On the whole, I was able to draw so little from Mr Oswald of the sentiments of Lord Shelburne, who had mentioned him as intrusted with the communication of them, that I could not but wonder at his being sent again to me, especially as Mr Grenville was so soon to follow.
On Tuesday I was at Court, as usual on that day. M. de Vergennes asked me if Mr Oswald had not opened himself further to me? I acquainted him with the sight I had had of the minute of Council, and of the loose expressions contained in it, of what was in contemplation. He seemed to think it odd, that he had brought nothing more explicit. I supposed Mr Grenville might be better furnished. The next morning I wrote the following letter to Mr Adams.
TO JOHN ADAMS.
Pa.s.sy, May 8th, 1782.
"Sir,
"Mr Oswald, whom I mentioned in a former letter, which I find you have received, is returned, and brought me another letter from Lord Shelburne, of which the above is a copy. It says Mr Oswald is instructed to communicate to me his Lordship"s thoughts. He is, however, very sparing of such communication. All I have got from him is, that the Ministry have in contemplation the allowing independence to America, on condition of Britain being put again into the state she was left in by the peace of 1763, which I suppose means being put again in the possession of the islands, which France has taken from her. This seems to me a proposition of selling to us a thing, that was already our own, and making France pay the price they are pleased to ask for it.
"Mr Grenville, who is sent by Mr Fox, is expected here daily. Mr Oswald tells me, that Mr Laurens will soon be here also. Yours of the 2d instant is just come to hand. I shall write to you on this affair hereafter, by the Court couriers, for I am certain, that your letters to me are opened at the Post Office, either here or in Holland, and I suppose that mine to you are treated in the same manner. I enclose the cover of your last, that you may see the seal. With great respect, I am, Sir, &c.
B. FRANKLIN."
I had but just sent away this letter, when Mr Oswald came in, bringing with him Mr Grenville, who was just arrived. He gave me the following letter from Mr Secretary Fox.
CHARLES J. FOX TO B. FRANKLIN.
St James"s, May 1st, 1782.
"Sir,
"Though Mr Oswald will, no doubt, have informed you of the nature of Mr Grenville"s commission, yet I cannot refrain from making use of the opportunity that his going offers me, to a.s.sure you of the esteem and respect, which I have borne to your character, and to beg you to believe, that no change in my situation has made any in those ardent wishes for reconciliation, which I have invariably felt from the very beginning of this unhappy contest.
"Mr Grenville is fully acquainted with my sentiments upon this subject, and with the sanguine hopes, which I have conceived, that those with whom we are contending are too reasonable to continue a contest, which has no longer any object, either real or even imaginary. I know your liberality of mind too well to be afraid, lest any prejudices against Mr Grenville"s _name_ may prevent you from esteeming those excellent qualities of heart and head, which belong to him, or from giving the fullest credit to the sincerity of his wishes for peace, in which no man in either country goes beyond him. I am, with great truth and regard, &c.
C. J. FOX."
I imagined the gentlemen had been at Versailles, as I supposed Mr Grenville would first have waited on M. de Vergennes before he called on me. But finding, in conversation, that he had not, and that he expected me to introduce him, I immediately wrote to that Minister, acquainting him, that Mr Grenville was arrived, and desired to know when his Excellency would think fit to receive him, and I sent an express with my letter.
I then entered into conversation with him on the subject of his mission, Mr Fox having referred me to him, as being fully acquainted with his sentiments. He said that peace was really wished for by everybody, if it could be obtained on reasonable terms, and as the idea of subjugating America was given up, and both France and America had thereby obtained what they had in view originally, it was hoped, that there now remained no obstacle to a pacification. That England was willing to treat of a general peace with all the powers at war against her, and that the treaty should be at Paris.
I did not press him much for further particulars, supposing they were reserved for our interview with M. de Vergennes. The gentlemen did me the honor of staying to dinner with me, on the supposition, which I urged, that my express might be back before we parted. This gave me an opportunity of a good deal of general conversation with Mr Grenville, who appeared to me a sensible, judicious, intelligent, good tempered, and well instructed young man, answering well the character Mr Fox had given me of him.
