112 APPENDIX TO BRITISH COUNTER CASE. 



a friendly intercourse and correspondence being renewed between 

 Great Britain and those States, it is to be hoped that in the course 

 thereof, each country will soon perceive the advantage of a more 

 firm and intimate connection ; and will accordingly concert every 

 means that are most likely to answer that purpose : in which it may 

 be expected that Great Britain will not fail on her part, although no 

 particular stipulations on that head should be demanded of her on 

 the present occasion. 



In some such manner it may be tried to get over the difficulty of 

 those advisable articles; and which is the more to be hoped for, that 

 Dr. Franklin did not positively insist on them, and owned he had not 

 any express directions on that subject; and proposed them only out 

 of a friendly regard to Great Britain. In that case, I shall have only 

 to consider of the mother class, being the articles said to be necessary 

 or indispensable. 



Necessary 1st. Independence, supposed, to be granted as a pre- 

 liminary. 



Article 2. A settlement of boundaries between the thirteen States, 

 and the King's Colonies of Canada, Nova Scotia, St. John's Island, 

 Cape Breton, Newfoundland, East Florida and West Florida. As to 

 this article, I beg leave to refer to a separate paper, in which there 

 are some queries on this subject, on which I should wish to have in- 

 structions; and they will be the more necessary, as the Commissioners 

 have sent over to London for a complete set of the bast and largest 

 maps of North America. 



Article 3. A cession to the thirteen States, or to the Congress of 

 that part of Canada that was added to it by Act of Parliament in 

 the year 1774, said to be necessary and indispensable. 



The question is, whether His Majesty will consent to it. 



If not granted, there would be a good deal of difficulty in settling 

 the boundaries between that Colony and sundry of the thirteen States, 

 especially on their western frontier, as the said addition sweeps 

 round behind them; and I make no doubt a refusal would occasion 

 a particular grudge, as a deprivation of an extent of valuable terri- 

 tory the several provinces had alwaj^s counted upon as their own; 

 and only waiting to be settled, and taken into their respective Gov- 

 ernments, according as their population increased, and encouraged a 

 farther extension westward. 



I shall therefore suppose this demand will be granted upon certain 

 conditions, or at least that certain conditions will be proposed to be 

 annexed to the grant, as will hereafter be taken notice of. 



Article 4. A freedom of fishery on the banks of Newfoundland, and 

 elsewhere, said to be another indispensable article. This was pro- 

 posed and read out of the minute by Dr. Franklin, on the 10th July 

 under this general description. I did not then think it proper to ask 

 for an explanation ; nor whether he included a privilege of drying fish 



on the island of Newfoundland. 



68 As to fishing on the Great Bank, or any other bank, I own I 



did not think it material to ask any questions, as I supposed 

 the privilege would not be denied them; or, if denied, I doubted 

 whether their exclusion could be maintained but by continuing in a 

 state of perpetual quarrel with the people of the New England Gov- 

 ernments. An explanation was still the less necessary, that a ques- 



