As your Excellency and the Right Honourable Congress will certainly be already completely informed of my interview, at Aix-la-Chapelle, with Mr. William Lee, about a twelve-month ago, in the presence of Mr. William Stokton; and as he is shortly to arrive himself, I have made no difficulty, and it gives me even much satisfaction, to expose unto him some trifling alterations, of no great consequence, which are thought necessary to be made in the place of the treaty of commerce, which is now to be looked over afresh.

The differences consist only in suppressing, in the sixth article, all that is mentioned there concerning religion; and, in fact, it is absolutely not proper, that any mention thereof should be made between two republics, the constitutions and fundamental laws of which plead aloud for a perfect liberty of conscience.

The tenth article, concerning the Barbarian powers, is binding on both sides, in case the same should take place any time hereafter.

The other suppressions which are thought necessary in the articles VIII, XXII, and XXVII, are for the greatest part established to prevent objections. For this reason, the latter part of the eighth article has been suppressed, where it is said, and their ships of war, or convoys, sailing under authority, &c.

It has likewise been thought proper to suppress the latter part of the XXIId article, which begins with these words, on the contrary, no asylum or refuge shall be granted, &c.

The XXVIIth article at present stands thus: It shall not be lawful for any privateer, holding any commissions or letters of ~y2 marque, from any prince or power, in war with any of the high contracting parties, to fit out their ships in the ports belonging to either of the contracting parties, nor therein to sell their prizes, nor to exchange in any other manner whatever, the ships, goods, and merchandizes, being either the whole, or part of the cargo, contained in the said captures.

These are the measures that have been taken to establish the basis of this treaty; and from a particular regard for the right honourable congress, having by us a copy of the treaty, such as it was drawn up at first, and such as it stands at present, we thought it our duty to inform your Excellency of the state in which this important affair is at present, and which we shall always be ready to forward with the same zeal with which it has been begun.

Mr. Stokton will likewise inform your Excellency of some other affairs, which stand in need of some explanations.

Wishing that the union of the Twenty States may soon be established upon a permanent footing, we remain, with the most perfect consideration and esteem, Your Excellency’s most humble and most obedient servants,