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346 CORRESPONDENCE AND PUBLIC PAPERS.
order the better to decide on the correctness of the
translation. I am not at liberty to mention the manner in which this paper came to my hands. To me
it appears of importance that it should for the present
be kept a profound secret, though I do not see how
that is to be done, if communicated to the Congress
at large, among whom there always have been and
always will be some unguarded members. I think,
however, as I thought before, that your commissioners here should be left at liberty to pursue the sentiments of their country, and such of their own as may
correspond with those of their country.
I am persuaded (and you shall know my reasons
for it) that this Court chooses to postpone an acknowledgment of our independence by Britain, to the
conclusion of a general peace, in order to keep us
under their direction, until not only their and our
objects are attained, but also until Spain shall be
gratified in her demands to exclude everybody from
the Gulf, etc. We ought not to let France know that
we have such ideas. While they think us free from
suspicion they will be more open, and we should make
no further use of this discovery than to put us on our
guard. Count de Vergennes would have us treat
with Mr. Oswald, though his commission calls us
colonies, and authorizes him to treat with any description of men, etc. In my opinion we can only treat as
an independent nation, and on an equal footing. I
am at present engaged in preparing a statement of
objections in a letter to him, so that I have not time
to write very particularly to you. The Spanish Am-
| Title | The correspondence and public papers of John Jay - 2 |
| Creator | Jay, John |
| Publisher | G.P. Putnam's Sons |
| Place of Publication | New York, London |
| Date | [1890-93] |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Title | 00000367 |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Transcript | 346 CORRESPONDENCE AND PUBLIC PAPERS. order the better to decide on the correctness of the translation. I am not at liberty to mention the manner in which this paper came to my hands. To me it appears of importance that it should for the present be kept a profound secret, though I do not see how that is to be done, if communicated to the Congress at large, among whom there always have been and always will be some unguarded members. I think, however, as I thought before, that your commissioners here should be left at liberty to pursue the sentiments of their country, and such of their own as may correspond with those of their country. I am persuaded (and you shall know my reasons for it) that this Court chooses to postpone an acknowledgment of our independence by Britain, to the conclusion of a general peace, in order to keep us under their direction, until not only their and our objects are attained, but also until Spain shall be gratified in her demands to exclude everybody from the Gulf, etc. We ought not to let France know that we have such ideas. While they think us free from suspicion they will be more open, and we should make no further use of this discovery than to put us on our guard. Count de Vergennes would have us treat with Mr. Oswald, though his commission calls us colonies, and authorizes him to treat with any description of men, etc. In my opinion we can only treat as an independent nation, and on an equal footing. I am at present engaged in preparing a statement of objections in a letter to him, so that I have not time to write very particularly to you. The Spanish Am- |
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