114 APPENDIX TO BRITISH COUNTER CASE. 



that a sum of money should be granted by Great Britain for the suf- 

 ferers in the American cause. I am afraid it will not be possible to 

 bring him back to the proposition made in April [last], although I 

 shall try it. 



Meantime I can plead that by resigning the sovereignty into the 

 hands of Congress, the purpose for which he wished to have these 

 additional lands given up (being that of preventing quarrels amongst 

 the inhabitants) will not be disappointed, since the Congress may 

 settle them in any manner they think proper, whichever way the 

 value or price of the land is disposed of. 



No. 66. 1788, September 17: Extract from letter, Mr. Adams to 



Mr. Dana. 



THE HAGUE, September 17, 1782. 



MY DEAR FRIEND : It grieves me when I think how long it is since 

 I wrote to you. But-my head and hands and heart have been all full. 



I sent to the care of the Dutch ambassador General Washington's 

 miniature for you; should be glad to know whether you have re- 

 ceived it. I have also sent along several despatches from our Secre- 

 tary of foreign affairs. Have you received them ? 



Fitzherbertfs commission is to treat with the King of France and 



the ministers quorumcunque principum vel statuum quorum interesse 



poterit; and Oswald's is to treat, consult of, agree, and conclude with 



any commissioner or commissioners named, or to be named, by the 



said colonies or plantations, or with any body or bodies, corporate or 



politic, or any assembly or assemblies, or description of men, or any 



person or persons whatsoever, a peace or a truce with the said 



69 colonies or plantations, or any of them or any part or parts 



thereof. I said his commission," but he has none. He has only 



an order to the Attorney -General to make out such a commission. 



Thus, you see, there is yet no proof of Shelburne^s sincerity. In 

 short, nothing will be done until Parliament meets, nor then, unless 

 they take upon them to acknowledge the independence of the United 

 States. 



If Gibraltar is succored and holds put, Britain will not cede it. 

 In short, we shall have another campaign. No peace until 1784, if 

 then. 



No. 61. 1782, September 19: Extract from letter, Mr. Oswald to 



Lord Shelburne. 



PARIS Wth-Septemr 1782 



MY LORDS, When anything occurs which may help to smooth the 

 way to a reconciliation with the Americans, I cannot resist the 

 occasion; although sometimes I may thereby incur the charge of 



Spain and France had on the 13th September, 1782, failed to reduce Gibraltar. 



