242 THE PORTRAIT GALLERY 



him of disloyalty, his success with the British Parliament in nulli- 

 fying it in 1766, restored him to popularity. He became repre- 

 sentative in London of practically all the colonies and remained 

 fighting obnoxious legislation and taxes until 1775, when a signi- 

 ficant closing sentence in a letter from his friend Thomas Wal- 

 POLE, "I hereby wish you a prosperous voyage and long health," 

 sent him hurrying home before British bailiffs could incarcerate 

 him. In 1776 he was deputed by Congress head of the committee 

 that talked peace terms with Admiral Howe, at the Britisher's 

 request. About the close of 1776 he arrived in Paris, at seventy 

 years of age, and was acclaimed a popular hero. He secured a 

 loan and military assistance from the French government, estab- 

 lished a system of commissioned privateers, adjucated prize 

 money disputes, quieted mutineers, secured the recognition of the 

 United States as an independent nationality, secured the first 

 accredited French Minister to America in 1778, and became the 

 first American minister plenipotentiary the following year. His 

 most delicate bit of work following this was the securing of $6,- 

 000,000 loan to finance four more years of war. He repeatedly 

 tried to return to America after 1781 but congress refused his 

 resignation. With John Adams and John Jay he drew up the pro- 

 visional treaty of peace with Great Britain that established Amer- 

 ican independence, and then arranged commercial treaties with 

 Denmark, Portugal and Morocco. Just before leaving Europe 

 he secured the signature of Prussia to a treaty that abolished pri- 

 vateering and secured private property from destruction by land 

 or sea in time of war. General Washington declared this to 

 "mark a new era in international morality." His last efforts in 

 diplomacy were directed toward the abolition of the slave trade. 



