ave your Excellency's pardon for the length of
this letter, and hope you will impute that to the desire I have to
impart to you fully my sentiments and intentions touching the subject
of it.

I have the honor to be, with sentiments of the highest respect, &c.

FRANCIS DANA.

* * * * *

THE MARQUIS DE VERAC TO FRANCIS DANA.

Translation.

St Petersburg, September 12th, 1781.

Sir,

In the letter, which I had the honor to write to you on the 2d
instant, I made only a passing mention of the article of the plan of
pacification proposed by the Courts of Vienna and Petersburg, which
stipulates for the admission of deputies from the United States at the
Congress. Persuaded, as you appear to have been, that the American
Minister would be admitted in the same manner as if their public
character were recognised at the moment of their arrival, not only by
the belligerent powers, but also by the mediating powers, your
reasoning is perfectly just when you say, that one cannot admit and
recognise the Minister of a power without recognising the independence
and political existence of that power; and hence you conclude it is
very possible, that the Court of Petersburg may be in a disposition to
recognise voluntarily the character with which you are clothed. This
reasoning is equally an evidence of the justice of your views and of
your knowledge in the matter of public right. I alone have been wrong
not to enter more into detail concerning the article, which you have
erected into a principle. But in truth, I refrained from this, because
I supposed you were already perfectly acquainted with it. I cannot
better repair my omission, than to transcribe the article, as it has
been sent to the Courts of Versailles, Madrid, and London. "There
shall be a treaty at Vienna, under the mutual direction of the two
Imperial Courts, concerning all the objects of the re-establishment of
peace, &c." "And there shall at the same time be a treaty between
Great Britain and the _American Colonies_ for the re-establishment of
peace in America, _but without the intervention of any other
belligerent parties, not even that of the two Imperial Courts, unless
their mediation shall be formally asked and granted for this
object_."[20]

By this the mediating Courts intend, that your deputie