Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1847-09-11

alliance. There was no good reason why the COM
missloners should consult the French Court these
topics, because the principles of that Court were
known but considering the nature of their nstruc-
tons, and the express terms of the treaty of alli
ance, 1t would be difficult to Justify their impene-
rable secrecy and reserve, their jealousy and sus-
picions, and least of all, their signing the treaty
without The knowledge of their allies. Ii the French
had done the same could the act have been approx
ed or defended! This success in separating the
American commissioners from their allies was
triumph TO the British Coke, in his q History of
The House Of .7ustria," says: " Mr.. Fitzherbert
iuhlled his delicate office with great ability and
address, While he treated with Vergennes, he
succeeded in alarming Franklin, Adams and Jay,
and prevailed on them to sign separate and pro-
vlsional articles, which severed America from
i France"
Ii should be remembered however, that the Com
mlssioners were unanimous in the course they pur-
SUED. III they committed fault, ii resulted from
hign ana pralseworthy motive-a scrupulous re-
gard for the honor and interests of their country
They never pretended to urge in their defence any
other reasons than such as were drawn from sus-
picous circumstances, differences, conjectures, and
deceptive appearances No direct or positive proofs
have ever been produced that the French Court had
any sinister designs, or concealed purpose of gain
ing advantages at the expense of their allies, or that
they did not faithfully fulfil the promises contained
IN the treaty OF alliance; and nothing is hazarded
IN saying that no such proofs will be found, if
taken in connexion with the whole train of events
and the whole mass of testimony. Wilmot, in his
Historical piew concerning the Loyalists, speak
ing OF the efforts that were made by the British ne
g9tlators to procure some compensation for them,
says: " The writer of these sheets, who has seen
the correspondence between the Government at
home, and those who were employed in negoat-
ing this important business at Paris, can assert
with confidence that the Court Of Versailles ab
soluteh refused TO conaefo any treaty or decision
at all, till the american commissioners acre CON-
pletely satisfied"
1t is not strange that the knowledge of the sig
nature of the treaty should have come with aston
ishment upon Count de Vergennes. He certainly
was not prepared for such disclosure. But his
first letter to M. de la Luzerne, after this event. will
show with what spirit it was received
You will surely be gratifed well as myself with the
very extensive advantages which allies the Americans
are TO receive from the peace, but you certainly will not
less surprised than have been the conduct of the Com
missioner. According the instructions Congress they
ought to have done nothing without participation have
informed you that the King did seek influence the ne
gotaon any further than his offices might be necessary
his friends The American commissioners will say that
II have nerfered and much less that have weared them
with my curiosity They have cautiously kept themselves at
a distance from me-"
The tone and language of this extract, and in
deed of the whole letter, are consistent with all the
preceding declarations of the French Minister. So
far from expressing disappointment or dissatsfac-
ton, he is gratifed with the advantages obtained
by the Americans. Would such have been his Ian
guage if it had been the intention of the French
Court to prevent these advantages, or to gain them
or equivalent for France And it should be
borne in mind that the extracts to which the rea-
ders attention has been called in this paper as well
as the preceding, chiefly taken from the conf
Dental letters of the Minister to the Ambassadors
abroad, and cannot be suspected of having double
meaning or delusive purport, unless we suppose
him deceivlng the very agents on whom he relied
to execute his intentions.
We shall here dismiss this subject, with entire
conviction that the charges of bad faith and disho-
norable intentions against the French Government,
in their relations with the United States during the
war of the Revolution, which have been confident
ly asserted as matters of history, are without foun-
dation and unjust. Many circumstances have con-
tributed TO nourish prejudice, which time and
facts ought to obliterate. Soon after the alliance
was formed, when the first enthusiasm had little
subsidized there were persons in this country who
protested to dislike il, who could not divest them
selves of their hereditary prejudices against the
FRENCH nor brook dependence for any thing on
L
race. The border wars had left deep impression
These persons were unable to conceive il possible
that such nation could be generous or even Just,
and they perplexed their thoughts with surmises of
indirect motives, selfish ends, and ambitious de-
signs a concealed and far-reachng policy which
would at last show itself to the dsmay of those
who confded in these friends, fnot TO the ruin
of the country. There were others who could
never be satisfied that the French did enough-who
seemed to think the resources of France in money!
ships Of war, and troops were inexhaustible with
out rejecting that she had to meet the English navy
and armies in all parts of the world, and without
knowing, what soon afterwards demonstrated
that her finances in an extremely precarious
condition. Persons of both these descriptions were
numerous; their complaints were as loud as they
were unreasonable; their suspicious as wakeful
and inventive as they were groundless.
In a calm survey of the past we are bound to
divest ourselves of the remnants Of these preudces,
to search for truth, and Judge with candor. If we
inquire and decide in this spirit, we shall find
that France performed faithfully all that she pro-
missed to the United States. She did more she
lent us money in our time of need from her own
exhausted treasury, which she did not promise
she relinqushed the interest of that money for
term of years, and after the war she allowed us to
return it by long payments to suit our convenience
she sent her fleets and armies to assist in fighting
our battles on coasts and on our own soil she /