American Commissioners of the Preliminary Peace Agreement with Great Britain, also known as the Treaty of Paris, is an unfinished 1783 painting by Benjamin West depicting the United States delegation that negotiated the 1783 Treaty of Paris, which formally ended the American Revolutionary War. Peace negotiations began in Paris on June 25, 1783, and the eventual signing of the treaty took place on September 3, 1783 at the Hotel York at 56 rue Jacob. The green drapery in the painting's background and the distant landscape with a classical colonnaded building emphasize the scene's formality.
Paris 9 Feby. 1779 Gentlemen, Having heard that it is your intention to dispatch some person to England to negotiate an Exchange of Prisoners, 1 I presume to offer you…
Paris ce 13. Fevrier 1789. [ i.e. , 1779] Messrs. M. Peltier duDoyer mon Correspondant de Nantes m’a fait signiffier une assignation à lui donnée en votre nom, aux fins…
Bordeaux 22. feb 1779 Sirs By Letters this instant from La Rochelle I am advised of a Vessel with Six hundred Hhds Tobacco on board supposed a State Vessel is…
Dunkerque le 22. fevrier 1779 Messeigneurs J’ay l’honneur de me rappeller a votre souvenir n’ayant jamais perdu de vuë celui d’être utiles à vos concitoyens, et favorisés de la recommandation…
La Haie 23e. fevr. 1779 Messieurs Ma derniere étoit du 16e Jeudi, 18e l’Agent de L. h. p. 3 porta à Mr. l’Ambassadeur de France une réponse, qui lui fut…
à Versailles le 26. fev. 1779 J’ai reçu, Messieurs, avec la lettre que vous m’avez fait l’honneur de m’écrire le 2. de ce mois, 2 celle qui y étoit jointe…
St: Pierre, Martinique, March 3d, 1779. Gentlemen, The arrival at this place of the Continental Frigate the Deane, & the armed Brigantine the General Gates, in order to be careened…
Philada. March 6th. 1780 Gentlemen. Since my last of the 14th. of Jany. 8 the following Setts of Exchange have issued from my Office Viz I have the Honour to…
[November 19, 1782] 5 Article 3. 6 The Citizens of The Said United States Shall have the Liberty of taking Fish of every Kind on all the Banks of Newfoundland,…
Philadelphia June 18. 1784 Gentlemen I have the honor of forwarding three comm[issions] which were not prepared in time to go by Mr Jefferson, 6 [and] a duplicate of the…
Philadelphia 13 Aug. 1784 Gentlemen, In pursuance of the Orders of the Committee of the States, 4 I have the honor to transmit to you the copy of a letter…
David Hartley informs the American commissioners of his recall by the British government while assuring them of Britain's continued interest in friendly trade relations. He presents excerpts from letters by British foreign secretary Carmarthen, which express goodwill toward the Americans but criticize Hartley’s delay in returning to England. Hartley’s meeting marks his final communication with the commissioners before his departure.
Eric Magnus, Baron de Staël de Holstein, informs the American Commissioners that he has received their letter via Mr. Humphreys and plans to forward it to the king. He proposes sending additional information about the United States' proposed treaty additions through the returning Swedish courier to expedite communication.
à la Haye le 8. Octobre 1784 1 Messieurs, Je n’ai point différé de porter à la connoissance du Roi mon Maître les dispositions des Etats-Unis de l’Amérique pour la…
Friedrich Wilhelm, Baron von Thulemeier informs the American Commissioners that the king has authorized him to finalize a treaty of amity and commerce with the United States. He requests guidance on how to proceed with negotiations and asks the Americans to specify a city for merchant trade between the two nations, suggesting Prussian ports Stettin and Emden or ports in Holland and France as options.
Paris ce 16. 9b e. 1784 Messieurs Je n’ai pas manqué de faire passer à ma Cour La Lettre, dont vous m’avés honoré Le 30. 7b e dernier relative à…
John Frederick Sackville, third Duke of Dorset, informs the American Commissioners that British ministers are open to proposals for a mutually beneficial agreement but insist that negotiations occur in London with an authorized U.S. commissioner. He notes that discussions on specific articles of the 1783 peace preliminaries with France will be addressed by the British Court to seek a fair resolution.
a Paris le 15. X bre. 1784. 1 Messieurs J’ai rendu compte à ma Cour de l’ouverture contenue dans La Lettre que Vous m’avez fait l’honneur de m’écrire le 22.…
Vicente, conde de Sousa Coutinho acknowledges receipt of a letter and a proposed treaty plan from the American Commissioners. He commits to forwarding these documents to the Portuguese court in Lisbon for consideration. The communication reflects early diplomatic exchanges between Portugal and the United States after the American Revolution.
Office for Foreign Affairs New York 14th. January 1785 Gentlemen, On the 21st. Ultimo I accepted the Place of Secretary for foreign Affairs. All the foreign letters which had been…
Luigi Pio informs the American Commissioners that the King of Sicily welcomes a treaty of amity and commerce and has established a free port at Messina open to all nations. He assures that American merchant ships will receive friendly treatment and duty-free access, especially for tobacco, a key American export. Pio encourages prompt commercial relations while the court considers the treaty terms, noting no other nation trading with Sicily holds such an agreement.
a Paris ce 2. Fevrier 1785. Messieurs Ayant donné connoissance dans son tems à ma Cour de la lettre, que vous m’avez, Messieurs, fait l’honneur de m’écrire le 22. 7.bre…
Friedrich Wilhelm, Baron von Thulemeier informs the American Commissioners that he has presented their proposal to establish Emden and Stettin as free ports to the king and awaits his instructions. He references a counterproposal sent earlier and expresses hope for a successful resolution of their ongoing negotiations.
⟨The Hague, March 4, 1785, in French: The orders of the king, which I have now received, enable me to respond more fully to your last letter, 2 which I…