at Philadelphia, to Vergennes, recently communicated to him by means of one of the agents in the employment of the English Government, the secret service money of which was well expended. The despatch strongly condemned the pretensions of New England to the Newfoundland fisheries.[1] A despatch had also been intercepted from Vergennes to M. de Lucerne instructing him to use his utmost endeavours to prevent any attack by Washington's army on Canada; and the papers captured with Mr. Laurens showed how anxious the Spanish Government was to prevent the valley of the Mississippi or any portion of it falling into the hands of the American colonists. Nor did either Vergennes or D'Aranda appear to have much confidence in the stability of the American Congress. The effect on Jay was instantaneous. To the arguments of Rayneval, who he ascertained was leaving France for England upon a secret mission under the assumed name of Castel, he turned a deaf ear,[2] and without the knowledge or consent of Franklin, he induced Benjamin Vaughan to return to England, in order to tell Shelburne to beware of Rayneval, and to express on his behalf the opinion that the obvious interest of England was to put an end to the alliance between America and France, while as regarded the question of Independence he agreed to waive his demand of a previous and absolute acknowledgment, provided that the commission to Oswald instead of speaking of the Colonies and plantations naming them one by one should denominate them the 13 United States of America.[3]
"This would set the whole machine in motion," said
- ↑ "There are some judicious persons to whom one may speak of giving up the fisheries and the lands of the west for the sake of peace." Marbois to Vergennes, March 13th, 1782; Lansdowne House MSS. See Life of Jay, i. 144-145, where the date is wrongly given as March 31st, and i. 490-494, where the text is printed and the date correctly given; ibid. ii. 476, where the text of Rayneval's memorandum is printed; Fitzherbert to Shelburne, December 4th, 26th, 1782; Vergennes to La Lucerne, September 4th, 1781; Knox Papers, Historical MSS. Commission Reports; Various Papers, vi. 200.
- ↑ Life of Jay, i. 147; ii. 480. Rayneval to Shelburne, September 10th, 1782.
- ↑ Shelburne to Oswald, September 3rd. B. Vaughan to Franklin, July 10th. Franklin to Vaughan, July 11th. Oswald to Townshend and Shelburne, September 10th, 11th, 1782. Vaughan to Shelburne, September 12th, 1782.
