PRIOR TO THE TREATY OF 1818. 



PERTAINING TO THE NEGOTIATION OF THE TREATY 



OF 17S3. 



Articles agreed on between the American and British plenipoten- 

 tiaries. ' 



[These articles were sent to England for the King's consideration. See Franklin to 



Livingstone, December 5, 1782, infra.] 



October 8th, 1782. 

 Articles agreed upon by and between Richard Oswald, esq., the 

 commissionr of his Britannic majesty for treating of peace with the 

 commissioners of the United States of America, on the behalf of his 

 said majesty on the one part, and Benjamin Franklin and John Jay, 

 of the commissioners of the said States for treating of peace with 

 the commissioner of his said majesty on their behalf, on the other 

 part, to be inserted in and to constitute the treaty of peace proposed 

 to be concluded between the crown of Great Britain and the said 

 United States; but which treaty is not to be concluded until his 

 Britannic majesty -hall have agreed to tho tern 1 .- of peace between 

 France and Britain, proposed or accepted by his most Christian 

 majesty, and shall be ready to conclude with him such treaty accord- 

 ingly, it being the duty and intention of the United States not to 

 their ally, hut faithfully and in all things to abide by and 

 fulfill their engagements with his most Christian majesty. 



******* 



3dly. That the subjects of his Britannic Majesty and people of 

 the said United States, shall continue to enjoy unmolested, the rights 

 to take fish of every kind on the hanks of Newfoundland, and other 

 places where the inhabitants of both countries used formerly, to wit, 

 before the last war between France and Britain, to fish and also to 

 dry and cure the -ame at the accustomed places, whether belonging 

 iid Majesty or to the United States; and his Britannic 

 Majesty and the -aid United States will extend equal privileges and 

 hospitality to each other's fishermen as to their own. 



■Iililv. Thai the navigation of the river Mississippi, from its source 

 to th< II forever remain free and open, and thai both there, 



and in all rivers, harbor . lakes, ports, and place-, belonging to his 

 Britanni or to the United States, or In any pari of the 



world, the merchants and merchant ships, of the one and the other, 



:ll be received, treated, and protected, like the merchants and mer- 



of i 1 : m of the country. Thai is to ay, (he 



British merchanl and m hi] , on the one hand, shall enjoy 



in the United . and in all places belonging to them, the same 



■This paper and th< flown to and Including the letter oi Mr. 



.11 in Mr. Livingston, December •"> 1782, are extracted from Wharton's 

 Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution, 



217 



