The united States of America, To all to whom these Presents shall come send Greeting. Whereas his most Christian Majesty our great and beloved Friend and Ally hath informed us by his Minister Plenipotentiary whom he hath appointed to reside near us, that their Imperial Majesties the Empress of Russia and the Emperor of Germany actuated by Sentiments of Humanity and a desire to put a Stop to...
2II. Joint Commission to Negotiate a Peace Treaty, 15 June 1781 (Adams Papers)
The United States of America in Congress Assembled. To all to whom these presents shall come send Greeting. Whereas these United States from a sincere desire of putting an end to the hostilities between his most Christian Majesty and these United States on the one part, and his Britannic Majesty on the other, and of terminating the same by a peace founded on such solid and equitable principles...
Instructions to the Honble. John Adams Benjamin Franklin John Jay Henry Laurens and Thomas Jefferson ministers plenipotentiary in behalf of the United States to negotiate a Treaty of Peace Gentlemen You are hereby authorized and instructed to concur in behalf of these United States with his most Christian Majesty in accepting the Mediation proposed by the Empress of Russia and the Emperor of...
You may remember, that from the very beginning of our Negociation for settling a Peace between Great Britain and America, I insisted that you should positively stipulate for a Restoration of the property of all those Persons, under the Denomination of Loyalists or Refugees, who have taken part with Great Britain in the present War. Or if the said property had been resold, and passed into such...
Knowing the expectations of the Kings ministers that a full Indemnity shall be provided for the whole Body of Refugees, either by a restitution of their property, or by some stipulated compensation for their lossess, & being confident, as I have repeatedly assured you, that your refusal upon this point will be the great obstacle to a Conclusion and Ratification of that Peace which is meant as...
Since the Early Period When I Had the Happiness to Be Adopted Among the Sons of America, I ever Made it My Point to do that Which I thought Would prove Useful to Her Cause or Agreable to Her Citizens— After We Had Long Stood By ourselves, France did join in our Quarrell, and So Soon as Count d’Estaing’s departure Made My Presence Unnecessary, I Had a Permission to Return to France Where, Among...
7Draft Peace Treaty Presented by Richard Oswald to the American Peace Commissioners, 25 November 1782 (Adams Papers)
The Three Commissioners Adams, Franklin and Jay, met at M r Oswalds Lodgings at the Hotel de Muscovie, and after Some Conferences, M r Oswald delivered them the following Articles, as fresh Proposals of the British Ministry, Sent by M r Stratchey. vizt. Articles agreed upon, by and between Richard Oswald Esquire, the Commissioner of his Britannic Majesty, for treating of Peace, with the...
I was honoured with your favour of the 12 th. of Dec r: by the last post, enclosing a Copy of the preliminary Treaty of Peace between his Britannic Majesty and the United States. I most heartily congratulate with you upon this great event, in which you have had the honour of so distinguished a part. I think that we ought to be, and shall be satisfied with the terms of peace. But we are here...
I have the honour to transmit to you herewith a packet containing one hundred passports for American Vessels which I have this moment received by a Courier from England. I take this opportunity of acquainting you that a proclamation was issued out in the King’s Name on the 14 th Instant, making known the cessation of hostilities which has been agreed upon between the several belligerent...
I am now to acknowledge the favor of your joint Letter by the Washington, together with a Copy of the preliminary Articles —Both were laid before Congress— The Articles have met their warmest approbation, and have been generally seen by the People in the most favorable point of view. The steadiness manifested in not treating without an express acknowledgment of your Independence previous to a...
Upon the receipt of the provisional Articles & a subsequent account brôt by a Vessel dispatched by Count d’Estaing, I wrote the Letter N o. 1. to S r. Guy Carleton, & N o. 2. to Admiral Digby: to which I recieved the Answers N o. 3. & 4. You will find them cold & distant— Those they wrote to the Minister of France, in answer to similar Communications made by him, were still more so, and...
