That he did not for his part believe, that Lord Shelburne would negotiate a general peace sincerely, till he lost all hopes of sowing dissensions and treating separately; that they were convinced, that neither France nor Spain were to be deceived, and that he (the Count de Vergennes,) entertained the same sentiments with respect to the Americans, but that the British Ministry, deceiving themselves, may continue to tempt them till a peace is signed; that the information they (the Court of France,) had received from him (the Minister of France,) had left them little doubt on that head; and that those doubts will be entirely removed when the States shall have respectively imitated the example of Maryland, Virginia, and New Jersey.
That, however, good faith was not all that was required of an ally; that they must feel themselves in a situation to impose terms on the enemy; that unhappily the Americans had neglected this; that the Minister of France could not press this too closely upon us.
He then proceeds to inform the Minister, that while the British had set on foot a direct negotiation, the Imperial Court renewed their instances with that of London to engage them to accept their mediation; that this gave birth to an answer, in which his Britannic Majesty, without taking notice of the negotiation begun at Paris, declared, that he was ready to receive through them, every pacific overture, and even to admit the Dutch and the Americans to the negotiation. This answer was dated on the 29th of April, when Mr Oswald was already in Paris. That they continued their negotiations, and sent Mr Grenville powers, which were dated on the 21st of May; that they did not conceal this from the Imperial Court, but pretended that it was at the instance of France.
That this false accusation, and above all the fear of seeing the mediation vanish, had engaged the Imperial Court to communicate to the Court of Versailles and Madrid, the last Memorial of the Court of London, and to exhort them to establish a negotiation under their auspices; that it was easy to refute the unskilful accusation of the British, which he (the Count de Vergennes,) thinks they (the Court of France,) have done with success; that the answer is transmitted; that they had determined, without rejecting the mediation, to pursue the direct negotiation as long as it might be convenient to the Court of London; that he had not seen the answer of the British, which could not, however, be very satisfactory, since they have expedited the commission to Mr Fitzherbert and Mr Oswald; that he (the Count do Vergennes,) was ignorant of the part, that the Imperial Courts would take upon their declinatory answer.
But that they had always been candid, clear, and open, and would have no objection to confide their interests with the mediators upon the established basis, whenever the Court of London shall decline the direct negotiation she had begun; that the King did not doubt but that Congress would think with him on this subject, and that he would not hesitate, if circumstances should require it, to give such assurances to the two Imperial Courts. In a postscript he adds, that he had seen Mr Jay and Mr Franklin, and that they had together discussed both the substance and form of the commission to Mr Oswald, and that in spite of his (Mr Oswald's) instances, they had agreed to decline entering into the matter with him, until he shall have produced the original of his commission.
ROBERT R. LIVINGSTON.
TO THE PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS.
Translation.
December 31st, 1782.
Sir,