not view the United States as humble supplicants at this Court;
as they were not seeking aids from her Majesty, and had nothing to ask
but what they intended to give an ample equivalent for. And I did not
consider, that the real honor and dignity of the United States would
be more exposed, even by her Majesty's declining to accept our
propositions, and by my immediate retirement from her Court in that
case, than they would be exposed to, by my long residence here (no
such cause as is mentioned existing) in the character of a private
citizen of the United States, when the event would show, that I had
all the while a commission in my pocket as their public Minister. You
will not conceive, Sir, that I mean to question the propriety of the
orders of Congress which you have communicated to me. I am sensible it
is my duty to obey, and not to dispute their commands, and I am very
happy to have received them in such clear and explicit terms.

I beg leave to observe, that when Congress ordered my commission and
instructions to be made out, they seem to have misapprehended the
nature of the confederation proposed by her Imperial Majesty, to
maintain the freedom of commerce, and of navigation. My commission and
instructions are in part founded upon the supposition, that her
Imperial Majesty, in her declaration of February 28th, 1780, had
invited both the belligerent and neutral powers to enter into a
general convention for that purpose, and authorise and direct me to
accede to the same (if invited thereto) on the part of the United
States. Whereas that declaration is in the nature of a notification to
the belligerent powers only, and contains a complaint of the
interruption the commerce and navigation of the neutral nations, and
of her own subjects in particular, had suffered from the subjects of
the belligerent powers, in violation of the rights of neutral nations,
sets forth and claims those rights and declares, that to maintain
them, to protect the honor of her flag, &c. she had fitted out the
greatest part of her marine forces. These violations, it is said in
it, ought to excite the attention of all neutral powers. In pursuance
of this sentiment, a copy of the declaration was communicated to the
Courts of Stockholm, Copenhagen, Lisbon, and to the States-General; in
which communication they are invited to make a common cause of this
business with her Imperial Majesty, who adds, that if to establish
this system on a solid founda