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The United States of America in Congress Assembled judging that an intercourse between the Subjects of His Prussian Majesty and the Citizens of the said States founded on the principles of equality reciprocity and friendship, may be of mutual advantage to both nations, on the twelfth day of May last, issued their Commission under the Seal of the said States to the Subscribers as their...
The American Ministers plenipotentiary exhibited officially to the Count de Vergennes Minister and Secretary of State having the Department of foreign Affairs, the Commission of the United States in Congress assembled authorizing them to negotiate & conclude a supplementary Treaty between the United States and His Most Christian Majesty—a Copy whereof was left with the Count, who informed...
The objects of the supplementary Treaty proposed on the part of the United States with His Sweedish Majesty are in substance these: MS in David Humphreys’ hand ( PCC , No. 116, f. 46–47). At the head of the MS , David Humphreys wrote, “in consequence of the preceding letter the subsequent verbal information was remitted to his Excellency the Ambassador by the hand of M r d’Asp Secretary to the...
We have received the Letter you did us the honour to write us on the 27 th day of Sept r last, and we thank you for your care in transmitting to your Court, the information of our appointment to treat with it. You desire to be informed if one or more of us can repair to Madrid for the purpose of conducting & concluding the negotiation, because that it is the system of your Court in matters...
The United States of america in Congress assembled judging that an intercourse between the Subjects of his Britannic Majesty & the Citizens of the Said States founded on the Principles of equality, reciprocity & friendship may be of mutual advantage to both nations, on the 12 th. day of may last, issued their Commission under the Seal of the Said States to the Subscribers as their Ministers...
While M. hartley was here as Minister from the Court of Great Britain, we had the honour of mentioning to him that we were instructed by the Congress to treat on Some points distinct from any regulations of Commerce He Communicated this to his Court & the very Satisfactory answer which he received & made to us of its good disposition & willingness to receive & consider any propositions that...
We received the Letter your Excellency did us the honour of writing to us the 8 th Ult o. together with the copy of your full powers to treat with us. M r Adams had as you suppose, preserved a copy of the project of a Treaty that had been concerted between your Excellency & him; but having by instruction from the Congress our Sovereign certain new articles to propose in all our Treaties with...
By the original Law of Nations war and extirpation was the punishment of injury—humanizing by degrees, it admitted slavery instead of death. A farther step was, the exchange of prisoners instead of slavery. Another, to respect more the property of private persons under conquest, and be content with acquired dominion. Why should not this Law of Nations go on improving? Ages have intervened...
Your Favour of the 24 th: of Jan y. did not reach me, untill two Days ago. I communicated the Observations, inclosed in it, immediately to my Colleagues, who will transmit you our Answers, as soon as Health, and other Circumstances will admit. I have communicated to them also, your personal and confidential observations to me. They will have great Weight as they ought to have. I am weary of...
We had the honour of receiving your Letter of Jan ry: 24. covering a translation into French of the Draught of a treaty proposed between His Majesty the King of Prussia & the United States of America, together with answers to the several articles. We have considered them with attention, & with all those dispositions to accomodate them to the wishes of His Majesty which a respect for his...
Having assembled together at this place about the latter end of August we proceeded in obedience to the commands of Congress to notify our appointment and its objects to such Powers as we thought it adviseable at that time to address. We wrote a circular letter in the form N o. 1. to the Ambassadors or other Ministers residing here from the courts of Saxony; the two Sicilies, Sardinia, Venice,...
We have received the Extract of the letter from Monsieur de Sa of the 24 th Oct r 1784 which your Excellency was pleased to send us by the hand of the Secretary of your legation. “That in consequence of our letter your Excellency might assure us that Her Most faithful Majesty will be very glad to have the best correspondence with the United States, and that we may explain to your Excellency...
We have received the Letter which your grace did us the honour of writing us on the 24 th. day of Last month, and we received with much Satisfaction the assurances on the part of his Britannic Majesty’s Ministers of their readiness to take into consideration any proposals coming from the United States of america that Can tend to the establishing a System of mutual & permanent advantage, to the...
