1798-December-01: Rufus King, the American minister to Great Britain, first learned of the secret Toussaint-Maitland Convention through reports in English ne…

1798-December-01: Rufus King, the American minister to Great Britain, first learned of the secret Toussaint-Maitland Convention through reports in English newspapers. He immediately requested a meeting with Lord Grenville and Secretary of War Henry Dundas to clarify whether Britain had treated Toussaint as an independent sovereign. King emphasized that if Saint-Domingue was being treated as an independent state, the United States should enjoy the same trading liberties as Great Britain. He warned that if Toussaint were encouraged to declare independence, it would create a new set of diplomatic obligations for the American government. Dundas eventually allowed King to read the secret agreement, which helped shape the American approach to the island during the Quasi-War.