The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution, Vol. 08
History
The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution, Vol. 08
United States -- Foreign relations -- 1775-1783; United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Sources
4. You are to manifest on all proper occasions the high respect, which
Congress entertain for her Imperial Majesty; for the lustre of her
character, and the liberality of her sentiments and her views; and
particularly you are, in the strongest terms, to testify our
approbation of the measures, which her Imperial Majesty has suggested
and matured for the protection of commerce against the arbitrary
violations of the British Court. You will present the act of Congress
herewith transmitted, declaring our assent to her Imperial Majesty's
regulations on this subject, and use every means, which can be devised
to obtain the consent and influence of that Court that these United
States shall be formally invited, or admitted, to accede as principals
and as an independent nation to the said convention. In that event,
you are authorised to subscribe the treaty or convention for the
protection of commerce in behalf of these United States, either with
her Imperial Majesty conjunctly with the other neutral powers, or if
that shall be inadmissible, separately with her Imperial Majesty, or
any one of those powers.
5. You are to impress her Imperial Majesty and her Ministers with a
sense of the justice of our cause, the nature and stability of our
union, and the solemn engagements by which not only the States but his
Most Christian Majesty, are reciprocally bound to maintain the
sovereignty, rights and jurisdiction of each of the thirteen States
inviolably; and the utter impracticability of our acceding to any
treaty of peace with Great Britain, on the principles of a _uti
possidetis_, or on any other terms than such as shall imply an express
or tacit acknowledgment of the sovereignty of each and every part, and
which shall be consistent with the letter and spirit of our treaty of
alliance and friendship and commerce with his Most Christian Majesty.
You shall represent, in pointed terms, the barbarous manner in which,
contrary to the laws of all civilized nations, the war has been
conducted by the enemy, the difficulties, which we have surmounted,
and the certain prospect, under the divine blessing, of expelling our
enemies, and establishing our independence on such basis as will
render us useful to the whole commercial world, and happy in
ourselves. You shall assure her Imperial Majesty of our ambition to
number so wise and magnanimous a Princess among our friends, and to
assign her a distinguished place among those illustrious personages of
ancient and modern times, who have delighted in promoting the
happiness of mankind, and in disarming tyranny of the power of doing
mischief.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account