ead to so important an event as peace upon safe
and honorable terms, are too interesting to be withheld from you; I
have the honor, therefore, to enclose a copy of Mr Oswald's commission
to treat with the Thirteen United States of America, which will
certainly smooth the way to it, though the variety of interests to be
adjusted at a general Congress (and, perhaps, too, the success of the
British arms at Gibraltar) may place it further off than our wishes
would otherwise lead us to imagine.

Your Excellency will see the propriety of not suffering copies of this
commission to be taken for the press, and of accompanying the
communication you may think proper to make of it, with such
recommendations to exertion and vigilance, as prudence and the
critical state of our affairs may require, since on a review of the
conduct of the enemy, it will not appear extravagant to suppose, that
this may be another of those artifices so often practised to deceive
and put us off our guard. Though we have no official accounts, yet we
have every reason to believe, that the treaty of commerce with the
United Provinces was signed on the 7th of October.

I have the honor to be, &c.

ROBERT R. LIVINGSTON.

* * * * *

TO WILLIAM GREENE, GOVERNOR OF RHODE ISLAND.

Philadelphia, January 4th, 1783.

Sir,

Agreeably to the order of Congress, I have the honor to lay before
your Excellency the enclosed copy of a motion made by Mr Howel, and
the resolutions of Congress thereon, together with the state of the
applications for foreign loans, and the results thereof.

Without troubling your Excellency with those inconsiderable and secret
aids, which we received at the beginning of the controversy, I shall
take the applications and the grants, that were made in the year one
thousand seven hundred and seventynine, and since. To begin with

_Spain._

The 9th of September, 1779, Congress proposed to obtain a subsidy from
Spain during the continuance of the war, which they offered to
purchase by a very important cession. Spain having hitherto declined
an alliance with the United States, no such subsidiary treaty took
place.

In the same month Mr Jay was instructed to borrow five millions of
dollars. After long and continued solicitations, he obtained one
hundred and fifty thousand dollars, and was compelled to pro