ftrongly urged the respective states (in order, as they said, to guard against the secret artifices and machinations of the enemy) to be vigilant and active in detecting and feizing all Britifh emiffaries and fpies, that they might be brought to condign punishment: that the officers of all departments, who might be charged with perfons coming from the enemy under the protection of flags of truce, fhould be enjoined to take especial care, that fuch perfons might not abuse their privileges, but be reftrained from all intercourfe with the country and inhabitants, which was not neceflary for tranfacting the public bufinefs on which they might be fent: and, that no fubject of his Britannic Majesty, coming directly or indirectly from any part of the British dominions, fhould be admitted into any of the United States during the war.

While the Americans were thus oftentatiously difplaying their public fidelity, and endeavouring even to cut off the poffibility of temptation, by fhutting out every overture towards a feparate accommodation, we are to look to the meafures that were purfuing in Europe, for the attainment of a general peace between all the parties concerned in the war.'

Two of the first powers in Europe, the Empress of Ruffia and the Emperor of Germany, were the mediators in this great bufinefs; the difficulties of which feemed in no fmall degree to be done away, by the difpofition of granting independence to America which prevailed in England. With refpect to France, indeed, as the attainment of that point was her only avowed object in the war, its be

II

ing granted feemed at once to remove the very ground of contention; and to leave no farther obftacles in the way of an accommodation, than those which arofe merely from the circumstances of the war itfelf; nor did the adjustment of these feem exceedingly difficult; for though her acquifitions in the Weft-Indies were undoubtedly confiderable and valuable, yet her loffes in the East left the means of a reasonable equivalent in the hands of England; without even confidering the island of St. Lucia, upon the fpot, which was a poffeffion of fuch importance, with refpect to its fize, ftrength, harbours, fituation, and capability of unbounded improvement, as could not but weigh heavily in every political fcale of estimation.

"

As to Spain, if her conduct and motives could at all be clearly comprehended, he entered into the war, rather, as an auxiliary, and in confequence of the family compact, than as a principal, or as acting at all upon national principles. The establishment of an independent empire in America was to her the molt alarming measure in point of precedent, and the most dangerous in its probable and natural confequences, that could poffibly have happened, the emancipation of Mexico and Peru from her own government only excepted. It feems probable, that the did not apprehend (though the defign was avowed) that this event would have taken place, at the time he was led into the war; unlefs indeed it is fuppofed, that the was fo dazzled by the fplendid objects of Jamaica and Gibraltar, as to be blind to all others. The acquifition of thefe, as well as of

Minorca,

Minorca, however unlikely at that time to be attained, was artfully held out by France, not only as a lure to the ambition of the king, but as impofing an opinion on the people that they had a national interest in view, and that they were not plunged madly into a war, which was not only entirely Bourbon, but highly dangerous and deftructive in its principle and defign to themselves. The ill fortune of England in the war, or perhaps it may be faid, the defect of wisdom and ability in the direction and application of the immenfe powers and the exhaustlefs ftock of valour which fhe poffeffed, enabled Spain to recover Minorca, and to fubdue West Florida. As the war afforded no equivalent on the other fide to propofe for thefe, it was reafonably to be expected that they fhould continue in the hands of Spain, affording in one inftance a diftant frontier against the enterprize of that future enemy, which fhe had herself taken fo much pains in creating, and in the other, a confiderable facrifice to royal and national vanity. But neither the embarraffed state of her finances, the repeated failure of all her designs upon Jamaica, her late fignal defeat at Gibraltar, nor any other circumstances of her prefent condition, feemed to afford any folid ground to Spain, upon which the could reafonably attempt to eftablifh further claims. We have laid no ftrefs in this statement upon the Bahama iflands, (though they were estimated at a high rate in the negotiation) as they could not have been retained by Spain, and they were in fact moft honourably and gallantly recovered by a hand

ful of private adventurers, before any thing of the peace was known.

The republic of Holland, unfortunately fallen and degraded in a degree which he had never before experienced, from the first general acknowledgment of her independency to the prefent æra, was, of courfe and of neceffity, reduced to depend entirely upon the favour, generofity and protection of France, as well in the conclu-, fion of a peace, as she had through the progrefs of the war.

With respect to the general circumftances of the contending parties, the most fuccessful members of the alliance, great and formidable as it was, fcarcely flood much lefs in need of peace than England, notwithstanding all her loffes, and expofed as she had fo long been, as a common butt, to withstand fingly all their attacks in every quarter. For it is probable that France had never been engaged, for the time of its continuance, in a more expensive war than the prefent. Her extraordinary exertions at fea, the oppofite extremes of the globe in which they were made, the great and frequent loffes fuftained in the fupply, the immense current charges to which it was fubjected, by the greatnefs of the diftance, along with the constant two-fold drain, by loan and otherwife, of her treasure by America, may well be fuppofed all together, in point of expence, abundantly to fupply the place of those vaft armies which the had heretofore ufually fupported, and even of the fubfidies which fhe had been in the habit of paying, in the courfe of her continental wars. It is to be allowed, that her com

merce had flourished to a degree, in the prefent war, which he had never before experienced in any conteft with England; but neither the advantages arifing from this circumftance, nor from the admirable financial regulations and reforms adopted during the prefent reign, were equivalent to the fupply of the continual demands, and of the numberlefs deficiencies produced by the war. Succeeding events have fhewn, that even a peace was not fufficient to prevent that nation from fuffering no fmall derangement of her monied and financial concerns, and which was accordingly attended with its ufual effect upon public credit.