They left me, however, about six o"clock, and my messenger did not return till near nine. He brought me the answer of the Count de Vergennes, that he was glad to hear of Mr Grenville"s arrival, and would be ready to receive us tomorrow, at half past ten or eleven o"clock. I immediately enclosed his note in one to Mr Grenville, requesting him to be with me at Pa.s.sy by eight, that we might have time to breakfast before we set out. I have preserved no copy of these three last mentioned notes, or I should have inserted them, as I think that though they seem of almost too trifling a nature, they serve usefully sometimes to settle dates, authenticate facts, and show something of the turn and manner of thinking of the writers on particular occasions. The answer I received was as follows.
"Mr Grenville presents his compliments to Mr Franklin, and will certainly do himself the honor of waiting upon Mr Franklin tomorrow morning at eight o"clock."
"Rue de Richelieu, Wednesday night."
We set out accordingly the next morning in my coach, and arrived punctually at Count de Vergennes", who received Mr Grenville in the most cordial manner, on account of the acquaintance and friendship that had formerly subsisted between his uncle and the Count de Vergennes, when they were amba.s.sadors together at Constantinople.
After some little agreeable conversation, Mr Grenville presented his letters from Mr Secretary Fox, and, I think, from the Duke of Richmond. When these were read, the subject of peace was entered upon. What my memory retains of the discourse amounts to little more than this, that after mutual declarations of the good dispositions of the two Courts, Mr Grenville having intimated that in case England gave America independence, France, it was expected, would restore the conquests she had made of British islands, receiving back those of Miquelon and St Pierre. And the original object of the war being obtained, it was supposed that France would be contented with that.
The Minister seemed to smile at the proposed exchange, and remarked, the offer of giving independence to America amounted to little.
"America," said he, "does not ask it of you; there is Mr Franklin, he will answer you as to that point." "To be sure," I said, "we do not consider ourselves as under any necessity of bargaining for a thing that is our own, which we have bought at the expense of much blood and treasure, and which we are in possession of." "As to our being satisfied with the original object of the war," continued he, "look back to the conduct of your nation in former wars. In the last war, for example, what was the object? It was the disputed right to some waste lands on the Ohio and the frontiers of Nova Scotia. Did you content yourselves with the recovery of those lands? No, you retained at the peace all Canada, all Louisiana, all Florida, Grenada, and other West India islands, the greatest part of the Northern Fisheries, with all your conquests in Africa and the East Indies." Something being mentioned of its not being reasonable that a nation, after making an unprovoked and unsuccessful war upon its neighbors, should expect to sit down whole, and have everything restored, which she had lost in such a war, I think Mr Grenville remarked, the war had been provoked by the encouragement given by France to the Americans to revolt. On which the Count de Vergennes grew a little warm, and declared firmly, that the breach was made, and our independence declared, long before we received the least encouragement from France; and he defied the world to give the smallest proof of the contrary.
"There sits," said he, "Mr Franklin, who knows the fact, and can contradict me if I do not speak the truth."
He repeated to Mr Grenville, what he had before said to Mr Oswald, respecting the King"s intention of treating fairly and keeping faithfully the conventions he should enter into, of which disposition he should give at the treaty convincing proofs by the fidelity and exact.i.tude, with which he should observe his engagements with his present allies, and added, that the points which the King had chiefly in view were _justice_ and _dignity_; these he could not depart from.
He acquainted Mr Grenville, that he should immediately write to Spain and Holland, communicate to those Courts what had pa.s.sed, and request their answers; that, in the meantime, he hoped Mr Grenville would find means of amusing himself agreeably, to which he should be glad to contribute; that he would communicate what had pa.s.sed to the King, and he invited him to come again the next day.
