Houses of Parliament, above quoted, is as just as it is
severe; although much could be and was said in justification of the
policy of the Government in promoting peace upon almost any terms,
seeing that England was at war with the three most powerful naval
nations of Europe, besides that in America.

The fallacy of the argument employed by the advocates of the treaty,
that the Americans would honourably fulfil the recommendations of
Congress, was illustrated by the following facts:

"The province of Virginia, a short time before the peace, had come to an
unanimous conclusion 'that all demands or requests of the British Court
for the restoration of property confiscated by the State were wholly
impossible; and that their delegates should be instructed to move
Congress that they should direct the deputies for adjusting peace not to
agree to any such restitution.'"

_The State of New York_ resolved, "That it appears to this Legislature
that divers of the inhabitants of this State have continued to adhere to
the King of Great Britain, after these States were declared free and
independent, and persevered in aiding the said king, his fleets and
armies, to subjugate the United States to bondage: Resolved, That as on
the one hand the scales of justice do not require, so on the other the
public tranquillity will not permit, that such adherents who have been
attainted should be restored to the rights of citizens, and that there
can be no reason for restoring property which has been confiscated or
forfeited."

PART II.

AGENTS OF LOYALISTS--PROCEEDINGS OF PARLIAMENTARY COMMISSION--RESULTS.

Of course all hope of obtaining relief under the stipulations of the
treaty was abandoned by the Loyalists, who "now applied to the
Government which they had ruined themselves to serve, and many of them,
who had hitherto been 'refugees' in different parts of America, went to
England to state and recover payment for their losses. They organized an
agency, and appointed a Committee composed of one delegate or agent from
each of the thirteen States,[124] to enlighten the British public, and
adopt measures of proceeding in securing the attention and action of the
British Ministry in their behalf. In a tract printed by order of these
agents (which now lies before us, entitled _The Case and Claim of
American Loyalists impartially Stated and Considered_, published in
1783), it is maintained that 'it is an established rule, that all
sacrifices