Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson to John Adams

8 Jul. 1785

Sir	Passy July 8th 1785

We duly received your letter of the 20th of June, and now in consequence thereof send you a draught of a treaty which we should be willing to have proposed to the court of London. We have taken for our groundwork the original draught proposed to Denmark, making such alterations & additions only as had occurred in the course of our negociations with Prussia & Tuscany and which we thought were for the better. These you will find in the 4th. 9th. 13th. and 25th. articles, and are such as met your approbation when we were considering those treaties. Nevertheless we shall be happy to concur with you in any thing better which you may wish to propose either in the original draught or the amendments. Particularly we wish it were possible to convince the British court that it might be for their interest to continue their former bounties on the productions of our country on account of their quality, and of the nature of the returns, which have always been in manufactures & not in money.

We have the honour to be with sentiments of the highest respect

Your Most obedient &

Most humble Servants

B Franklin

Th: Jefferson

N.B All the differences between the draughts of the Prussian & British are noted in the two columns hereunto

annexed—

(MHi: Adams Papers).

[enclosure]

British Prussian

Art 2. At end of clause. add— "submitting

themselves" &c.

Art. 3. Do

Art. 4.

line.l to carry any kinds of produce, to carry their own produce manufactures

manufactures & merchandize of whatever & merchandize

place they be the growth or manufacture

.4. persons the subjects or citizens

the other whatever place or growth

.6. each party reserves to itself the K of P. & the U.S. & each of them

reserve to themselves

.13. permits any person of their permits any other nation

own or any other nation

Art. 5. retains last paragraph only.

Art. 8. obliged to pay any duties, obliged to render any account of their

charges, or fees whatsoever, or to cargo, or to pay any duties &c to the

render any account of their cargo end of the clause.

Art 10. the following addition to the clause. "&

exempt from all rights of detraction" &c.

Art 12. on the other hand omitted—

Art 13. Nevertheless &c. Nevertheless &c

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