We have received your letter of the 16 th. of Nov r. wherein you are pleased to inform us that you had communicated to His Royal Highness the Grand Duke of Tuscany the overtures we had the honour of making for the establishment of a treaty of Amity & Commerce between the Subjects of His Royal Highness & the Citizens of the United States of America; that these were agreeable to him, and that...
In our letter of Nov r 11 th. we had the honour of laying before Congress a state of our proceedings till that date. As from that it would appear that the last communications had in every instance passed from us to the other parties we can now only add the answers of such of them as have yet answered, & our replies; these are the courts of Portugal, Tuscany & Great Britain. N o. 1. is a copy...
We have received the letter you did us the honour to write us on the 10 th day of December last. We supposed that the principles contained in the project of a Treaty, which we had the honour to transmit you, were a virtual answer to the requisition in the last lines of your letter of the eighteenth of October. By the second & third Articles, the citizens & subjects of each power may frequent...
In our last of Dec r. 15 we had the honour of communicating to Congress our letter to the Ambassador of Portugal which accompanied the draught of the treaty of Amity & Commerce proposed on our part. Since that date he addressed to us the letter N o. 1. acknowledging the receipt of ours & informing us that he had forwarded it to his court. The Baron de Thulemeier also, the Prussian Minister at...
We received by the last Packet the favor of your letter of Jan ry. 14. in which we have the agreeable information of your having accepted the appointment of Secretary for foreign Affairs. Besides the general interest we feel in this event as members of the Union which is to availed of your services, we are particularly happy that a channel of communication is opened for us with Congress in...
We have the honour to enclose an extract of a letter from the Commissioners of the United States of America to Your Excellency dated Aug st. 28 th. 1778. Copy of Your Excellency’s ans r dated 27. Sept r. 1778. & Copy of M. de Sartine’s letter to Your Excellency of the 21 st of Sept r. 1778 all relative to a proposed negotiation with the States of Barbary. Not having any particular authority or...
Our letter to you the 18 th day of March with those preceding that period which had been addressed to the President of Congress have conveyed exact details of our transactions till that time. Since the making out of that dispatch the following proceedings have taken place. The letter N o 1. from M r. Carmichaels to D r Franklin dated Feb y. 27. 1784 (instead of 1785) will apprize you that...
Our last letter to you was dated April 13. 1785. and went by the packet of that month from l’Orient. Since that date the Letter N o. 1. a. directed to D tr Franklin enclosing those marked N o. 1. b & c. and also the paper N o. 2. have come to hand. These relate to supplies furnished by M r Harrison to the crew of the ship Betsy taken by the Emperor of Morocco, on which subject Congress will be...
We received in due time the letter which your Grace did us the honour to write us on the 26 th day of March last, and have delayed the acknowledgment of it in expectation of the arrival of the packets, by which we hoped for further Instructions from Congress. We have now the honor to inform your Grace that Congress on the 24 th day of Feb y last, appointed a Minister Plenipotentiary to reside...
A Treaty of Amity & Commerce between the United States of America & his Majesty the King of Prussia having been arranged with the Baron de Thulemeyer his Majesty’s Envoy Extraordinary at the Hague specially empowered for this Purpose and it being inconsistent with our other Duties to repair to that Place ourselves for the Purpose of executing & exchanging the Instruments of Treaty, we hereby...
The United States of America, heretofore connected in Government with Great Britain, have found it necessary for their Happiness to Seperate from her, and to assume an independant Station. consisting of a number of Seperate States, they have confederated together, and placed the Sovereignty of the whole, in matters relating to foreign nations, in an body an Assembly consisting of Delegates...
Heads of enquiry for M r Barclay as to Morocco, Algiers, Tunis & c — 1 Commerce. What are the articles of their export & import? what articles of American produce might find a market in Morocco, Algiers, Tunis, Tripoli & c. and at what prices? whether rice, flour, tobacco, furs, ready built ships, fish, oil, tar, turpintine, ship timber & c. and whether any of these articles would hereafter be...
