DOCUMENTS BEABING ON TREATY OP 1783. 219 



No. 126. 1783, February 26: Extract from letter, Mr. Livingston to 



Mr. Washington. 



PHILADELPHIA, February 26, 1783. 



DEAR SIR : In compliance with the directions of Congress contained 

 in the enclosed resolution, I have the honor to inform your excellency 

 that our last despatches, dated in October, announce a disposition in 

 the belligerent powers to terminate the war by a general peace. The 

 court of London, whose sincerity .was most suspected because it was 

 to make the greatest sacrifices, appears to have smoothed the way by 

 the commission to Mr. Oswald (which your excellency has seen) em- 

 powering him to treat with the thirteen United States of America. 

 * * * * * * * 



No. 127. 1783, March 12, 13, 14, and 15: Extract from Madison's 

 Report of Debates in Congress. 



These days were employed in reading the depatches brought on 

 Wednesday morning by Captain Barney, commanding the Washing- 

 ton packet. They were dated from December the fourth to the 

 twenty- fourth, from the ministers plenipotentiary for peace, with 

 journals of preceding transactions ; and were accompanied by the pre- 

 liminary articles signed on the thirtieth of November, between the 

 said ministers and Mr. Oswald, the British minister. 



The terms granted to America appeared to Congress, on the whole, 

 extremely liberal. It was observed by several, however, that the 

 stipulation obliging Congress to recommend to the States a restitu- 

 tion of confiscated property, although it could scarcely be under- 

 stood that the States would comply, had the appearance of sacrificing 

 the dignity of Congress to the pride of the British King. 



132 No. 128. 1783, March 12: Extract from letter, Mr. Livingston 



to Mr. Washington. 



PHILADELPHIA, March 12, 1783. 



DEAR SIR: The Washington packet arrived this morning. I have 

 not yet had leisure to read all my letters, but as an express is ready 

 to go early to-morrow, I rather choose to rely upon your goodness to 

 excuse a letter written in extreme haste than to hold myself inex- 

 cusable by not informing you of what we yet know of the state of 

 our negociations. None of my letters is of a later date than the 25th 

 of December. All difficulties had then been removed with respect 

 to us and the preliminaries were signed ; they consist of nine articles. 



The first acknowledges our independence. 



The second describes our boundaries, which are as extensive as we 

 could wish.. 



The third ascertains our rights as to the fishery, and puts them 

 upon the same footing that they were before the war. 



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