his armies, garrisons, and fleets, from the United States and from every port, place and harbor, within the same, &c." and as embarkations of persons and property are on the point of being made, I am to request that Congress would be pleased to empower any person or persons on behalf of the United States to be present at New York, and to assist such persons as shall be appointed by me to inspect and superintend all embarkations which the evacuation of this place may require; and they will be pleased to represent to me every infraction of the letter or spirit of the treaty, that redress may be immediately ordered. GUY CARLETON. Copy of a letter from General Washington to the Pre Sir, sident of Congress. Orange Town, May 8, 1783. The copy of my letter of the 21st April to his Excellency Sir Guy Carleton, with a copy of his reply to me, which I had the honor to transmit to your Excellency, will have informed Congress that the 5th of this month was agreed upon between us for an interview at this place. In consequence of this arrangement, I arrived here on the 4th. The contingencies of a water passage in a frigate prevented Sir Guy Carleton's arrival until the evening of the 5th; on the 6th our interview took place at my quarters, about three miles from the river. Our conversation upon the different subjects to which my instructions pointed me was diffuse and desultory, and closed with a proposition on my part, and acceded to on the part of General Carleton, that the points of discussion should be reduced to writing. I have the honor to enclose the copy of a letter which I wrote to Sir Guy Carleton the evening of our conference, and to which I expected to receive his answer, being to dine with him the next day on board the frigate. Coming on board the ship, I found Sir Guy under a severe fit of fever and ague, (a previous fit of which he had experienced the day of his arrival.) In these circumstances, and wanting, as he said, to have recourse to some papers in New York previous to making an answer to my letter, and, at the same time, urged by the exigency of other business, he had determined to return immediately to New York; apologizing to me and promising that I should hear from him soon on the subject of my proposition. Thus I find myself without an answer to my letter, or such an issue to our interview as I had wished; and the ship is this morning gone down the river. In this situation, willing to give Congress every information in my power, I have desired the gentlemen who were present at the conversation which passed on our first interview, to recollect and put in writing the substance of it. This they have been so obliging as to do, and a copy of it is enclosed. As soon as I am possessed of a reply from General Carleton to my letter of the 6th, I will do myself the honor to transmit a copy to your Excellency without delay. It is my duty also to inform Congress, that, in consequence of their resolutions of the 15th of April, and VOL. IV.-24 reference to me of the letter of Sir Guy Carleton of the 14th of April to the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, and not thinking it proper to suffer any further delay, I have appointed Daniel Parker, Esquire, Egbert Benson, Esquire, and Lt. Col. William S. Smith, as commissioners on the part of the United States, to attend and inspect the embarkations that may in future be made at New York, previous to the final evacuation of that city. The powers with which these gentlemen are vested, will appear from a copy of their appointment and instructions which are enclosed, and which I hope will meet the approbation of Congress. I have the honor to be, &c. Copy of a letter from General Washington to Sir Guy Sir, Carleton. Orange Town, May 6, 1783. In my letter of the 21st April, I enclosed to your Excellency a copy of a resolution of Congress of the 15th, instructing me in three points which appeared necessary, for carrying into effect the terms of the treaty between Great Britain and the United States of America, and informed you that such part as rested on my decision, and which regarded the release of prisoners, had been determined, and was then ordered to be carried into execution. Upon the other two points, as they respected the receiving possession of the post in occupation of the British troops, and the carrying away any negroes or other property of the American inhabitants, and both being within your control, I had the honor to propose a personal interview with your Excellency, that the subjects might be freely discussed, and that measures might be agreed upon for carrying into execution those points of the seventh article of treaty agreeably to their true intent and spirit. Having been favored this day with a personal conference, I have now, to prevent misapprehension and misconstruction, and that I may be enabled to fulfil my instructions with fidelity and with candor, the honor to propose, agreeably to our conversation, that your Excellency will be pleased to give me, in writing, information of what means are adopting on your part for carrying into execution that point of the treaty which regards the evacuation of the posts now in possession of the British troops, and under your Excellency's command; and, also, at what time it is probable those posts, or any of them, may be relinquished, and the fleets and armies of his Britannic Majesty withdrawn. Respecting the other point of discussion, in addition to what I mentioned in my communication of the 21st ultimo, I took occasion, in our conferences, to inform your Excellency, that, in consequence of your letter of the 14th of April, to R. R. Livingston, Esquire, Congress had been pleased to make a further reference to me of that letter, and had directed me to take such measures as should be found necessary for carrying into effect, the several matters mentioned by you therein. In the course of our conversation upon this point, I was surprised to hear you mention that an embarkation had already taken place, in which a large number of negroes had been car ried away. Whether this conduct is consonant to, or how far it may be deemed an infraction of the treaty, it is not for me to decide; I cannot, however, conceal from your Excellency, that my private opinion is, that the measure, is totally different from the letter and spirit of the treaty. But, waiving the discussion of the point, and leaving its decision to our respective sovereigns, I find it my duty to signify my readiness, in conjunction with your Excellency, to enter into any agreement or take any measures, which may be deemed expedient to prevent the future carrying away any negroes, or other property of the American inhabitants. I beg the favor of your Excellency to reply, and I have the honor to be, &c. GEORGE WASHINGTON. Extract from the substance of the conference between General Washington and Sir Guy Carleton, at an interview at Orange Town, May 6, 1783. "General Washington opened the conference by observing that he, heretofore, had transmitted to Sir Guy Carleton the resolutions of Congress of the 15th ultimo; that he conceived a personal conference would be the most speedy and satisfactory mode of discussing and settling the business; and that, therefore, he had requested the interview. That the resolutions of Congress related to three distinct matters, namely, the setting at liberty the prisoners, the receiving possession of the posts occupied by the British troops, and the obtaining the delivery |