He also refused the request of George Washington’s agent, Major General Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, to prepare for the transfer of the western posts. Haldimand exploited the inconclusive character of the peace to order the New York traders to return to Schenectady. The decision of the Paris negotiators to exclude Indians from the diplomatic process meant that American and Native diplomats would need to conclude their own peace in North America. Moreover, the anger of Indians at Niagara paid testament to the ongoing hostilities between the king’s Native allies and the United States. As he pointed out to the Schenectady traders, British and American diplomats would soon negotiate a definitive peace treaty and a commercial agreement that would resolve many of the unanswered questions about the relationship between the peoples of the British Empire and the United States. Maclean may have taken comfort from knowing that the confusion he faced at Niagara was likely only a temporary period of uncertainty which further negotiations would help to resolve.
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