DOCUMENTS BEARING ON TREATY OF 1783. 147 



Colonies as independent States, and as such, to enter with them into such a 

 treaty of peace as might be honourable and convenient to both countries. 



And whereas, further, in pursuance of the said act, we did on the day 



of authorise and commission you, the said Richard Oswald (here follows 



the commission). Now, therefore, to the end that a period may be put to the 

 calamities of war, and peace, commerce, and mutual intercourse the more 

 speedily restored, we do hereby, in pursuance of our royal word, for ourselves 

 and our successors, recognise the said thirteen Colonies as free and independent 

 States. And it is our will and pleasure that you do forthwith proceed to treat 



with the commissioner or commissioners already appointed, or to be ap- 

 89 pointed for that purpose by the Congress of the said States, and with 



him or them only, of and concerning the objects of your said commission, 

 which we do hereby confirm, and that this declaration be considered by you as 

 a preliminary article to the proposed treaty, and be in substance or in the whole 

 inserted therein or incorporated therewith. And it is our further will and 

 pleasure that on receiving these presents which we have caused to be made 

 patent, and our great seal to be hereunto affixed, you do deliver the same to the 

 said commissioner or commissioners, to be by him or them transmitted to the 

 Congress of the United States of America as an earnest of the friendship and 

 goodwill which we are disposed to extend to them. Witness, &c., 15th of 

 August 1782. 



Mr. Oswald approved of the draft and said he would recommend 

 the measure to the minister. The next day, however, he told me that 

 he had an instruction, which he thought enabled him to make the 

 declaration, but that it would be necessary to obtain the previous 

 consent of the minister for that purpose. He then read to me the 

 fourth article of his instructions, of which the following is a copy, 

 viz. : 



In case you find the American commissioners are not at liberty to treat on 

 any terms short of independence, you are to declare to them that you have our 

 authority to make that cession ; our ardent wish for peace disposing us to pur- 

 chase it at the price of acceding to the complete independence of the thirteen 

 Colonies. 



He said he would immediately dispatch a courier to London, and 

 would press the ministry for permission to acknowledge our inde- 

 pendence without further delay, which he accordingly did. 



At this time, the commission, under the great seal, had arrived, 

 and Dr. Franklin and myself went to Versailles to communicate that 

 circumstance to the Count de Vergennes, and (agreeably to our in- 

 structions) to inform him of what had passed between Mr. Oswald 

 and us. 



The Count and myself again discussed the propriety of insisting 

 that our independence should be acknowledged previous to a treaty. 

 He repeated that it was expecting the effect before the cause, and 

 many other similar remarks, whick did not appear to me to be well 

 founded. I told the Count that a declaration of our independence 

 was, in my opinion, a matter of very little consequence; that I did 

 not consider our independence as requiring any aid or validity from 

 British acts; and provided that nation treated us as she treated other 

 nations, viz., on a footing of equality, it was all that I desired. He 

 differed with me also in this opinion. He thought an explicit ac- 

 knowledgment of our independence in treaty very necessary, in order 

 to prevent our being exposed to further claims. I told him we should 

 always have arms in our hands to answer those claims; that I consid- 

 ered mere paper fortifications as of but little consequence; and that 

 we should take care to insert an article in the treaty whereby the 

 King of Great Britain should renounce all claims of every kind to 

 the countries within our limits. 