Under thefe general circumftances of the contending powers, the independence of America being granted, there did not feem to be any mighty impediment remaining in the way to the reftoration of the public tranquillity.

The new adminiftration in England fpeedily adopted this bulinefs upon their coming into powér; and Mr. Grenville had been for fome time in Paris, in order to fettle the neceffary preliminaries, and to smooth the way for opening a negociation in due form. Thefe matters being fettled, Mr. FitzHerbert, the minifter at Bruffels, proceeded to Paris, he being appointed, on the part of England, as plenipotentiary, to negotiate and conclude a treaty of peace with the minifters of France, Spain, and Holland. Mr. Ofwald, a merchant, was likewife difpatched to the fame place, as commiffioner from his Britannic majefty, for treating of peace with John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, and

Henry Laurens, four of the commiffioners appointed for the fame purpose on the part of the United States of America.

The differences with America were much fooner fettled (fo far at least as their dependence on the main treaty could at prefent admit) than thofe with the European powers. On the 30th of November, 1782, provifional articles were figned on both fides, which were to be inferted in, and to constitute a future treaty of peace, to be finally concluded between the parties, when that between Great Britain and France took place.

By this provifional treaty, the freedom, fovereignty, and independence, of the Thirteen United States was, individually by name, and in the fulleft and moft exprefs terms, acknowledged, and all claims to their government, propriety, and territorial rights, for ever relinquished by the crown of Great Britain. To prevent all future difputes about boundaries, several imaginary lines were drawn, which interfecting immenfe countries, lakes, and rivers, threw vast tracts of land and water into the hands of the Americans to which they had no prior claim. Befides the fertile and extenfive countries on the Ohio and Miffiffippi, which came within this defcription, these limits trenched deeply on the boundaries both of Canada and Nova Scotia; and the fur trade was faid to be in a great measure relinquifhed, by the forts, paffes, carrying places, and waters, which were now to be furrendered. It was likewife faid, that four or fiveand-twenty Indian nations were by this arrangement given up to

America;

America; among whom, befides the Cherokees,, were the celebrated Five Nations, who, through fo long a courfe of years, had held fo ftrict an alliance with England.

On the sea coafts, as the British forces were to be withdrawn from all the territories of the United States, New York, Long Ifland, Staten Island, Charlestown, in South Carolina, and Penobscot, in the borders of New England and Nova Scotia, with their dependencies, were of courfe to be given up. Savannah, in Georgia, had already been evacuated by the British troops. An unlimited right of fishery on the Banks of Newfoundland, in the gulph of St. Lawrence, and all other places, where both nations had heretofore been accustomed to fish, was likewife granted or confirmed to the Americans. We omit the articles with refpect to the loyalifts, as they will appear in the parliamentary difcuffions on that fubject.

The preliminary articles of peace between England and France were figned at Versailles, on the 20th of January, 1783, by Mr. Alleyne Fitz-Herbert, on the part of the one, and by the Count de Vergennes, on that of the other; as the preliminary articles between England and Spain were, on the fame day, by the first of thefe gentlemen, and by the Count D'Aranda, on the part of the Catholic king. The preliminary articles with Holland were not yet fettled.

By the preliminary treaty with France, in the place of the narrow limits to which the latter had been reftrained by the laft peace, England now extends her rights of fishery at Newfoundland to a long extent of coast, reaching from Cape

St. John, in about 50 degrees of north latitude, on the eastern fide of the island, round by the north, to Cape Raye, on the western coast, in 47 degrees and 50 minutes latitude. -England likewife ceded the islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon in full right to France, and confequently without any re ftriction in point of fortification.

In the Weft-Indies, England reftored to France the island of St. Lucia, and ceded and guaranteed to her the island of Tobago-On the other hand, France reftores to Great Britain the islands of Grenada, and the Grenadines, with thofe of St. Vincent, Dominica, St. Chriftopher's, Nevis, and Montferrat.

In Africa, England cedes and guarantees, in full right to France, the river of Senegal, and its dependencies, with the forts of St. Louis, Podor, Galam, Arguin, and Portendie; and likewife reftores the ifland of Goree. And, on the other hand, France guarantees to Great Britain the poffeffion of Fort James, and of the river Gambia. Certain new regulations with respect to the gum trade were likewife to take place in this part of the world.

In the Eaft, England reftored every thing to France, with confiderable additions, and without the poffibility of an equivalent in that quarter, which he had loft during the war. All her establishments in Bengal, and on the coaft of Orixa, were to be restored, and liberty given for furrounding Chandenagor with a ditch for draining the waters. Pondicherry and Karical were likewife to be restored and guaranteed to France; and his Britannic majefty was bound to pro[7] 4

cures