This great success, following so close upon Rodney's victory in the West Indies, convinced the allies that England was not by any means so prostrate as her failures in America had led them to believe, and they now showed a disposition to negotiate. Accordingly in January (1783) preliminaries of peace were signed at Paris. A provisional treaty had already been concluded with America, by which the independence of the United States was formally acknowledged. The news was received in the city with the greatest joy, and the Common Council congratulated the king on his having paid "final attention" to the petitions of his faithful citizens and people. They took the opportunity of expressing their firm conviction that the commercial interests of this country and of North America were inseparably united--a sentiment with which the king declared in his reply that he entirely concurred--and hoped that the stipulations of the treaty would restore commercial intercourse between the two countries.[512] The preliminaries of both treaties were converted into definitive treaties on the 3rd September, and on the 6th October the peace was proclaimed in the city of London in the same manner as at the proclamation of peace with France on the 22nd March, 1763.[513] FOOTNOTES: [435] Walpole makes the following comment upon this paragraph:--"The French will not like the _éclaircissement_ of the court martial by which it is clear that they were beaten and fled. The city which does not haggle, has expressed this a little grossly in their address to Keppel."--Walpole to Mann, 18 Feb., 1779. Letters vii, 179. [436] Journal 67, fo. 200b. [437] Walpole, Journal ii, 345. [438] Journal 67, fos. 2O9b-212. [439] Walpole to Mann, 9 March, 1779. Letters vii, 182. [440] Journal 67, fos. 329b-331b. [441] The king to Lord North, 29 Jan. and 19 Feb., 1779.--Correspondence ii, 224, 232. [442] Journal House of Lords, xxxv, 802. [443] Journal 67, fo. 268-271. [444] Journal 67, fos. 331b-333b. Journal 68, fos. 5b-12b. [445] Journal 68, fo. 13. [446] Walpole, Journal ii, 366, 367, 374. [447] When that staunchest of Tories, Dr. Johnson, was asked by his friend Boswell if he had not felt vexed at the passing of such a resolution he characteristically replied, "I would have knocked the factious dogs on the head, to be sure, but I was not _vexed_."--Boswell's Life of Johnson (Napier) iv, 154. [448] Journal 68, fos. 47-47b, 49-50. [449] Walpole to Mason, 13 and 17 April, 1780.--Letters vii, 352, 353; Walpole, Journal ii, 378, 379. [450] Journal 68, fo. 46b. [451] _Id._, fo. 49. [452] "The Form of Association prepared by the committee appointed by the Court of Common Council to correspond with the committees appointed or to be appointed by the several Counties, Cities and Boroughs in the kingdom."--Journal 68, fo. 51. [453] Journal 68, fo. 52. [454] Journal 68, fos. 29-29b, 61. [455] Walpole to the Countess of Ossory. 3 June, 1780.--Letters vii, 377.