DOCUMENTS BEARING ON TREATY OF 1783. 145 



A copy of this warrant was sent by express to Mr. Oswald, with 

 an assurance that the commission should be completed and sent him 

 in a few days. He communicated this paper to Dr. Franklin, who, 

 after showing it to me, sent it to the Count de Vergennes. The 

 Count wrote to the Doctor the following letter on' the subject: 



[Translation.] 



I have received, sir, the letter of to-day with which you have 

 honored me, and the copy of the powers, which Mr. Oswald com- 

 municated to you. The form in which it is conceived, not being 

 that which is usual, I can not form my opinion on the first view of 

 it. I am going to examine it with the greatest attention, and, if you 

 will be pleased to come here on Saturday morning, I shall be able to 

 confer about it with you and Mr. Jay, if it should be convenient for 

 him to accompany you. 



I have the honor to be, &c., DE VERGENNES. 



VERSAILLES, August <?, 



88 On the 10th of August we waited upon the Count de 



Vergennes, and a conference between him and us, on the sub- 

 ject of Mr. Oswald's commission ? ensued. 



The Count declared his opinion that we might proceed to treat 

 with Mr. Oswald under it as soon as the original should arrive. He 

 said it was such a one as we might have expected it would be, but 

 that we must take care to insert proper articles in the treaty to secure 

 our independence and our limits against all future claims. 



I observed to the Count that it would be descending from the 

 ground of independence to treat under the description of colonies. 

 He replied that names signified little; that the King of Great 

 Britain's styling himself the King of France was no obstacle to the 

 King of France's treating with him; that an acknowledgment of 

 our independence, instead of preceding, must in the natural course 

 of things be the effect of the treaty, and that it would not be reason- 

 able to expect the effect before the cause. He added that we must 

 be mindful to exchange powers with Mr. Oswald, for that his ac- 

 ceptance of pur powers, in which we were styled commissioners 

 from the United States of America would be a tacit admittance of 

 our independence. I made but little reply to all this singular reason- 

 ing. The Count turned to Dr. Franklin and asked him what he 

 thought of the matter. The Doctor said he believed the commission 

 would do. He next asked my opinion. I told him that I did not 

 like it, and that it was best to proceed cautiously. 



On returning I could not forbear observing to Dr. Franklin that 

 it was evident the Count did not wish to see our independence ac- 

 knowledged by Britain until they had made all their uses of us. It 

 was easy for them to foresee difficulties in bringing Spain into a peace 

 on moderate terms, and that if we once found ourselves standing on 

 our own legs, our independence acknowledged, and all our other 

 terms ready to be granted, we might not think it our duty to continue 

 in the war for the attainment of Spanish objects. But on the con- 

 trary, as we were bound by treaty to continue the war till our inde- 

 pendence should be attained it was the interest of France to post- 

 pone that event until their own views and those of Spain could be 



