When the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1763, he ordered a Te Deum for the cessation of the Seven Years' War and praised General Murray for his humanity towards the conquered.

[1] When the Society of Jesus was suppressed in 1773, Briand forwarded a letter from the Holy See to the Jesuits in Pennsylvania and Maryland with a form acknowledging their acceptance of the decree, which they were to sign.

On the other hand, it forbade the bishop from corresponding directly with Rome, and gave governors the right to oversee the appointment of parish priests and the selection of new ordinands.

In April 1776, the Continental Congress sent Samuel Chase, Benjamin Franklin, and Charles Carroll of Carrollton on a diplomatic mission to Canada, in order to seek assistance from French Canadians against the British.

[5] The commencement of the Invasion of Quebec and the American seizure of Fort Ticonderoga on May 10 prompted Briand, at the request of Governor Carleton, to issue a pastoral letter urging Canadiens to defend their country.

[6] Briand, was invited by Cardinal Castelli, the Prefect of the Propaganda, to administer confirmation in Pennsylvania and Maryland, but abandoned the plan upon the recommendation of Father Ferdinand Steinmeyer, S.J.