DOCUMENTS BEARING ON TREATY OF 1183. 113 



tion on the same subject would come under consideration in our 

 treaty with France. 



In the determination of the last point, perhaps it may be no loss to 

 Great Britain, that the Americans are (with respect to the fishing 

 part) admitted to an equal privilege with the French. 



Those four articles were, to the best of my remembrance all that 

 were said by the Doctor on the 10th July, as indispensable in a settle- 

 ment of any kind. 



The others, or what he called adviseable and proper to reconcile the 

 Americans to a cordial and friendly correspondence with Great 

 Britain; and which indeed he thought were necessary to erase those 

 impressions of resentment for past injuries, which otherways must 

 remain on the minds of the inhabitants of those Colonies for ages 

 to come, viz. : 



'Adviseable 1st. A sum of Five or 600,OOOZ. to be granted by Great 

 Britain as an indemnification to the sufferers of the thirteen States, 

 by the burning and destroying their towns, houses, and other property. 



Article 2. Some sort of an acknowledgment, in some public Act of 

 Parliament or other ways, of our concern for those misfortunes, &c. 



Article 3. American ships and trade to be on. the same footing in 

 England and Ireland, as our own ships and trade. The like privi- 

 leges in America in favour of English and Irish ships. 



This proposal (to judge of the expediency of it with regard to 

 Great Britain) would require an explanation, but I did not in the 

 then situation of things think it proper to ask for any. 



Article 4. A surrendry to the Congress of every part, or the remain- 

 der of Canada after the said reduction to the limits preceding 1774 

 before-mentioned; reserving to Great Britain a full freedom of 

 fishing, and of imports and exports in general, free of all charge of 

 import or other duties. 



These were the advisable articles, which, at opening the treaty I 

 sha^l, as I have said, endeavour to persuade the Commissioners to 

 pass over, and to confine their demands to the others said to be nec- 

 essary and indispensable. Possibly when it comes to a treaty there 

 may be some addition to these last mentioned. Until then the above 

 is all that could have been learnt of those gentlemen's intentions. 

 ******* 



On the subject of the Canada lands, which were added to that 

 colony in 1774, in case His Majesty should consent to resign them to 

 the Congress, there is still more to be said than as above, for the un- 

 patented lands in the several provinces; since in granting the sov- 

 ereignty to Congress, His Majesty may except and specially reserve 

 the property to his own disposal. 



In April when I first came over, Dr. Franklin mentioned this res- 

 ignation only as a thing very desirable, for the sake of preventing 

 disturbances and quarrels between the inhabitants living under differ- 

 ent Governments; and proposed, in case the grant was made, that the 

 lands should be sold, and the value applied for the relief of sufferers 

 on both sides of the question; as expressly specified in a writing 

 which he put into my hands, with liberty of perusal where necessary. 

 Since then, and particularly in July last, he proposed that these 

 back lands of Canada should be given up and no allowance made 

 out of that fund for the sufferers on either side ; but on the contrary, 



