fairs were arranged, and the definitive treaty signed, her Majesty
could not, consistent with her character of mediator, receive a
Minister from America without the consent of those powers; that the
treaty of America was provisional only, and dependent upon those
arrangements; and though there was no doubt but they would take place,
and that the definitive treaty would be concluded, yet, till that was
done, her Majesty could not consider me in my character as the
Minister of America.

Here he made a long pause, as if waiting for an answer, but knowing
that the whole had not yet come out, I made no attempts to reply. He
then added, that he supposed my letter of credence bore date before
the acknowledgment of the independence of America by the King of Great
Britain, and asked me if that was not the fact. I told him that it
must necessarily be so, as a sufficient time had not since elapsed to
receive one from America. He then said, that when the above
arrangements should be completed, if I should produce new letters of
credence, bearing date since the King of Great Britain had
acknowledged the independence of America, her Majesty would be very
willing to receive me as the Minister of America, but that it would be
incompatible with that exact neutrality, which her Majesty had
hitherto observed, to do it before; that it would be irregular also
for her Majesty to admit a Minister from a power, whose letter of
credence bore date before she had acknowledged the independence of
that power; that besides, no Minister had been received from America
at the Court of Great Britain yet, and that I must be sensible it
would not be consistent for her Majesty to receive one before the King
of Great Britain had done it. Here he stopped again; and knowing that
he had gone through his whole subject, which comprises these simple
matters only, viz.

1st. That her Majesty could not, consistent with the character of a
mediator as above, receive a Minister from the United States, till the
conclusion of the definitive treaty between France, Spain, and Great
Britain;

2dly. That she could not do it even then, consistent with the laws of
neutrality, while his letter of credence bore date prior to the
acknowledgment of their independence by the King of Great Britain;

3dly. That she could not do it regularly, while his letter of credence
bore date before she herself had acknowledged their independence;

4thly. That she could not do it consisten