151 



^tiation. And in the negotiation yon are tft'fexer$'f(5H?\^okt §ff1*'iftifc)9g^ 

 entleavors to obtain a nearer distance in tl^fe.'Oihtf' b\) '9t.'{B?tKVi^^de'/' 

 and particularly along the shores of Nova §<ibiiU'j'"h.^'-t6 ivh?cli ''lii't tfei;V". 

 we are de^5irous that even the riiores may bfe ■yCc^isioMlly' tis^V'for'^the^ 

 purpose of carrying on the fisheries by the irth^ibilSi'rity'ai'thefefe SlateSi'^i. 



These instructions — tediously minute and fei^c^ml>el-etl'wifli'';i*e^eti-*'^ 

 tions — embod^'-, as will be seen, the substan'C'e' of Mr^'G■fetry's''^es^ill«'' 

 tions, with this essential difference — thai the-Wg'ht W Yislt'icitid' freelyf 

 use the fishing grounds was to be made an iilliffiatiiitt 'ite'W'ff^^W'of^ 

 commerce instead of a treaty of peace. Strangfly'^ndtigilii Ihiese -iW^'- 

 structions were revoked by Congress in July,'-l7Sl, thotig'h 'ndiipt^d" 

 after mature dehberation and in the spirit of'soncr^ssiob. -Whatevei*^' 

 the motive of Congress, it was not commmiie^rtect -td Mrl-'AdtTrris^ hfp 

 that bod}^, or by the Committee on Foreign Affairs, or by%ift|y^n1div^idWF 

 member. Of this he complains with some a§p^rity.''*'Ih'-a tekei*/to 

 Robert R. Livingston he states the fact just m'entionbd, mM'_'rehiaf''fei7^ 

 that wliether the act of neglect "was intended as* a plmiwhm^i^t-tb'Me^^' 

 or with a charitable design not to lead me into temptatibri'f Hvti^^'hePnF 

 was intended as a punishment to the Ensflish f6r 't:heii*'ihsli!^nic'e%M'' 

 barbarity; whether it was intended to prevent or' r^ttibvie'-^irspiejOh^'aF 

 allies, or the envy and green jealousij of co-2mf7'iots,'l'\\hd\¥>ii6\}P'' '^TMt'V-^ 

 then, we finally secured the rights in question, Wfts^'^Xviri^ tb' thfe'^^Sl^' 

 of Mr. Adams and his associate commissioners, and"fiot'-to'the'firftiii^s'^^ 

 or good fkith of Congress. '^^ ^^^-^''[ ^!' ^"■>-^''\i^:^i- 



Meantime, a number of pamphlets, written by loyriiisYs k)P'^listiliytibil^ 

 and devoted to American affairs, were published- itr\£bftdqhi'^'"'In'6Wfe^^ 

 of these it is said that "with the independence of ■Atoiii*iG(a'^^ Gf'^at 

 Britain "must give up her fisheries on the Bank ofiS'eyiiiuiidtrtndi atid?^ 

 in the American seas," and "thirty-five thousand ■Ailieyiiciii''^eaitti^il/^ 

 with twenty-eight thousand more, bred and maint^in'eeP'jR''tlfe'sd-ieJii^^ 

 celleat nurseries;" that, furthermore, "the valuable-'ti*ad'e''featrVM'6#^ 

 from thence with the Cathohc States will be in the h'ands^ iof Aii^iieriCafj"?, 

 that "these nurseries and this trade will ever remain- teWkMi^^ 

 of the people who inhabit that country;" and that "'b. tfadfe yo-jirdfit^' 

 able, and a nursery of seamen so excellent and so ne'tfess^'rj^ffbr'tfi^^ 

 support of her naval force, will never be given upr,'''6r' dltM(^d^''b]^' 

 America with any power whatsoever." Meantime, ^''tOi^,Hh"ft'"'<^ete-s^'' 

 brated Dean of Gloucester submitted proposals ''^'td''th'e(S5nglMh,_, 

 Americans, French, and Spaniards, now at war," dil'.^lli^'^'sWbjett; W 

 their differences, suggesting, upon the subject before iks^-l-ha^''"'G*ridrft* 

 Britain shall retain Newfoundland, with the desert coasts' b^'Mb^^dc*';^ 

 also Canada, Nova Scotia, and the country bordering'dn the Ba^' 8f* 

 Fundy," westerly, "as fiir as the bay and river of PeiioliVctJt.*^''-'-' ''"<-'^ 



INIr. Adams was appointed sole commissioner to negotiate' Witn'G%^^?^ 

 Britain, and enterecl alone upon the arduous duties inti*usfed''tb"hi4iiir: 

 Messrs. Franklin, Jay, and Laurens were, however, subseqieiuly-'dfesi^ 

 nated joint commissioners, and in due time joined him ikr''¥'Tdn&ei ■'■in' 

 1782, a letter of Barbe de Marbois, the French charge d'^afllMs in' the 

 United States, addressed to Count de Vergennes, the FriritSpal^Mihistt^r^ 

 of State, was intercepted. The contents of this letter caused great 

 uneasiness. Marbois represented that Samuel Adams was stirring up 



