sieur, votre petit fils avec vous, il pourra nous etre necessaire pour rendre plusieurs choses d'Anglois en Francois, et même pour ecrire. L'objet dont j'ai à vous entretenir est très interressant pour les Etats Unis, vos maitres.

J'ai l'honneur d'etre avec une parfaite consideration, monsieur, votre très humble et ès obeissant serviteur,

DE VERGENNES.

Versailles, le Samedi soir, 18 Janvier, 1783.

TRANSLATION.

Letter from the Count de Vergennes to Mr. Franklin.

IT is essential, sir, that I should have the honor of conferring with yourself, with Mr. Adams, and those of your colleagues who may be in Paris. I have therefore to request, sir, that you will be pleased to invite those gentlemen to come to Versailles, with you, on Monday, before ten o'clock in the morning. It will be well, sir, to bring with you your grand. son, as it will be necessary to translate some English into French, and also to write. The subject I have to converse with you upon is very interesting to the United States, your masters.

I have the honor to be, sir, with profound consideration your most obedient humble servant,

(Signed)

Versailles, Saturday evening, 18th Jan. 1783.

DE VERGENNES.

SIR,

To M. le Comte de Vergennes.

Passy, Jan. 18, 1783, at ten P. M.

AGREEABLE to the notice just received from your excellency, I shall acquaint Mr. Adams with your desire to see us on Monday before ten o'clock at Versailles, and we shall endeavor to be punctual. My other colleagues are absent, Mr. Laurens being gone to Bath in England, to recover his health, and Mr. Jay into Normandy.

With great respect, I have the honor to be, sir, your excellency's, &c.

B. FRANKLIN.

I shall bring my grandson, as you desire.

From B. Vaughan, Esq., to Dr. Franklin.

(Private.)

MY DEAREST SIR,

Paris, Jan. 18, 1783.

I CANNOT but in the most earnest manner, and from recent circumstances, press your going early to Versailles tomorrow; and I have considerable reason to think, that your appearance there will not displease the person whom you address. I am of opinion, that it is very likely, that you will have the glory of having concluded the peace, by this visit; at least I am sure, if the deliberations of to-morrow evening end unfavorably, that there is the strongest appearance of war; and if they end favorably, perhaps little difficulty may attend the rest.

After all, the peace will have as much that is conceded in it, as England can in any shape be made just now to relish; owing to the stubborn demands, principally of Spain, who would not I believe upon any motive recede from her conquests. What I wrote about Gibraltar, arrived after the subject as I understand was canvassed, and when it of course must have appeared impolitic eagerly and immediately to revive it.

You reproved me, or rather reproved a political scheme yesterday, of which I have heard more said favorably by your friends at Paris, than by any persons whatever in London. But do you, my dear sir, make this peace, and trust our common sense respecting another war. England, said a man of sense to me the other day, will come out of the war like a convalescent out of a disease, and must be re-established by some physic and much regimen. I cannot easily tell in what shape a bankruptcy would come upon England, and still less easily in what mode and degree it would affect us; but if your confederacy mean to bankrupt us now, I am sure we shall lose the great fear that would deter us from another war. Your allies therefore for policy, and for humanity's sake, will I hope stop short of this extremity; especially as we

should do some mischief first to others, as well as to ourselves.

I am, my dearest sir, your ever devoted, ever affectionate, and ever obliged,

B. VAUGHAN.

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

With Propositions.

MY DEAR FRIEND,

London, March 12, 1783.

IT is a long while since I have heard from you, or indeed since I writ to you. I heartily congratulate you on those pacific events which have already happened, and I wish to see all other final steps of conciliation succeed speedily. I send you copies of two papers, which I have already communicated to Mr. Laurens; the one called Conciliatory Propositions, in March, 1783; the other A Sketch of a provisional treaty of Commerce for opening the ports between Great Britain and the United States of America, without delay; to each of which is prefixed a short state of the argument on each head.

As for the news of this country, you have doubtless heard, that lord Shelburne's administration has for some time been considered as at an end; although no other has been as yet substituted in the place of it. It was understood yesterday, and I believe with good foundation, that what is now called the Portland party have been applied to, and they are now considered as the party most likely to succeed. As far as my wishes go, such an event would be most satisfactory to me. I have known the duke of Portland for many years, and by experience I know him to be a nobleman of the strictest honor and of the soundest whig principles, sincere and explicit in every thought and transaction, manly in his judgment, and firm in his conduct. The kingdom of Ireland, of which he was lately lord-lieutenant, bears unanimous testimony to this character of him. The Cavendish family (a good whig name) VOL. VI. 3 X

Mr. Fox, lord Fitzwilliam, &c. &c., form the core of his system and connections. I most earnestly wish to see a firm administration upon a whig foundation, which I should consider as a solid basis, on the part of this country, for a perpetual correspondence of amity and conciliation with America. I am very anxious to hear of your health. God bless you. Ever your most affectionate,

D. HARTLEY.

Conciliatory Propositions, March, 1783.

TERMS of peace having been agreed upon between Great Britain and France, on the 20th January, 1783, there need not be any farther delay in proceeding to conclude the proposed treaty between Great Britain and the United States of America, upon the basis of the provisional articles of the 30th of Nov. 1782.

It is to be observed that none of the articles of the provisional treaty are to take effect, until the conclusion of the definitive treaty with America, at which time likewise all places in the American States, in possession of the British arms, are to be evacuated, and the British army withdrawn from the United States (by article 7). If therefore it should be wished on the part of Great Britain to bring forward the fifth article respecting the loyalists, before the conclusion of the definitive treaty with America, the bayonet should be withdrawn from the American breast by the voluntary removal of the British troops with all convenient dispatch. This condition of the removal of the troops is likewise necessary before any provisional terms of commerce with America can take place.

By the 6th article of the provisional treaty, all future confiscations in America are precluded, although the prosecutions at present subsisting, are not to be stopped before the definitive treaty. But if the substantial pledge of returning amity on the part of Great Britain, viz., the removal of the troops, should be voluntarily anticipated, it would be but reasonable that all prosecutions should be immediately abated

on the part of America; and to facilitate the removal of the troops, the loyalists may be permitted to remain in safety, and unmolested (if they choose to remain) from the period of removing the troops until twelve months after the definitive treaty.

There is another article of the provisional treaty, the delay of which is much to be lamented, viz., the mutual release of prisoners of war on both sides. As this is an article of · reciprocity, both sides, from principles of humanity, are equally interested to bring it forward into effect speedily; that those unhappy captives may not alone suffer the miseries of war in the time of peace.

Upon these considerations the following supplemental terms of treaty between Great Britain and the United States are proposed:

1, That the British troops shall be withdrawn with all convenient speed.

2, That the commissioners on both sides do proceed to the conclusion of the definitive treaty.

s, That the commissioners do speedily negotiate a provisional convention of commerce (hereunto annexed) to take place immediately. The terms of this temporary convention not to be pleaded on either side in the negotiation of a final and perpetual treaty of commerce between Great Britain and the United States.

4, That the commissioners do negotiate a perpetual treaty of commerce.

5, That all prosecutions of the loyalists in America be immediately abated, and that they be permitted to remain until twelve months after the definitive treaty, unmolested in their endeavors to obtain restitution of their estates.

6, That all prisoners on both sides be immediately released.

7, That intercourse of amity and commerce do immediately take place between Great Britain and the United States. of America.