him Vanghan's true position. Oswald therefore
remained in ignorance (apparently through life)
that during the whole transaction Vaughan was
actively engaged in his work of removing obstacles
to the peace on both sides, at the express desire of
both parties to the negotiation. Hence the corre-
spondence of Oswald and Shelburne gives, on both
sides, an erroneous impression as to Vaughan.
Vaughan became well acquainted with Jay, on the
latter's arrival in Paris, 23 June, and much com-
munication between Franklin and Jay in Paris, and
Shelburne in England, passed through Vaughan.
On Vaughan's return to London in August, he was
again requested by Shelburne to return to Paris and
continue his efforts. While there, Vaughan learned
of Rayneval's secret mission to England, and wrote
to Shelburne concerning it, 9 Sept. Two days
later he wrote Shelburne a long letter, urging delay
with Rayneval, and immediate and independent
action with the colonies, and showing the impor-
tance of separating America from France, and the
danger to peace of refusing to grant Jay's demand
for a new commission to Oswald which should
recognize the independence of the United States at
once, instead of reserving independence to be one
of the terms of the treaty itself. Following his
letter to England a few hours later, at the urgent
request of Jay, he had an interview with Shelburne,
and, being asked " whether a new commission was
absolutely necessary," renewed his assurance that
it was. The new commission was made out, and
Vaughan was desired by Shelburne to return to
France immediately. He set out at once, taking
with him in his chaise from London the royal
messenger with the new commission, which recog-
nized in its wording the independence of the United
States of America. Vaughan remained in Paris
during October and part of November, becoming
acquainted with Adams, the fourth commissioner,
who arrived in Paris on 25 Oct., and being the
medium of much informal communication between
the negotiators on both sides, especially concerning
the refugees. In November he again returned to
London, but was desired by Shelburne to go back
to Paris. At this time Shelburne appears to have
been dissatisfied with his course; and the king,
to whom Vaughan's letters were submitted along
with the official despatches, also expressed dissatis-
faction at his stay. But the result of his work
seems to have justified his course, for Franklin ex-
pressly declared that, had it not been for Vaughan's
letters and conversations, he would not have signed
the clause in the treaty concerning the refugees — a
subject which, more than any other, threatened to
wreck the whole negotiation. Shelburne must
have become satisfied of this, for he again requested
nim to remain in Paris. Vaughan spent over seven
months in these visits at Paris and in his journeys,
but refused to receive any pay or even the reim-
bursement of his expenses.
From 1783 to 1794 Vaughan lived in London and in the country, with long visits to Paris, di- viding his time between active business and po- litical and scientific studies. His letters show Jeremy Bentham, Sheridan, Sir Samuel Romilly, Grey, Wilberforee, M. de Narbonne, the bishop of Autun, and many others to have been among his guests, while his general correspondence em- braced an even wider circle. His intimate relations with Franklin continued unbroken during life. He had long before edited the first publication of Franklin's writings in London, and through his influence in these later years Franklin was induced to publish his memoirs. "During this time Vaughan published papers under the signature of the " Calm Observer." reprinted in book-form (London, 1793), and translated into French and German. He was returned to parliament in 1792. and remained in the house nearly two years. He was opposed to any attempt to disturb the existing form of govern- ment in his own country ; but as the French revo- lution developed, the popular tide in England set strongly against those men who had shown sym- pathy with its earlier stages, and more rigorous laws were demanded against those suspected of sympathizing with what were called revolutionary ideas. Vaughan, from his place in parliament, was well known to Pitt as one of the active opponents of the administration. Under these circumstances he decided to leave England for the continent until times had again become settled, and accordingly in 1794 he went to France, and afterward to Switzerland. While in France he was several times suspected of being an English spy. In Switzerland he devoted himself to political corre- spondence and literary pursuits. He was assured by Pitt that he could at any time return to Eng- land with safety, but he had become so much inter- ested in republican principles that he determined to live in the United States. He accordingly went direct to Boston, and lived for a short time at Little Cambridge (now Brighton), whence he re- moved to Maine, and settled on lands descended to him from his mother, Sarah Hallowell, on Kenne- bec river, in what is now the town of Hallowell. Here he spent the remainder of his life, improving his estate, advocating conservative political views, working in his library, writing literary and polit- ical articles, and carrying on an extensive corre- spondence. Here, for the first time, he practised his profession, visiting only among the poor, and usually supplying medicines as well as advice without charge. Besides the articles written in England on political and scientific subjects, he also published, under the title of " Klyogg, or the Rural Socrates," the result of his researches in Switzer- land, concerning the life of James Gouyer, the agricultural philosopher (Hallowell, Me., 1806). At Hallowell he published anonymously various polit- ical articles, and also prepared two historical pa- pers at President Adams's request — one concern- ing the northeast boundary, the other giving the writer's surmises of the manner in which Turgot's memoirs came into the possession of Lord Shel- burne several years before their publication. All that he wrote was either published anonymously, or over a fictitious signature, or was not written for publication, and his literary labors have re- mained generally unknown. He was an indefati- gable worker, and spent much of his time during his later life among his books, which, when he came to Hallowell, were fewer by only two thousand than the library of Harvard college at that time. He received the honorary degree of LL. D. from Harvard in 1807, and from Bowdoin in 1812— His brother, Charles, merchant, b. in England, 30 June, 1759; d. in Hallowell, Me., 15 May, 1839, after spending some years in Jamaica, came to the United States in 1786, and settled in Hallowell. He had charge of large tracts of land owned by his father and by his maternal grandfather, Benjamin Hallowell", and devoted himself to encouraging the settlement of the Kennebec region. In furtherance of this object he visited England in the autumn of 1790, and spent several months in establishing business relations with merchants in London and other ports. Returning in June, 1791, he married, in Boston. Frances Western Apthorp, established himself there as a merchant, and had for several years an extensive
