DOCUMENTS BEARING ON TREATY OF 1783. 151 



to write, and that I should send a copy of it to our Secretary for 

 Foreign Affairs. 



As both the letter and memoir were ostensibly written by him in a 

 private character, it did not appear to me expedient or necessary to 

 enter into any formal discussions with him on those subjects. 



The perusal of this memoir convinced me 



1st. That this court would, at a peace, oppose our extension to the 

 Mississippi. 



2dly. That they would oppose our claim to the free navigation of 

 that river. 



3dly. That they would probably support the British claims to all 

 the country above the thirty-first degree of latitude, and certainly to 

 all the country north of the Ohio. 



4thly. That in case we should not agree to divide with Spain in 

 the manner proposed, that then this court would aid Spain in nego- 

 ciating with Britain for the territory she wanted, and would agree 

 that the residue should remain to Britain. 



In my opinion, it was not to be believed that the first and confi- 

 dential secretary of the Count de Vergennes would without his knowl- 

 edge and consent declare such sentiments and offer such propositions, 

 and that, too, in writing. I therefore considered M. Rayneval as 

 speaking the sentiments of the minister, and I confess they alarmed 

 me, especially as they seemed naturally to make a part of that sys- 

 tem of policy which I believed induced him rather to postpone the 

 acknowledgment of our independence by Britain to the conclusion 

 of a general peace than aid us in procuring it at present. 



You will now be pleased to recollect the postscript to M. Rayneval's 

 letter. 



On the 9th of September I received certain information that on 

 the 7th M. Rayneval had left Versailles and was gone to England ; 

 that it was pretended he was gone into the country, and that several 

 precautions had been taken to keep his real destination a secret. 



A former page in this letter informs you that a little before this 

 Mr. Oswald had despatched a courier with letters recommending it 

 to his court to issue a new commission styling us United States, and 

 that I had agreed to prepare a letter to the Count de Vergennes, 

 stating our objections to treat with Mr. Oswald under his present one. 



This, therefore, was a period of uncertainty and suspense, and what- 

 ever part Britain might take must necessarily be followed by very 

 important consequences. Xo time was, therefore, to be lost in coun- 

 teracting what I supposed to be the object of M. Rayneval's journey. 

 But before I enter into that detail I must here insert a copy of the 

 letter which I wrote to the Count d'Aranda, agreeably to his request 

 hereinbefore mentioned. 



To the Count d'Aranda. 



PARIS, September 10, 1782. 



SIR: Agreeably to your excellency's request, I have now the honor of repeat- 

 ing in writing that I am not authorised by Congress to make any cession of any 

 counties belonging to the United States, and that I can do nothing more re- 

 specting the line mentioned by your excellency than to wait for and to follow 

 such instructions as Congress, on receiving that information, may think proper 

 to give me on that subject. 



Permit me, nevertheless, to remind your excellency that I have full power to 

 confer, treat, agree, and conclude with the ambassador or plenipotentiary of 



