The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-12-15

servatism led him TO seek a course which,
as he thought, would most effectually
unite his countrymen in resistance 10
Parliamentary aggressions. But when his
country was once committed he COM
mitted himself fully to his countrys
cause. He threw himself without reserve
into the Revolution and in his ardent pa
triotism he was now ready to punish with
imprisonment and exile the tory who OPP
posed his country after his country mad
been drawn into the throes OF war. Sucn
was Jay as a patriot of the Revolution
Mission to Spain.
BY a secret article annexed to the
famous treaty Of alliance between France
and the United States Of MS a right vas
reserved to Spain of acceding TO this
treaty whenever she might think proper
Congress was anxious to strengthen our
foreign alliances. Accordingly, on Sep
TENDER Il, 1779, Jay was appointed as Min
lister to Spain to negotiate treaty of al
lance. amity and commerce-that is, 10
induce Spain TO come into the same celia
ton with us as France had come.
II his Catholic Majesty (the King OF SPAIN
shall accede 10 the treaties and In concurrence
with France and the United States continue
the present war with Great Britain. II he shall
obtain the F1oridas from Great Britain. these
United States will guarantee the same 10 his
Catholic Majesty provided always that the
United States shall enjoy the free navigation
OF the River Mississippi into and from the
sea. You are particularly 10 endeavor 10 OBJ
tain some convenient port. ports. below
the 3lst degree Of north latitude on the river
Mississippi. free for all merchant vessels
goods. wares and merchandise belonging to
the Inhabitants of these States.
These words from the instructions of
Congress TO Jay indicate particularly.
though only partially, the purpose OF Con-
gress in this Spanish mission A port on
the Mississippi. or the navigation OF that
river TO the sea, was the subject OF diplo-
matte contention between us and Spain
for more than twenty years during and
following our revolution. To the Western
settlers there was no other subject Of
equal Importance. But to the people down
East the great interior seemed so vast
and far away that they supposed II must
be settled only very slowly and that gen
erations must pass before it's commerce
would be worth considering.
Negotiations for Independence, 1882.
In the face OF Spanish delays and eva
sions, Jays mission dragged it's weary
and fruitless way along until, In 1852 ne
was transferred to Paris to aid Franklin
and Adams I'm negotiations for our indie
pendence. In these negotiations we find
Jays most brilliant and diplomatic tri-
umph-a triumph most worthy of himself
lin he won the Ohio Valley and our
boundary on the Mississippi and the
lakes. The full story OF this really bril-
liant diplomacy is too long for these col
umns, and We can but indicate the ad-
verse scheme which he circumvented. and
the results which. with his colleagues. he
did so much 10 achieve.
Jays experience at Madrid had revealed
to him the animus of the Spanish and
French courts. He suspected Vergennes,
the French Minister of Foreign Affairs.
of willingness, II not of a design. Of
making a treaty detrimental TO the inter-
ests of America. During the early nego-
tiations at Paris Franklin was sick with
the govt and Adams had not yet arrived
from Holland; so Jay was alone with the
responsibility.
When Jay learned that Vergennes had
sent Rayneval-a trusted agent OF Yer
gennes-to England on a secret mission
to urge a policy against our claims TO the
fisheries and TO the valleys OF the Ohio
and the Mississippi. he secretly sent
TO urge upon Shelburne the policy of
treating independently with the United
States. without the knowledge and con-
currence of France, and especially to re-
sist settlement which would deprive us
of the Mississippi. would strengthen
France In America, and would SOW only
seeds of irritation between us and Great
Britain for the future. jay found Shell
burne ready TO adopt policy designed to
encourage and widen the breach between
France and her ally. Oswald. the Brit
ish negotiator. received instructions TO
consent to the treaty which Jay desired
France was subsequently astounded at
the liberality OF the terms that we had
secured. and Franklin, who stood in bet
ter favor at the French court than jaw.
had the delicate task Of making apologies
to Vergennes. The astuteness with which