The Oxford Book of Health Foods - hardcover

FRANCE IIS THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION BY JAMES BEECK PEEEDNS BOSTON AND NEW YOEK HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY ffitoettfbe pre Cambridge 1911 COPYRIGHT, IQII, BY MARY E. PERKINS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Published April IQII PREFACE THIS book, the latest fruit of Mr. Perkinss long continued devotion to studies in the history of France, was practically complete at the time of its authors death in March, 1910. In preparing the manuscript for the press Mrs. Perkins has been greatly assisted by Dr. John Franklin Jameson of the Carnegie Insti tution in Washington, who read the manuscript and made valuable suggestions by Professor Charles Hal stead Van Tyne of the University of Michigan, who has verified all the references and made other impor tant suggestions by Mr. George B. Ives of the Kiver side Press, who has made the index and by other gentlemen connected with that press, who have been most helpful in all stages of the publication of the work. To all these Mrs. Perkins desires to express thankful appreciation. She finds great satisfaction in being able to give the book to the public substantially as Mr. Perkins left it. The work of final revision, which fell to her, fias been done with that appreciation of the authors intention and with that understanding of his habits of thought and expression which no other editor could have brought to the task. To the wide circle of the authors personal and literary acquaintance, the editor has done great service with rare success. EUSH RHEES. THE UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER. CONTENTS INTRODUCTION k I. FRANCE AND THE NEW WORLD . ., . 3 II. THE TREATY OF PARIS AND ITS CONSEQUENCES 21 TL THE DIPLOMACY OF VERGENNES .... 34 V. SILAS DEANES MISSION 61 V. BEAUMARCHAIS 70 LEVENTS OF 1776 119 - VII. FRANKLIN 129 VIII. THE PRIVATEERS 152 IX. LA FAYETTE 164 X THE AMBITION OF THE COMTE DE BROGLIE . 193 s XL AMERICA AND THE FRENCH PEOPLE . . . 204 XII. PROGRESS OF THE NEGOTIATIONS .... 219 XIII. FRANCE SENDS A PLENIPOTENTIARY . . . 247 XIV. THE FRENCH FLEET 256 XV. LA FAYETTE TO THE EESCUE ...... 280 XVI. THE ARRIVAL OF ROCHAMBEAU . 300 XVTL THE SINEWS OF WAR .325 rVTII. THE FRENCH TROOPS IN AMERICA . ., 340 XIX. THE EXPEDITION OF DE GRASSE . . . .355 viii CONTENTS XX. THE YORKTOWN EXPEDITION 363 XXI. YORK-TOWN AND DE GRASSE 390 XXII. CLOSING YEARS OF THE WAR 402 XXIIL TRENCH IMPRESSIONS OF AMERICA .... 418 XXIV. AMERICAN ENVOYS IN FRANCE .... 439 XXV. NEGOTIATIONS FOR PEACE 461 XXVI. CONCLUSION 496 INDEX ........... 525 INTRODUCTION ON Friday the 6th of February, 1778, plenipoten tiaries met in Paris to sign a treaty for which there had been no precedent in history, and of which there has been no imitation since. Three of them repre sented a government that was independent only in its own estimation they were called Benjamin Frank lin, Silas Deane, and Arthur Lee, and were delegates of the new-born United States of North America the fourth represented the oldest monarchy in Europe, and was Conrad Gerard de Rayneval, destined to be later the first diplomat ever accredited to America. Article II of the treaty provided that the essen tial and direct end of the present defensive alliance is to maintain effectually the liberty, sovereignty and in dependence absolute and unlimited of the said United States. By other articles France pledged herself not to lay down her arms until this independence had been achieved, and, whatever be the delay, cost, or losses, toneither claim nor accept anything for the help thus provided. She even specifically consented that the harshest of the conditions of the 1763 treaty of peace with England be maintained if conquests were made in the northern part of America, the conquered land would be annexed to the United States, and not to the country which had settled Canada and possessed it until that peace...