152 APPENDIX TO BRITISH COUNTER CASE. 



his Catholic majesty, vested with equal powers, of and concerning a treaty of 

 amity and commerce and of alliance, on principles of equality, reciprocity, and 

 mutual advantage. 



I can only regret that my overtures to his excellency the Count de Florida 

 Blanca, who was ex offlcio authorised to confer with me on such subjects, 

 have been fruitless. 



It would give me pleasure to see this business begun, and I cannot omit this 

 opportunity of assuring your excellency of my wish and desire to enter upon it 

 as soon as your excellency shall be pleased to inform me that you are au- 

 thorised, and find it convenient to proceed. 



I have the honor to be, &c., JOHN JAY. 



To this letter the Count returned the following answer: 

 Count d'Aranda to John Jay. 

 [Translation.] 



SIB : I have the honor to reply to your note of yesterday that I am furnished 

 with ample instructions from my court, and am authorised by it to confer and 

 treat with you on all points on which you may be instructed and authorised to 



treat by your constituents. 

 92 As soon as you communicate your propositions they will be examined, 



and I will submit to you my observations on them, in order that we may 

 be able to agree on both sides. 



I have the honor to be, &c., THE COUNT D'ARANDA. 



On the same day, viz., the 10th of September, a copy of a transla- 

 tion of a letter from M. Marbois to the Count de Vergennes, against 

 our sharing in the fishery, was put into my hands. Copies of it were 

 transmitted to you, enclosed with my letter of the 18th of September, 

 of which a duplicate was also forwarded. 



I also learned from good authority that on the morning of M. 

 Rayneval's departure the Count d'Aranda had, contrary to his usual 

 practice, gone with post horses to Versailles, and was two or three 

 hours in conference with the Count de Vergennes and M. Rayneval 

 before the latter set out. 



All these facts taken together led me to conjecture that M. Ray- 

 neval was sent to England for the following purposes : 



1st. To let Lord Shelburne know that the demands of America to be 

 treated by Britain as independent previous to a treaty were not ap- 

 proved or countenanced by this court, and that the offer of Britain to 

 make that acknowledgment in an article of the proposed treaty was 

 in the Count's opinion sufficient. 



2dly. To sound Lord Shelburne on the subject of the fishery, and 

 to discover whether Britain would agree to divide it with France to 

 the exclusion of all others. 



3dly. To impress Lord Shelburne with the determination of Spain 

 to possess the exclusive navigation of the Gulf of Mexico, and of their 

 desire to keep us from the Mississippi ; and also to hint the propriety 

 of such a line as on the one hand would satisfy Spain and on the 

 other leave to Britain all the country north of the Ohio. 



4thly. To make such other verbal overtures to Lord Shelburne as it 

 might not be advisable to reduce to writing, and to judge, from the 

 general tenor of his lordship's answers and conversation whether it 

 was probable that a general peace, on terms agreeable to France, could 

 be effected in order that, if that was not the case, an immediate stop 

 might be put to the negociation. 



