his lordship a full discharge of his parole abovementioned.

I have the honor to be, with much respect, sir, your most obedient humble servant, RICHARD OSWALD.

PS. Major Ross has got no copy of lord Cornwallis's parole. He says it was in the common form, as in like cases.

Since writing the above, I recollect I was under a mistake, as if the proposal of exchange came first from Mr. Laurens; whereas it was made by his majesty's secretaries of state to me, that Mr. Laurens should endeavor to procure the exchange of lord Cornwallis, so as to be discharged himself. Which proposal I carried to Mr. Laurens, and had from him the obligation abovementioned, upon which the mode of his discharge was settled. R. O.

SIR,

To Richard Oswald, Esq.

Passy, June 6, 1782.

I RECEIVED the letter you did me the honor of writing to me, respecting the parole of lord Cornwallis. You are acquainted with what I wrote, some time since, to Mr. Laurens. To-morrow is post day from Holland, when possibly

I

may receive an answer, with a paper drawn up by him for

the purpose of discharging that parole, to be signed by us jointly. I suppose the staying at Paris another day will not

be very inconvenient to major Ross; and if I do not hear to-morrow from Mr. Laurens, I will immediately, in compliance with your request, do what I can towards the liberation of lord Cornwallis.

I have the honor to be, with great respect, sir, your most obedient humble servant, B. FRANKLIN.

SIR,

John Adams, Esq., to Dr. Franklin.

The Hague, June 13, 1782.

I HAD yesterday at Amsterdam, the honor of receiving your excellency's letter of June 2d.

The discovery that Mr. Grenville's power was only to treat with France, does not surprise me at all. The British ministry are too divided among themselves, and have too formidable an opposition against them, in the king and the old ministers, and are possessed of too little of the confidence of the nation, to have courage to make concessions of any sort, especially since the news of their successes in the East and West Indies. What their vanity will end in God only knows: for my own part, I cannot see a probability, that they will ever make peace, until their finances are ruined, and such distresses brought upon them, as will work up their partics into a civil war.

I wish their enemies could by any means be persuaded to carry on the war against them in places, where they might be sure of triumphs, instead of insisting on pursuing it, where they are sure of defeat. But we must take patience, and wait for time to do, what wisdom might easily and soon do.

I have not as yet taken any engagements with the Dutch not to make peace without them; but I will take such engagements in a moment, if the Dutch will take them, and I believe they would very cheerfully. I shall not propose it, however, till I have the concurrence of the duke de la Vauguyon, who will do nothing without the instructions of his court. I would not delay it a moment from any expectation that the English