12Henry Grand to the American Peace Commissioners, 10 May 1783 (Adams Papers)
It is some Months ago since I had the honor to write you, & am well persuaded, altho I received no Answer thereto, that it will have engaged your attention. I earnestly wish it may have been productive of an Improvement to the Finances of Congress which I then foresaw would be short of our Wants & which is unfortunately too much the case at present. Last Month I remitted to the Honorable R t....
Having yesterday conferred with Count de Vergennes upon some Public Concerns, He requested I would tell you what, instead of troubling you with the Demand of a meeting, I think better to mention in this Note. The several Powers said he, are going to make up their Treaties, and when ready to sign, they will of Course meet to do it alltogether. The Mediation of the Emperor and that of Russia...
14Memorial from David Hartley to the American Peace Commissioners (Adams Papers)
Paris, 21 May 1783. PRINTED: JA , D&A , 3:131–134 . LbC ( Adams Papers ); APM Reel 109. LbC-Tr ( Adams Papers ); APM Reel 103. This memorial was Hartley’s response to the article that the commissioners had proposed on 29 April to open American and British ports to virtually unrestricted free trade, to which Hartley had at least tentatively agreed ( calendared, above
By the direction of Congress, contained in the enclosd resolutions, I have the honor to transmit you the Correspondence between General Washington & Sir Guy Carlton, together with minutes of their Conference, when, in pursuance of the invitation of the first, they met in Orange-County. Nothing can be a more direct violation of the 7 th: Article of the Provisional Treaty, than sending off the...
16Wilhem & Jan Willink, Nicolaas & Jacob van Staphorst, and De la Lande & Fynje to the American Peace Commissioners, 29 … (Adams Papers)
We observe by the favour of your Excellencies most honour’d letter of 22 Inst. that M r. Grand has laid before your Exc s. a state of the Affairs of the United States under his Care; and that the Dispositions made upon him are Such, that therefore your Exc s. advise us to remit to M r. Grand on account of Said States a sum of half a Million Livres Tournois, if the Cash in our hands, compared...
Congress were yesterday pleased to pass the enclosed Resolutions on the subject of the payment of British Debts— The language they speak requires no Comment— I complained in my last of your long Silence, or rather laid before you the Complaint of Congress. These I think receive additional force from Intelligence I have since had, that the Negotiations are still going on, and that important...
18Continental Congress to the American Peace Commissioners: Two Commissions, [15 June 1781] (Franklin Papers)
(I) DS : American Philosophical Society (three); D (draft): National Archives; (II) copies: American Philosophical Society, Library of Congress, Massachusetts Historical Society (three), William L. Clements Library; D (draft): National Archives In late May, 1781, the Austrian and Russian courts, invited by Britain to mediate its war with France and Spain, proposed terms to serve as a basis of...
19Continental Congress to the American Peace Commissioners: Instructions, [15 June 1781] (Franklin Papers)
Copies: Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères, Library of Congress (two), National Archives (two), Massachusetts Historical Society, Charles E. Feinberg, Detroit (1957); L (draft): National Archives; LS : Philip D. Sang, River Forest, Illinois (1959), Massachusetts Historical Society You are hereby authorised and instructed to concur in behalf of these United States with his most...
20William Temple Franklin to John Adams and John Jay, 22 November 1781 (Franklin Papers)
Press copy of ALS : Massachusetts Historical Society; copy: Library of Congress Since the Letter I had the honour of writing to your Excellency on the 19th. Inst, the Duke de Lauzun is arrived at Versailles from Virginia, with the glorious News of the combined Force of America & France having forced General Cornwallis to capitulate. The English Garrison marched out of York Town on the 19th of...
21Officers of the Admiralty of Guadeloupe to the American Peace Commissioners, 3 April 1782 (Franklin Papers)
LS : American Philosophical Society En conformité des ordres du Roi, les Officiers de l’Amirauté de la Guadeloupe ont l’honneur d’adresser à Vos Excellences, deux copies de procedures instruites au sujet des prises amenées à la Guadeloupe par des corsaires Americains. Nous Sommes avec respect, Messieurs, de Vos Excellences, Les très-humbles & très-obéissans Serviteurs Notation: Salimon 3. avl....
