The sixth Article is not so precisely expressed as to point out to what time the word future refers, whether to the signature of the Provisional Articles, whether to the act, which gave it the force of a treaty, or to the definitive treaty. Though I should suppose the second to be the intention from the opposition between the words now, and the time of the ratification in America.
The seventh Article leaves the time for the evacuation of New York upon so loose a footing, that I fear our troublesome guests will long continue to be such, unless a day is fixed on for their departure, in the definitive treaty. You can easily conceive the impatience that the distressed inhabitants of New Fork feel at every moment's delay; and the fears and jealousies that prevail among them lest it should be meant to retain these posts as pledges for the performance of the stipulations in favor of the tories. By the debates in Parliament on the 3d of March, it is evident that they had then no orders to evacuate.
You will observe that the ratification does not extend to the Separate Article. The treaty between Spain and Great Britain renders it unnecessary; and Congress not caring to express any sentiment upon that subject, I refer you to my letters to Dr Franklin and Mr Jay upon the subject of a free trade with the West Indies, and the logwood trade, which are important objects here; and, I hope, will be attended to in your definitive treaty. It were to be wished that the ambiguity with respect to the time of the cessation of hostilities upon this coast was cleared up, and the construction we put upon it adopted, to wit, that by as far as the Canaries, was intended the latitude of the Canaries, which construction can be supported by a variety of arguments, and is extremely important to us, as a number of our vessels have been taken since the 3d of March.
I have the honor to be, &c.
ROBERT R. LIVINGSTON.
MR GRAND TO THE COMMISSIONERS.
Paris, May 10th, 1783.
Gentlemen,
It is some months ago since I had the honor to write you, and am well persuaded, although I received no answer thereto, that it will have engaged your attention. I earnestly wish it may have been productive of an improvement to the finances of Congress, which I then foresaw would be short of our wants, and which is, unfortunately, too much the case at present.
Last month, I remitted to the honorable Robert Morris, the state of his account; the balance of which was 413,892 livres 13c. 9s. due to me. This, added to the subsequent payments I had to make, would have thrown me into a state of perplexity, had it not been for the assistance given me by the Garde du Trésor Royal.