inions I wished to impress, and that if finally they should not
be content to treat with us as independent, they were not yet ripe for
peace or treaty with us; besides, I could not be persuaded, that Great
Britain, after what the House of Commons had declared, after what Mr
Grenville had said, and Sir Guy Carleton been instructed to do, would
persist in refusing to admit our independence, provided they really
believed, that we had firmly resolved not to treat on more humble
terms.

I gave him a copy, and also copies of the various resolutions of
Congress, which evince their adherence to their independence. These
papers he sent by express to London, and warmly recommended the
issuing a new commission to remove all further delay. This matter was
not communicated to the Count de Vergennes, at least to my knowledge
or belief, by either of us.

I might now enumerate the various expedients proposed by the Count de
Vergennes and the Marquis de Lafayette to reconcile our difficulties.
Such as Mr Oswald's writing a letter to us, signifying that he treated
with us as independent, &c. &c. But as our independence was
indivisible, there could not easily be contrived a half way mode of
acknowledging it, and therefore any method of doing it short of the
true and proper one could not bear examination.

Being convinced, that the objections to our following the advice of
the Count de Vergennes were unanswerable, I proposed to Dr Franklin,
that we should state them in a letter to him, and request his answer
in writing, because, as we were instructed to ask and to follow his
advice on these occasions, we ought always to be able to show what his
advice was.

The Doctor approved of the measure, and I undertook to prepare a draft
of such a letter.

I must now remind you of what some of my former letters informed you,
viz. the propositions made to me by the Count d'Aranda on the part of
Spain. It is necessary that I should in this place go into that
detail, because they will be found in the sequel to be strongly
connected with the subject more immediately under consideration.

On my arrival at Paris in June last, it being doubtful whether if I
made a visit to Count d'Aranda he would return it, I thought it most
advisable to avoid that risk, and to write him the following letter.

TO COUNT D'ARANDA.

"Paris, June 25th, 1782.

"Sir,

"On leaving Madrid his E