Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1847-08-28


the English to recognise the independence against which they
in arms.
'The connexion which would be formed between France
would moi of those transient ties which are created by
the necessities of the and then are dissolved Nc
conflicting interests could divide nations who commune
relations mutually advantageous would bind them together
with chain, which, ETERNAL would at least be Of very
long duration and they would nfuse life into the in
dusry France and gather her ports the valuable pro-
ducts of America which have heretofore cenered in England
and which, by animatng the industry of that nation have
contributed much to elevate her that extraordinary de-
gree of wealth to which she has attained Such tie would
have for Fte the double advantage of augmentng the
onal industry by diminishing that of her powerful rival"
In this paragraph we see the entire policy Of
France in her union with the United States the
weakening of England by severing from her SO i'm
portant part of the EMPIRE and the hope of profit
ing afterwards by the commerce of the American
States. Count Vergennes's arguments, however,
fell upon the ears of his auditors without CARRYING
conviction. Neither the King nor majority of
the Council was ready to take the decisive step he
desired.
But the time at length came when the scrupes
of the hesitating members were removed. The
capture of Burgoyne and the good conduct of Wash
ington's army in combating the British forces in
Pennsylvania, produced deep impression in Eu-
rope. The Americans had now sustained ITEM
selves nobiy, and gained important advantages in
three campaigns, and had given as strong pledge
could possibly be required for their future con-
stancy to themselves and to the cause in which they
had embarked. On this point the French Cabinet
had all along been doubtful and suspicious. They
feared that the Americans, embarrassedif not dis
couraged by their difficulties, would sooner or later
yield to the force of old habits or attachments, and
seek, or at least accept, reconciliation the mo-
Their country. This was the main reason, added to
the obstacles thrown in the way by the opponents
to the war, why they did not at an caller day enter
into treaty of alliance with the United States. If
they had been premature in this step, and after a
union was formed, if the Americans lad returned to
their allegiance to the British King the French
would have been left in very awkward situation,
with war on their hands against England, and the
rdicule of the world upon them 6r having recog-
Missed the independence and taken up the cause of
the insurgent coonists, who had neither the will,
the resolution nor the internal force to maintain the
position they had assumed 1t was not strange
that prudence should counsel caution in venturing
upon an experiment the issue of which was so un-
certain. When they first talked Of war, it does not
appear to have entered into their plan to Join in an
alliance with the Americans but only to seize upon
the occasion of their revolt as favorable opportu-
nifty to assail and weaken England.
When Franklin, Deane, and Lee were appointed
Commissioners from Congress, they were furnished
with the draught of treaty ofcommerce, which they
were instructed to propose to the French Court.
Nearly year passed before the King was ready to
listen to any such proposal but, when the time
came, it was met with frankness not usual in ne
gotatipns of this kind. AT the first interview on
this subject between Count Vergennes and the Chm
he said it was the resolution Of the
King to take no advantage of the situation d the
: Americans, and to desire no terms which they
might afterwards repent of andendeavor to retact
The treaty conducted, therefore, in stric con-
formity to this declaration. Every article s ad-
Justed IN the incest scale of reciprocity. What
ever is granted by either party has its exact equva-
lent from the other far as it could be decided by
the wisdom of the negotiators.
1t was presumed that this treaty, when it should
be known, would bring on war between France
and England and the treaty of alliance which fol-
lowed, was designed TO explain the duties Of the
two contracting parties in prosecuting the war, and
10 bind them mutually to certain conditions. They
were to make the war common cause, and TO aid
was declared to be " the essential and direct end of
: the alliance to maintain effectually the liberty,
sovereignty, and independence, absolute and IN
limited, of the United States'' The contracting
parties agreed that neither of them should conclude
either truce or peace with Great Britain without
the consent of the other first obtained and thew
mutually agreed not TO lay down their arms until
the independence of the United States should be
secured by treaty at the end of the war.
This treaty of alliance is founded on as exact
of reciprocity the nature of the subject
would admit. France makes no provision for OBJ
tanning possessions on the American continent either
by conquest or cession, not even Canada and the
islands in the Gulf of st. Lawrence, which had been
taken from her, she thought by no fair means, in
the last war. She claimed no aid from the United
States towards any conquest whatever on the con-
trary, she early disavowed, in the most explicit
manner, all intentions of making conquests or ac-
cepung cesslons of territory on the continent and
1t may be added that her conduct during the war
was IN perfect accordance with this disavowal The
French Court maintained the lawfuness of recoC-
nslng the independence of the United States. and of
entering into treaty with them. In memoir read
by M. de Vergennes to the King in Council, on the
9TH of January, 1878, while the treaty was in pro-
gress, he speaks as follows
"The United States independent in fact (drns i
They in all respects sovereign Power
Our recognition will add nothing to the reality Of this posses
SON. We introduce positive articles on this head but
treat with States which possess the sovereign power for the
purpose turning the exercise Of the advantage Of our
people, after the example of Princes of all ages ami coun