We have the honor to inform you that we have rec d. fm. the U: States of America, in Congress, full power & instructions to form treaties with the Emperor of Morocco & the Regencies of Algiers, Tunis & Tripoli, and we enclose you a Copy of a Resolution of Congress of 14 th. February 1785. impowering us to apply so much of the money borrowed in Holland to that use as we may deem necessary, not...
M r. Barclay will deliver you this letter in his way to Morocco. We have appointed him to this negotiation in hopes of obtaining the friendship of that State to our country, & of opening by that means the commerce of the Mediterranean, an object of sufficient importance to induce him to accept of the trust We recommend him & Col o. Franks who goes with him to your attention & assistance, and...
We do ourselves the Honour to acquaint your Excellency, that We have appointed Thomas Barclay Esq the Consul General of the United States in France, to proceed to the coast of Barbary in Africa, there to enter into Negotiation and to endeavour to form Treaties, of Amity between the United States and the King or Emperor of Morocco or Fez; the Regencies of Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli, or with any...
The Congress of the United States of America after the conclusion of that war which established their freedom & independance, & after the cares which were first necessary for the restoration of order & regular government, turned their attention in the first moment possible to the connections which it would be proper to form with the nations on this side the Atlantic for the maintenance of...
Congress having been pleased to invest us with full powers for entering into treaty of Amity and Alliance with the Emperor of Morocco, and it being impracticable for us to attend his court in person & equally impracticable on account of our seperate stations to receive a Minister from him, we have concluded to effect our object by the intervention of a confidential person. We concur in wishing...
We have received information that two American vessels, the Dauphin from Philadelphia & and the Maria from Boston with their Crews & Cargoes have lately been taken by the Algerines off the coast of Portugal, & that the crews are reduced to slavery. Our full powers to that State being for the general purpose only of concluding a treaty of Amity & Commerce, the redemption of our citizens made...
The friendly dispositions which his Majesty has been pleased to shew to the United States of America on every occasion, as well as the assurances given them in the 8 th. Art. of the treaty of Amity & Commerce that he would employ his good offices & interposition with the powers on the coast of Barbary to provide for the safety of the Citizens of the United States their vessels and effects...
To all to whom these Presents shall come or, be may be made known. Whereas the United States of America in Congress Assembled, reposing special trust & confidence in the integrity prudence & ability of their trusty & well-beloved the Hon ble John Adams late one of their Ministers Plenipotentiary for negotiating a peace, and heretofore a Delegate in Congress from the State of Massachusetts &...
We have the Honour to transmit to Congress, by M r Fitzhughs, the Treaty between the United States and the King of Prussia, Signed Seperately by your Ministers at the Several Places of their Residence, and by the Baron De Thulemeier at the Hague, in English and French and exchanged at the Hague in Presence of M r Short and M r Dumas. As this Treaty may be of considerable Importance to the...
Soon after the arrival of M r. Jefferson in London, We had a conference with the Ambassador of Tripoli, at His House. The amount of all the Information we could obtain from him was that a perpetual peace was in all respects the most adviseable, because a temporary treaty would leave room for increasing demands upon every renewal of it and a stipulation for annual payments, would be liable to...
Agreably to your Lordships request expressed to one of Us in Conversation, and again communicated to Us through M r Fraser, We have drawn up the enclosed Project of a Treaty of Commerce, which We do ourselves the Honour to propose to the Consideration of his Majestys Ministers. We have the Honour to be My lord / your Lordships most obedient and / most humble servants The Subjects of His...
Soon after our meeting together in London, We had a Conference with the Secretary of State for foreign Affairs, in which we communicated to him, the joint Commission of Congress, for negotiating a Treaty of Commerce with Great Britain, and left an attested Copy of it in the hands of his Lordship. At the same time his Lordship was informed that as the Commission was limited to two years...
We have written to M r Lamb, to return to America without Loss of Time, either by the first Opportunity from any Port in Spain, or by the French Packett at L’Orient.— If You Should choose to Accompany him, We wish to accommodate you and therefore consent: but our Desire is rather that you Should come first to Paris & London that We may avail ourselves of an opportunity of conversing with you...
