1380 NORTH ATLANTIC COAST FISHERIES ARBITRATION. 



administration, Fox had insisted upon the immediate recognition of 

 the independence of the United States, with the idea of detaching 

 the United States from the European coalition. Shelburne had con- 

 stantly opposed that, and had insisted, in line with his King's desire, 

 that independence should only be granted as a condition of peace. 

 Lord Shelburne found himself afterwards, when he became Prime 

 Minister, forced to accept the policy of Fox. Fox now was in coali- 

 tion with North, and was carrying on most virulent opposition to his 

 former colleague, Lord Shelburne. Lord Shelburne, as I say, had to 

 adopt the Fox policy, and by Oswald's second commission, he recog- 

 nised the independence of the United States. He felt, however, that 

 in doing so he had taken his political life in his hands, and that 

 unless the recognition could be followed by a treaty of peace to be 

 presented to Parliament (which was just about to meet) that his 

 political downfall was a certainty. And so, when communicating 

 to Oswald the issue of the second commission, recognising the inde- 

 pendence of the United States, he accompanied it with a letter 

 833 which may be found in the British Counter-Case Appendix, 

 at p. 70 a most interesting letter, from an historical point of 

 view as well as of a little service here : 



" Having said and done every thing which has been desired," 



The reference is to the sending of this second commission 



" there is nothing left for me to trouble you with except to add, that 

 we have put the greatest confidence, I believe, was ever placed, in 

 men, in the American commissioners. It is now to be seen, how far 

 they or America are to be depended upon. 



" I will not detain you with enumerating the difficulties, which have 

 occurred. There never was greater risk run. 



" I hope the public will be the gainer. Else our heads must answer 

 for it and deservedly." 



He made the treaty, Sirs, but it was a bad treaty; and his head 

 did answer for it. He was driven from public life by an adverse 

 vote in the House of Commons condemnatory of his treaty, and 

 shortly afterwards retired from public life altogether. 



Now, Sirs, pausing there for a moment, it does seem to me that it 

 is out of the question to suggest that these negotiators were propos- 

 ing that Great Britain should abdicate a part of its sovereignty, and 

 that the United States should succeed to it. We have printed, very 

 elaborately, all that we have been able to discover with reference to 

 these negotiations, and the collection is very complete. I venture to 

 say there is not a syllable anywhere upon the point, or anything to 

 indicate that anything of that sort was in the minds of one of these 

 negotiators. One cannot imagine Mr. Adams saying to Mr. Oswald 

 that he " supposes it is perfectly understood that if we have liberty 

 to fish on your coasts, our police will go along." I say it is impos- 