On our return, Mr Grenville expressed himself as not quite satisfied with some part of the Count de Vergennes" discourse, and was thoughtful. He told me that he had brought two State messengers with him, and perhaps, after he had had another interview with the Minister, he might despatch one of them to London. I then requested leave to answer, by that opportunity, the letters I had received from Lord Shelburne and Mr Fox, and he kindly promised to acquaint me in time of the messenger"s departure. He did not ask me to go with him the next day to Versailles, and I did not offer it.
The coming and going of these gentlemen were observed, and made much talk at Paris, and the Marquis de Lafayette having learned something of their business from the Minister, discoursed with me about it.
Agreeably to the resolutions of Congress, directing me to confer with him, and take his a.s.sistance in our affairs, I communicated to him what had pa.s.sed. He told me that during the treaty at Paris for the last peace, the Duc de Nivernois had been sent to reside in London, that this Court might, through him, state what was from time to time transacted in the light they thought best, to prevent misrepresentations and misunderstandings. That such an employ would be extremely agreeable to him on many accounts; that as he was now an American citizen, spoke both languages, and was well acquainted with our interests, he believed he might be useful in it; and that as peace was likely from appearances to take place, his return to America was perhaps not so immediately necessary. I liked the idea, and encouraged his proposing it to the Ministry. He then wished I would make him acquainted with Messrs Oswald and Grenville, and for that end proposed meeting them at breakfast with me, which I promised to contrive if I could, and endeavor to engage them for Sat.u.r.day.
Friday morning, the 10th of May, I went to Paris, and visited Mr Oswald. I found him in the same friendly dispositions, and very desirous of good, and seeing an end put to this ruinous war. But I got no further sight as to the sentiment of Lord Shelburne respecting the terms. I told him the Marquis de Lafayette would breakfast with me tomorrow, and as he, Mr Oswald, might have some curiosity to see a person who had in this war rendered himself so remarkable, I proposed his doing me the same honor. He agreed to it cheerfully. I came home intending to write to Mr Grenville, who I supposed might stay and dine at Versailles, and therefore did not call on him. But he was returned, and I found the following note from him.
Paris, May 10th.
"Mr Grenville presents his compliments to Mr Franklin; he proposes sending a courier to England at ten o"clock tonight, and will give him in charge any letters Mr Franklin may wish to send by him."
I sat down immediately, and wrote the two short letters following to the Secretaries of State.
TO MR SECRETARY FOX.
Pa.s.sy, May 10th, 1782.
"Sir,
"I received the letter you did me the honor of writing to me by Mr Grenville, whom I find to be a sensible, judicious, and amiable gentleman. The name, I a.s.sure you, does not with me lessen the regard his excellent qualities inspire. I introduced him as soon as possible to Count de Vergennes; he will himself give you an account of his reception. I hope his coming may forward the blessed work of pacification, in which, for the sake of humanity, no time should be lost, no reasonable cause as you observe existing at present for the continuance of this abominable war. Be a.s.sured of my endeavors to put an end to it.
"I am much flattered by the good opinion of a person I have long highly esteemed, and I hope it will not be lessened by my conduct in the affair, that has given rise to our correspondence. With great respect, I have the honor to be, &c.
B. FRANKLIN."
TO LORD SHELBURNE.
Pa.s.sy, May 10th, 1782.
"My Lord,
"I have received the honor of your Lordship"s letter, dated the 28th past, by Mr Oswald, informing me that he is sent back to settle with me the preliminaries of time and place. Paris, as the place, seemed to me yesterday to be agreed on, between Mr Grenville and M. de Vergennes, and is perfectly agreeable to me. The time cannot well be settled till this Court has received answers from Madrid, and the Hague, and until my colleagues are arrived. I expect daily Messrs Jay and Laurens. Mr Adams doubts whether he can be here, but that will not hinder our proceeding.
"It gave me great pleasure to hear Mr Laurens is discharged entirely from the obligations he had entered into. I am much obliged by the readiness with which your Lordship has conferred that favor. Please to accept my thankful acknowledgments.