BEING
THE LETTERS OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, SILAS DEANE, JOHN ADAMS, JOHN JAY,ARTHUR LEE, WILLIAM LEE, RALPH IZARD, FRANCIS DANA, WILLIAMCARMICHAEL, HENRY LAURENS, JOHN LAURENS, M. DUMAS, AND OTHERS,CONCERNING THE FOREIGN RELATIONS OF THE UNITED STATES DURING THE WHOLEREVOLUTION,
TOGETHER WITH
THE LETTERS IN REPLY FROM THE SECRET COMMITTEE OF CONGRESS, AND THESECRETARY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS.
ALSO,
THE ENTIRE CORRESPONDENCE OF THE FRENCH MINISTERS, GERARD AND LUZERNEWITH CONGRESS.
Published under the Direction of the President of the United States,from the original Manuscripts of the Department of State, conformablyto a Resolution of Congress, of March 27th, 1818.
EDITED
BY JARED SPARKS.
VOL. I.
BOSTON:
N. HALE AND GRAY & BOWEN.
G. & C. & H. CARVILL, NEW YORK.
1829.
HALE'S STEAM PRESS.
Nos. 6 Suffolk Buildings, Congress Street, Boston.
Resolution directing the Publication and Distribution of the Journaland Proceedings of the Convention, which formed the presentConstitution of the United States.
Resolved, by the Senate and House of Representatives of the UnitedStates of America in Congress assembled, that the Journal of theConvention, which formed the present Constitution of the UnitedStates, now remaining in the office of the Secretary of State, and allacts and Proceedings of that Convention, which are in possession ofthe Government of the United States, be published under the directionof the President of the United States, together with the SecretJournals of the Acts and Proceedings, and the Foreign Correspondenceof the Congress of the United States, from the first meeting thereof,down to the date of the ratification of the definitive treaty ofpeace, between Great Britain and the United States, in the yearseventeen hundred and eightythree, except such parts of the saidforeign correspondence, as the President of the United States may deemit improper at this time to publish. And that one thousand copiesthereof be printed, of which one copy shall be furnished to eachmember of the present Congress, and the residue shall remain subjectto the future disposition of Congress.
[Approved March 27th, 1818.]
The Correspondence between the old Congress and the American Agents,Commissioners, and Ministers in foreign countries, was secret andconfidential during the whole revolution. The letters, as theyarrived, were read in Congress, and referred to the standing Committeeof Foreign Affairs, accompanied with requisite instructions, whennecessary, as to the nature and substance of the replies. The papersembracing this correspondence, which swelled to a considerable massbefore the end of the revolution, were removed to the department ofState after the formation of the new government, where they haveremained ever since, accessible to such persons as have wished toconsult them for particular purposes, but never before published. Incompliance with the resolu