[304] Records and Papers of Continental Congress, 137, III, 651, 655, Morris to President of Congress, May 26, 1784, enclosing extract of letter of Pennell. [305] Journals of Continental Congress, September 3, 1782. [306] Ibid., April 21, 1783. [307] Records and Papers of Continental Congress, 137, III, 677, Report of Morris, July 22, 1783. [308] Force Transcripts, Library of Congress, 137, 3, p. 243, Report of Morris, March 19, 1784. [309] Records and Papers of Continental Congress, 28, p. 221, Report of Committee, January 15, 1784. [310] Ibid., 28, pp. 213, 225-27, Reports of Committees. [311] Journals of Continental Congress, June 3, 1785. [312] Records and Papers of Continental Congress, 140, II, 45, Board of Treasury to President of Congress, August 5, 1785; M. I. J. Griffin, Commodore John Barry, 258-59. [313] Journals of Continental Congress, September 16, 1783. CHAPTER IX NAVAL DUTIES OF AMERICAN REPRESENTATIVES IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES On the outbreak of the war between the Colonies and the mother-country, Congress turned with true political insight to France for aid. The self-interest of no other country in Europe gave so good a basis for friendship and alliance with America. To France, the success of the revolting British Colonies meant the humbling of a victorious rival, the turning of a part of Britain’s valuable colonial trade into French channels, and probably a reopening of the trial at arms of the Seven Years’ War and a reversal of some of its humiliating decisions. Common interests led the two countries to coöperate in achieving and furthering their objects and ambitions; and this led to the establishing of intimate diplomatic, commercial, and naval relations between them. Many of the duties that grew out of these three classes of relations had to be transacted in France, and they therefore necessitated the appointment of American representatives to be resident in that country. The naval duties of these representatives were numerous and important. They involved the renting, purchase, and building of naval vessels; the officering, manning, and fitting out of vessels; the directing of cruises; the purchase of naval supplies; the disciplining of officers; the paying of officers and crews; the disposing of prizes; the devising of naval plans; the commissioning of privateers; the caring for naval prisoners and the negotiating for their exchange; and the disseminating of naval intelligence. The vesting of these duties in the American representatives in France virtually constituted the establishment of a Brandi Naval Office at Paris.[314]