We have transmitted to M r. Lamb a Resolution of Congress vacating his Commission & Instructions & we had long before written to him, that we had no further service for him in Europe, and advising him to embark by the first oppertunity for America & lay his accounts before Congress— But by his Letter of october the 10 th. to M r. Jefferson dated Alicant he say’s “he is not able to take passage...
To His Excellency, Sidi Hadg Jaher Ben Abdelhack Fennish, in the service of His Majesty the Emperor of Morocco— We have received, with high satisfaction the Letter, which Your Excellency, by the Command of His Majesty the Emperor of Morocco did us the honor to write Us, on the 1 st. day of the blessed month Ramaden 1200 and transmitted to us by the Honourable Thomas Barclay Esquire, who was...
We had the honor of transmitting to Congress, Copies of the Commission and Instructions, which in pursuance of the Authority delegated to Us, were given to M r Barclay, to conduct a negotiation with Algiers Morocco. M r Barclay has conducted that Business to a happy Conclusion, and has brought with him Testimonials of his prudent Conduct, from the Emperor of Morocco and his Minister, So clear...
ALS : Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères We beg Leave to acquaint your Excellency, that we are appointed and fully impowered by the Congress of the United States of America, to propose and negotiate a Treaty of Amity and Commerce between France and the said States. The just and generous Treatment their Trading Ships have received, by a free Admission into the Ports of this Kingdom,...
ALS : Archivo Historico Nacional; draft: Harvard University Library We wish to inform your Excellency, that we are directed by the United States of America, to cultivate the Friendship of the Court of Spain, with that of France. For that purpose, as well as to pay our personal Respects to your Excellency, we purpose to wait upon you to-morrow, or on any other Day that will be more convenient,...
ALS : Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères; copy: Harvard University Library. On Sunday, January 5, the commissioners went to Versailles. That evening they sent a brief note to Vergennes asking for an audience on Monday morning. Such an interview in the spotlight of the court would have been quite different from the previous clandestine meeting in Paris, but the idea never seems to...
AL : Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères Dr. Franklin, Mr. Dean, and Mr. Lee, present their most respectful Complimts. to the Count de Vergennes; and request an audience of his Excellency, to-morrow morning, at such hour as he shall be pleas’d to appoint. Notation: 1777. Janvier 5. In BF ’s hand according to Stevens ( Facsimiles , VI , no. 613), but actually in Arthur Lee’s. We have...
D : Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères The situation of the United-states, require an immediate supply of Stores of various sorts, of which a proportion of Military for the opening and supporting the coming Campaign. Vessels or Ships belonging to the United-States cannot be procured, and if they could, the Danger and Risque would be very great. Diffuculties have arose at the...
(I) D : Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères; copy: American Philosophical Society; incomplete copy, Harvard University Library. (II) AD (draft): American Philosophical Society On January 9 the commissioners met with a committee of the farmers general to begin negotiations for a tobacco contract. The agenda of that meeting, or the product of it, was written questions from the farmers...
Copy: University of Virginia Library This letter of appointment is the only dated record of one of the most bizarre schemes to which the commissioners ever lent themselves. A considerable amount of material about the plan is extant among Franklin’s papers in the American Philosophical Society: two letters from the Baron to the commissioners, a proposed agreement between him and Franklin, and a...
D : American Philosophical Society 1. M. de Portal demands to be at the Head of the Corps d’Ingenieurs in America: and under the Orders only of the General, or the Commander in chief in the Place where he may be. 2. He demands a Rank superior to that he enjoys at present, which is Major in the marine Infantry. 3. He proposes to take two Captains of the same Professions with him: to whom should...
AL : Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères; copy: Harvard University Library The commissioners are here acknowledging, on the surface, the King’s message that Gérard had transmitted to them the day before. Their gratitude, however, had little to do with the message, which offered them nothing beyond a vague promise, at the end, of help in purchasing supplies. What they are in fact...