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of St. Mary's river to the Atlantic Ocean; and east by a line to be drawn along the middle of St. John's river, from its source to its mouth in the Bay of Fundy; comprehending all islands within twenty leagues of any part of the shores of the United States, and lying between lines to be drawn due east from the points where the aforesaid boundaries, between Nova Scotia, on the one part, and East Florida on the other, shall respectively touch the Bay of Fundy and the Atlantic Ocean.

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2d. From and immediately after the conclusion of the proposed treaty, there shall be a firm and perpetual peace between his Britannic majesty and the United States, and between the subjects of the one and the citizens of the other wherefore all hostilities, both by sea and land, shall then immediately cease; all prisoners on both sides shall be set at liberty: and his Britannic majesty shall forthwith, and without causing any distinction, withdraw all his armies, garrisons, and fleets, from the said United States, and from every post, place, and harbor, within the same, leaving in all fortifications the American artillery that may be therein and shall also order and cause all archives, records, deeds, and papers, belonging to either of the said states, or their citizens, which, in the course of the war, may have fallen into the hands of his officers, to be forthwith restored, and delivered to the proper states, and persons to whom they belong.

3d. That the subjects of his Britannic majesty, and people of the said United States, shall continue to enjoy unmolested, the right to take fish of every kind on the banks of Newfoundland, and other places where the inhabitants of both countries used formerly, to wit, before the last war, between France and Britain, to fish, and also to dry and cure the same at the accustomed places, whether belonging to his said majesty, or to the United States; and his Britannic majesty, and the said United States will extend equal privileges and hospitality to each others fishermen as to their

own.

4th. That the navigation of the river Mississippi, from its source to the ocean, shall for ever remain free and open, and that both there, and in all rivers, harbors, lakes, ports, and places, belonging to his Britannic majesty, or to the United States, or in any part of the world, the merchants and merchant's ships, of the one and the other, shall be received, treated, and protected, like the merchants and merchants' ships of the sovereign of the country: That is to say, the British merchants, and merchant ships, on the one hand, shall enjoy in the United States, and in all places belonging to them, the said protection and commercial privileges, and be liable only to the same charges and duties as their own merchants and merchant ships; and on the other hand the merchants and merchant ships of the United States, shall enjoy in all places belonging to his Britannic majesty, the same protection and commercial privileges, and be liable only to the same charges and duties of British merchants and merchant ships, saving always to the chartered trading companies of Great Britain, such exclusive use and trade, and their respective posts and establishments, as neither the subjects of Great Britain, nor any of the more favored nations participate in.

Paris, 8th October, 1782. A true copy of which has been agreed on between the American commissioners and me, to be submitted to his majesty's consideration.

RICHARD OSWALD.

Alteration to be made in the Treaty, respecting the boundaries of Nova Scotia, viz.

EAST, the true line between which and the United States shall be settled by commissioners, as soon as conve◄ niently may be after the war.

SIR,

Dr. Franklin, to Richard Oswald, Esq.

Passy, November 26, 1782.

YOU may well remember, that in the beginning of our conferences, before the other commissioners arrived, on

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your mentioning to me a retribution for the royalists, whose estates had been confiscated. I acquainted you that nothing of that kind could be stipulated by us, the confiscation being made by virtue of laws of particular states, which the congress had no power to contravene or dispense with, and therefore could give us no such authority in our commission. And I gave it as my opinion and advice, honestly and cordially, that if a reconciliation was intended, no mention should be made in our negociations, of those people; for they having done infinite mischief to our properties, by wantonly burning and destroying farm houses, villages, and towns, if compensation for their losses were insisted on, we should certainly exhibit again such an account of all the ravages they had committed, which would necessarily recall to view scenes of barbarity, that must inflame, instead of conciliating, and tend to perpetuate an enmity that we all profess a desire of extinguishing. Understanding however from you, that this was a point your ministry had at heart, I wrote concerning it to congress, and I have lately received the following resolution, viz.

"By the United States, in Congress assembled."

September 10, 1782.

"RESOLVED, That the secretary for foreign affairs be, and he is hereby directed to obtain, as speedily as possible, authentic returns of the slaves, and other property, which have been carried off or destroyed in the course of the war by the enemy, and to transmit the same to the minister plenipotentiary for negociating peace.

"RESOLVED, That in the mean time the secretary for foreign affairs, inform the said ministers, that many thousands of slaves, and other property, to a very great amount, have been carried off, or destroyed by the enemy; and that in the opinion of congress, the great loss of property which the citizens of the United States have sustained by the enemy, will be considered by the several states, as an insu.. perable bar to their making restitution or indemnification to the former owner of property, which has been or may be forfeited to, or confiscated by any of the states.

In consequence of these resolutions and circular letters of the secretary, the assembly of Pennsylvania then sitting, passed the following act, viz.

"State of Pennsylvania, in general Assembly.”

Wednesday, September 18, 1782. "THE bill entitled "an act" for procuring an estimate of the damages, sustained by the inhabitants of Pennsylvania, from the troops and adherents of the king of Great Britain, during the present war, was read a second time."

Ordered to be transcribed, and printed for public consideration.

Extract from the minutes.

PETER Z. LLOYD, Clerk of the General Assembly.

Bill entitled " an act for procuring an estimate of the damages, sustained by the inhabitants of Pennsylvania, from the troops and adherents of the king of Great Britain, during the present war.

WHEREAS great damages, of the most wanton nature, have been committed by the arms of the king of Great Britain, or their adherents, within the territorry of the United States of North America, unwarranted by the practice of civilized nations, and only to be accounted for from the vindictive spirit of the said king and his officers; and whereas an accurate account and estimate of such damages, more especially the waste and destruction of property, may be very useful to the people of the United States of America, in forming a future treaty of peace, and, in the mean time, may serve to exhibit in a true light to the nations of Europe, the conduct of the said king, his ministers, officers, and adherents, to the end therefore that proper measures be taken to ascertain the damages aforesaid, which have been done to the citizens and inhabitants of Pennsylvania, in the course of the present war within this state. "Be it enacted by the house of representatives of the freemen of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in general assembly

met, and by the authority of the same, that in every county of this state, which have been invaded by the armies, soldiers, or adherents, of the king of Great Britain, the commissioners of every such county shall immediately meet together, each within their county, and issue directions to the assessors of the respective townships, districts, and places, within such county, to call upon the inhabitants of every township and place, to furnish accounts and estimates of the damages, waste, spoil, and destruction, which hath been done and committed as aforesaid, upon the property, real or personal, within the same township or place, since the first day of which was in the year of

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our Lord 177 and the same accounts and estimates, to transmit to the commissioners without delay. And if any person or persons, shall refuse or neglect to make out such accounts and estimates, the said assessors of the township or place, shall, from their own knowlege, and by any other reasonable and lawful method, take and render such an account and estimate of all damages done, or committed, as aforesaid: Provided always, that all such accounts and estimates to be made out, and transmitted as aforesaid, shall contain a narrative of the time and circumstances; and if in the power of the person aggrieved, the names of the general, or other officers, or adherents, of the enemy by whom the damage in any case was done, or under whose orders the army, detachment, party, or persons, committing the same, acted at that time, and also the name and condition of the person, or persons, whose property was so damaged or destroyed, and that all such accounts and estimates be made in current money, upon oath or affirmation of the sufferer, or of others having knowlege concerning the same and that in every case it be set forth, whether the party injured hath received any satisfaction for his loss, and by whom the same was given.

"And be it further enacted, by the authority aforesaid, that the said commissioners, having obtained the said ac-counts and estimates from the assessor of the several townships and places, shall proceed to inspect and register the

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