The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution
Chapter 46 : COUNT DE VERGENNES TO THE COMMISSIONERS.Translation.Versailles, September 27th, 1778.Ge

COUNT DE VERGENNES TO THE COMMISSIONERS.

Translation.

Versailles, September 27th, 1778.

Gentlemen,

In your letter of the 28th ult. you remind me of the promise of the king, by the 8th article of the treaty of amity and commerce, signed the 6th of February last, to use his exertions with the Barbary Powers to provide for the security of the commerce and navigation of the citizens of the United States in the Mediterranean. I have communicated your request to M. de Sartine, to whose department it belongs, and you will see by the reply of that minister, of which I send you a copy, that he considers it reasonable, but requires further explanations before he can receive the orders of the king on this matter. I beg you gentlemen, to have the goodness to communicate them to me, and to be a.s.sured that the king will cheerfully do all in his power to satisfy the wishes of the United States, and promote their views with the different Barbary powers.

I have the honor to be, Gentlemen, &c.

DE VERGENNES.

TO M. DE SARTINE.

Pa.s.sy, September 27th, 1773.

Sir,

We have received the letter, which your Excellency did us the honor to write to us on the 21st inst. relative to the Isabella, retaken from a Guernsey privateer, by Captain M'Neil, in the General Mifflin.

It is extremely probable, that Count d'Estaing has retaken several American vessels from the English; we shall no doubt soon have intelligence what has been done in those cases.

We have advised Captain M'Neil to leave one third of the produce of the Isabella in the hands of such public officer, as your Excellency shall point out, to be repaid to him, or restored to the original proprietor of the Isabella hereafter, according to the rule which, shall be adopted by the two nations, and to this Captain M'Neil has agreed. Captain M'Neil will have the honor of delivering this letter to your Excellency, and is ready to give your Excellency any a.s.surance you may require of him, and to take the charge of your despatches respecting this affair; if your Excellency is disposed to do him the honor to trust them to his care.

We have the honor to be, &c.

B. FRANKLIN, ARTHUR LEE, JOHN ADAMS.

TO M. DUMAS.

Pa.s.sy, September 27th, 1778.

Sir,

We received yours in which you hint, that it is wished by some of our friends, that the Commissioners would propose a treaty to your government. It would really be a great pleasure to them to be instrumental in cementing a union between the two republics of Holland and the United States, by a treaty of amity and commerce, similar to that lately concluded with France, or varying where circ.u.mstances might require it. But having received no answer from the Grand Pentionary to a letter they respectfully wrote to his Excellency some months since, expressing their disposition to such a good work, they apprehend that any further motion of that kind, on their part, would not at present be agreeable; though they still hold themselves ready to enter upon such a treaty, when it shall seem good to their High Mightinesses.

We have the honor to be, &c.

B. FRANKLIN, ARTHUR LEE, JOHN ADAMS.

FROM THE COMMITTEE OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS TO WILLIAM BINGHAM.

Philadelphia, September 28th, 1778.

Sir,

Your several favors up to the 28th of July came duly to our hands, and, having been communicated to Congress, were received as agreeable proofs of your regular correspondence. The papers which you enclosed are with the Marine Committee, who will doubtless take occasion soon to report upon the contents. This will be conveyed to you in a small schooner, which, perhaps is not fit for a winter's return to this coast. You will determine in conjunction with the Captain, whether to send her back immediately, or to make the best use of her for the public in your neighborhood, till a proper month for her return. She is confided thus to your discretion.

No absolute judgment can at this instant be formed of the intended movements of the enemy. A course of Dunlap's papers will convey to you a general insight into the posture of our military affairs. It is not probable that any considerable decision in the field will take place this fall; and the councils in Britain appear to be for relinquis.h.i.+ng the mad project of subjugating us by arms.

It was to give conveyance to the letters of the French Minister, that the bearer was at this season despatched to Martinique; so that you will get further information of our affairs through the General, with whose confidence you are so much honored. You will herewith receive the second volume of the Journals of Congress, but lately published.

And as it was uncertain whether you had ever received the first, that also is sent; the index at least will be new to you, and serviceable.

We are, Sir, &c.

R. H. LEE, JAMES LOVELL.

TO COUNT DE VERGENNES.

Pa.s.sy, 1st October, 1778.

Sir,

We have received the letter, which your Excellency did us the honor to write to us on the 27th of last month, together with a copy of a letter from the Minister of the Marine to your Excellency, of the 21st of the same month.

Convinced of the propriety of those eclairciss.e.m.e.nts which his Excellency demands, we had recourse to our various instructions from Congress, and although we have power and instructions to treat and conclude treaties with all the European Powers, to whom no particular Minister has been sent by Congress, yet we cannot find that our powers extend to conclude treaties with the Barbary States.

We are, nevertheless, instructed to endeavor to obtain pa.s.ses for vessels of the United States and their subjects from those powers, through the mediation and influence of His Most Christian Majesty, which we therefore request his Excellency to endeavor to procure, provided he sees no danger in the attempt, or material objections to it.

We have, however, the honor to agree with his Excellency in opinion, that an acknowledgment of the independence of the United States, on the part of these powers, and a treaty of commerce between them and us, would be beneficial to both, and a negotiation to that end not unlikely to succeed; because there has been heretofore some trade between them and us, in the course of which our people and vessels were well received.

We therefore submit to his Excellency's judgment, either to commence a negotiation for pa.s.ses for American vessels immediately, or to wait until we can write to Congress, and obtain power to treat with those States, and conclude treaties of commerce with them, when we shall request to commence and conclude the negotiation through the mediation and under the auspices of his Majesty. We have the honor to request his Excellency's advice hereupon.

We address this to your Excellency, as we have done many other things, which we suppose may be referred to other departments, because your Excellency being the Minister for Foreign Affairs, we have understood that we have no right to apply in the first instance to any other. But if we have been misinformed and ill-advised in this, and there is no impropriety in our making immediate application to other Ministers, upon subjects we know to be in their departments, we request your Excellency to give us an intimation of it; and for the future we will avoid giving unnecessary trouble to your Excellency.

We have the honor to be, with sentiments of most entire respect,

B. FRANKLIN, ARTHUR LEE, JOHN ADAMS.

TO M. DE SARTINE.

Pa.s.sy, October 2d, 1778.

Sir,

We have the honor of your Excellency's letter of yesterday's date, requiring us to give to the Sieur f.a.gan all the security in our power for these vessels to transport the merchandise of France to England.

We have the honor to acquaint your Excellency, that we have accordingly given the Sieur f.a.gan three different requests in writing, to all commanders of American armed vessels to let the said vessels and cargoes pa.s.s without molestation, which was all the security that the laws of our country have empowered us to give.