22Philip Mazzei to the American Peace Commissioners, 2 November 1782 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Historical Society of Pennsylvania What I am going to mention to your Excellencies will, I hope, apologize for the liberty I take of addressing myself to you. In January 79. I was appointed by the Government of Virginia to go to Europe to transact there some business of importance for the State. I was taken prisoner in coming, & did not recover my liberty ’till Novr. the same year. I...
23Richard Oswald to the American Peace Commissioners, 4 November 1782 (Franklin Papers)
ALS and five copies: Public Record Office; LS : Massachusetts Historical Society; copies: William L. Clements Library (two), Library of Congress, National Archives (two), North Carolina State Division of Archives and History; press copy of copy: Library of Congress; transcript: National Archives You may remember that from the very beginning of our Negotiation for Settling a Peace between Great...
24Henry Strachey to the American Peace Commissioners, 5 November 1782 (Franklin Papers)
ALS (draft) and three copies: Public Record Office; copies: William L. Clements Library, Library of Congress (two), Massachusetts Historical Society (two) Knowing the Expectation of the King’s Ministers, that a full Indemnity shall be provided for the whole Body of Refugees, either by a Restitution of their Property, or by some stipulated Compensation for their Losses, and being confident, as...
25Lafayette to the American Peace Commissioners, 21 November 1782 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Newberry Library; transcript: New York Public Library Since the Early Period When I Had the Happiness to Be Adopted Among the sons of America, I Ever Made it My Point to do that Which I thought Would prove Useful to Her Cause or Agreable to Her Citizens. After We Had Long Stood By ourselves, France did join in our Quarrell, and So Soon as Count d’Estaing’s departure Made My Presence...
26Henry Strachey’s Remarks to the American Peace Commissioners, 25 November 1782 (Franklin Papers)
Transcript: New York Public Library Strachey’s return to Paris opened a new round of intensive negotiations which culminated in the signing of a provisional peace treaty on November 30. The present document is Strachey’s recollection of what he said to the American peace commissioners when he presented them with the British counterproposal to their second draft treaty. This meeting was held at...
27Draft of a Declaration to Be Made by the American Peace Commissioners, 2 January 1783 (Franklin Papers)
Two D : Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères Nous soussignés Ministres Plenipres. des Etats unis &a. Déclarons qu’en agréant et consentant a fixer par notre signature des articles qui avoient été discutés entre nous et M. Oswald muni de pleins pouvoirs a cet effet par S. M. le R. [Sa Majesté le Roi] de la grande Bretagne pour être inserés dans le futur traite de paix, nous n’avons eu...
28Francis Dana to the American Peace Commissioners, 3/14 January [i.e., 14 January 1783] (Franklin Papers)
Copy: Massachusetts Historical Society I was honoured with your favour of the 12th. of Decr: by the last post, enclosing a Copy of the preliminary Treaty of Peace between his Britannic Majesty and the United-States. I most heartily congratulate with you upon this great event, in which you have had the honour of so distinguished a part. I think that we ought to be, and shall be satisfied with...
29Reuben Harvey to the American Peace Commissioners, 10 February 1783 (Franklin Papers)
LS : National Archives Respected Friends John Adams, Benjamin Franklin John Jay & Henry Laurens, Esquires. Although my Name may be unknown to you, it is not so to many of your Countrymen whom the chance of War threw into Captivity at Kinsale & here during the late War, so unnaturally waged, & persisted in by a weak, wicked Ministry— In the early part of it some few warm Friends to America...
30Alleyne Fitzherbert to the American Peace Commissioners, 18 February 1783 (Franklin Papers)
ALS and two copies: Massachusetts Historical Society; copy: Library of Congress I have the honour to transmit to you herewith a packet containing one hundred passports for American Vessels which I have this moment received by a Courier from England. I take this opportunity of acquainting you that a proclamation was issued out in the King’s Name on the 14th Instant, making known the cessation...