The writings of George Washington; being his correspondence, addresses, messages, and other papers, official and private, selected and published from the original manuscripts; with a life of the author, notes and illustrations. By Jared Sparks.

540 WASHINGTON'S WRITINGS. [APPENDIX.
general of prisoners, that your objection to an exchange of land
for naval prisoners is, that it would give us a great and permanent
strength for which you could receive no adequate compensation.
To remove this objection, I propose, that (all exchanges of men
of the same description being exhausted) sailor and soldier shall be
immediately exchanged, and the soldier so received by us shall not
serve in nor against the thirteen Provinces for one year, a period
which I trust will extend beyond our present contentions. This I
think throws the advantage entirely into your hands; but I do not
think this inequality of importance enough to weigh against the
imprisonment of so many men on both sides; for imprisonment
itself, attended with its necessary conditions, is, in this season especially, a calamity which ought not to be imposed or protracted
for political niceties. I am, &c.
GUY CARLETON.
New York, 2 August, 1782:
SIR,
The pacific disposition of the Parliament and people of England
towards the thirteen Provinces has already been communicated to
you, and the resolutions of the House of Commons of the 27th of
February last have been. placed in your Excellency's hands, and
intimations given at the same time, that further pacific measures
were likely to follow. Since which, until the present time, we have
had no direct communications from England; but a mail is now
arrived, which brings us very important information.
We are acquainted, Sir, by authority, that negotiations for a general peace have already commenced at Paris, and that Mr. Grenville is invested with full. powers to treat with all parties at war,
and is now at Paris in the execution of his commission. And we
are likewise, Sir, further made acquainted, that his Majesty, in order
to remove all obstacles to that peace, which he so ardently wishes
to restore, has commanded his ministers to direct Mr. Grenville,
that the independency of the thirteen Provinces should be proposed by him in the first instance, instead of making it a condition
of a general treaty; however, not without the highest confidence,
that the Loyalists shall be restored to their possessions, or a full
compensation made to them for whatever confiscations may have
taken place.
With respect to Mr. Laurens, we are to acquaint you, that he has
been enlarged and discharged from all engagements without any
conditions whatever; after which he declared of his own accord,
that he considered Lord Cornwallis as freed from his parole. Upon