Extract of a Letter to Robert R. Livingston, Esq.

Passy, July 22, 1783. YOU have complained sometimes with reason of not hearing often from your foreign ministers; we have had cause to make the same complaints, six full months having intervened between the latest date of your preceding letters and the receipt of those per captain Barney. During all this time we were ignorant of the reception of the provisional treaty, and the sentiments of congress upon it, which if we had received sooner might have forwarded the proceedings on the definitive treaty, and perhaps brought it to a conclusion at a time more favorable than the present. But these occasional interruptions of correspondence are the inevitable consequences of a state of war, and of such remote situations.

Barney had a short passage, and arrived some days before colonel Ogden, who also brought dispatches from you, all of which are come safe to hand.

We the commissioners have in our joint capacity written a letter to you, which you will receive with this. I shall now answer yours of March 26, May 9, and May 31.

It gave me great pleasure to learn by the first, that the news of the peace diffused general satisfaction. I will not now take upon me to justify the apparent reserve respecting this court at the signature, which you disapprove. We have touched upon it in our general letter. I do not see, however, that they have much reason to complain of that transaction. Nothing was stipulated to their prejudice, and none of the stipulations were to have force but by a subsequent act of their own. I suppose, indeed, that they have not complained of it, or you would have sent me a copy of the complaint, that we might have answered it. I long since satisfied count de Vergennes about it here. We did what appeared to all of us best at the time, and if we have done wrong, the congress will do right, after hearing us, to censure us. Their nomination of five persons to the service, seems to mark that they had some dependence on our joint judgment, since one alone,

could have made a treaty by direction of the French ministry as well as twenty. I will only add, that with respect to myself, neither the letter from Mr. Marbois, handed to us through the British negotiators, (a suspicious channel) nor the conversations respecting the fishery, the boundaries, the royalists, &c. recommending moderation in our demands, are of weight sufficient in my mind, to fix an opinion that this court wished to restrain us in obtaining any degree of advantage we could prevail on our enemies to accord; since those discourses are fairly resolvable, by supposing a very natural apprehension, that we relying too much on the ability of France to continue the war in our favor, and supply us constantly with money, might insist on more advantages than the English would be willing to grant, and thereby lose the opportunity of making peace, so necessary to all our friends.

When the commercial article, mentioned in yours of the 26th, was struck out of our proposed preliminaries, by the then British ministry, the reason given was, that sundry acts of parliament still in force were against it, and must be first repealed, which I believe was actually their intention, and sundry bills were accordingly brought in for that purpose. But new ministers with different principles succeeding, a commercial proclamation totally different from those bills has lately appeared. I send inclosed a copy of it. We shall try what can be done in the definitive treaty, towards setting aside that proclamation; but if it should be persisted in, it will then be a matter worthy the attentive discussion of congress, whether it will be most prudent to retort with a similar regulation in order to force its repeal, which may possibly tend to bring on another quarrel, or to let it pass without notice, and leave it to its own inconvenience or rather impracticability in the execution, and to the complaints of the West India planters, who must all pay much dearer for our produce under those restrictions. I am not enough master of the course of our commerce, to give an opinion on this particular question; and it does not behove me to do it; yet I have seen so much embarrassment and so little advantage in all the re

straining and compulsive systems, that I feel myself strongly inclined to believe that a State, which leaves all her ports open to all the world upon equal terms, will by that means have foreign commodities cheaper, and sell its own productions dearer, and be on .the whole most prosperous. I have heard some merchants say, that there is ten per cent. difference between Will you buy? and Will you sell? When foreigners bring us their goods, they want to part with them speedily, that they may purchase their cargoes and dispatch their ships, which are at constant charges in our ports. We have then the advantage of their, Will you buy? and when they demand our produce, we have the advantage of their Will you sell? and the concurring demands of a number also contribute to raise our prices. Thus both these questions are in our favor at home; against us abroad. The employing, however, of our own ships, and raising a breed of seamen among us, though it should not be a matter of so much private profit as some imagine, is nevertheless of political importance, and must have weight in considering this subject.

The judgment you make of the conduct of France in the peace, and the greater glory acquired by her moderation than even by her arms, appears to me perfectly just. The character of this court and nation seems of late years to be considerably changed. The ideas of aggrandizement by conquest, are out of fashion; and those of commerce are more enlightened and more generous than heretofore. We shall soon, I believe, feel something of this, in our being admitted to greater freedom of trade with their islands. The wise here think France great enough, and its ambition at present seems to be only that of justice and magnanimity towards other nations, fidelity, and utility to its allies.

I have received no answer yet from congress to my request of being dismissed from this service. They should methinks reflect, that if they continue me here, the faults I may henceforth commit through the infirmities of age, will be rather theirs than mine.

I am glad my journal afforded you any pleasure. I will, as you desire, endeavor to continue it.

I am sorry to find that you have thoughts of quitting the service. I do not think your place can be easily well supplied. You mention that an entire new arrangement, with respect to foreign affairs, is under consideration: I wish to know whether any notice is likely to be taken in it of my grandson. He has now gone through an apprenticeship of near seven years in the ministerial business, and is very capable of serving the states in that line, as possessing all the requisites of knowlege, zeal, activity, language, and address. He is liked here, and count de Vergennes has expressed to me in warm terms his very good opinion of him. The late Swedish ambassador count de Creutz, who is gone home to be prime minister, desired I would endeavor to procure his being sent to Sweden. with a public character, assuring me, that he should be glad to receive him there, as our minister, and that he knew it would be pleasing to the king. The present Swedish ambassador has also proposed the same thing to me, as you will see by a letter of his which I inclose. One of the Danish ministers. M. Waltersdorff, (who will probably be sent in a public character to congress) has also expressed his wish that my grandson may be sent to Denmark. But it is not, my custom to solicit employments for myself or any of my family, and I shall not do it in this case. I only hope that if he is not to be employed in your new arrangement, I may be informed of it as soon as possible, that while I have strength left for it, I may accompany him in a tour to Italy, returning through Germany, which I think he may make to more advantage with me than alone, and which I have long promised to afford him, as a reward for his faithful service, and his tender filial attachment to me.

Our people who were prisoners in England are now all discharged. During the whole war, those who were in Forton prison near Portsmouth, were much befriended by the constant charitable care of Mr. Wren, a Presbyterian miVOL. VI.

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nister there; who spared no pains to assist them in their sickness and distress, by procuring and distributing among them the contributions of good christians, and prudently dispensing the allowance I made them, which gave him a deal of trouble, but he went through it cheerfully. I think some particular notice should be taken of this good man. I wish the congress would enable me to make him a present, and that some of our universities would confer upon him the [degree of doctor.

The duke of Manchester, who has always been our friend in the house of lords, is now here ambassador from England. I dine with him to-day (26th) and if any thing of importance occurs, I will add it in a postscript.

Be pleased to present my dutiful respects to the congress, assure them of my most faithful services, and believe me to be with great and sincere esteem, sir, &c.

B. FRANKLIN.

SIR,

To M. le Comte de Vergennes.

Passy, Aug. 16, 1783.

I HAVE the honor to inform your excellency, that the English ministry do not agree to any of the propositions that have been made either by us, or by their minister here; and they have sent over a plan for the definitive treaty, which consists merely of the preliminaries formerly signed, with a short introductory paragraph, and another at the conclusion, confirming and establishing the said preliminary articles. My colleagues seem inclined to sign this with Mr. Hartley, and so to finish the affair.

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

B. FRANKLIN.