1. These letters, which Congress resolved on 17 Oct. 1780 to send to the “Ministers Plenipotentiary of the United States at the Courts of Versailles and Madrid,” were intended to assist the commissioners’ negotiation of a Spanish-American commercial treaty and were an explanation of “the reasons and principles on which the instructions to Mr. Jay the 4th instant are founded” (JCC description begins Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774–1789, ed. Worthington Chauncey Ford, Gaillard Hunt, John C. Fitzpatrick, Roscoe R. Hill, and others, Washington, D.C., 1904–1937; 34 vols. description ends , 18:900–902, 935–947). For a discussion of Jay’s 4 Oct. instructions, which focused on free navigation of the Mississippi River, and Congress’ reasons for issuing them and sending the explanation of 17 Oct., see vol. 10:413–414.

2. This was Congress’ 30 May 1783 resolution, originally enclosed with Robert R. Livingston’s 31 May letter to the commissioners, concerning the payment of debts to British creditors and the expenses incurred for the subsistence of British prisoners of war (vol. 14:512, 513; JCC description begins Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774–1789, ed. Worthington Chauncey Ford, Gaillard Hunt, John C. Fitzpatrick, Roscoe R. Hill, and others, Washington, D.C., 1904–1937; 34 vols. description ends , 24:372–376).

3. For the 29 Oct. 1783 instructions, see vol. 15:329, 331–334; for those of 7 and 11 May 1784, see the instructions to the commissioners at 7 May, above.

4. That is, of 3 June, for which see the commissioners’ 7 May instructions, and note 16, above.