Chapter M: Dumas to the Commissioners

Translation.

Hague, October 27th, 1778.

Gentlemen,

I received your favor of the 16th last Saturday. It is precisely what I should have desired. The Grand Pentionary is highly pleased with it. I went the same day to read it to our friend, and gave him a copy attested by my signature. It gave him much pleasure, and he has repeatedly assured me that it would be extremely agreeable to the Burgomasters of the city, whom he was eager to inform how you would answer to the measure he had engaged them to adopt, in procuring from them authority to make the declaration[53] and write me the letter, of which you have copies, and the duplicates of which are lodged in the city-house. He urged me to assure you, that the mention of England was not introduced with the design of making any thing depend on the pleasure of that power, but merely to show the situation of the city, which, for the present, can only wish that the English may be prevented from making any further opposition to our mutual connexion. In fine, he is now prepared to act on his return, at a convenient opportunity.

The memorial of the merchants has been presented to their High Mightinesses. Herewith I transmit that presented to the Prince last Saturday. Our friend remitted it to me the same day, and I have thought it deserving of a translation for your inspection. He inquired anxiously for good news from America, and I replied, that the situation of America was by no means critical, and that I was less anxious about it than about this republic.

M. de Welderen has sent the reply of Lord Suffolk to the representations of their High Mightinesses. "The Court of London," he says, "is willing to restore all the vessels seized, with costs and charges, and to pay for the naval stores which it shall retain; but its ambassador will submit to their High Mightinesses a proposition to alter the treaties on this point, and to consent to declare these articles contraband in future."

Fortunately, unanimity is necessary to grant this consent, and Amsterdam will not allow even the entering upon such a negotiation. Suffolk adds, as a proof of his king's moderation, "that he has not yet called for the aid which the republic is obliged by treaties to furnish him;" as if the republic had guarantied to England the monopoly of America. This is extraordinary. Three of us here believe, that this letter was not written in England, and has only returned hither.

The Secretary of their High Mightinesses is very much piqued, on account of the freedom with which the Committee of merchants addressed him, who, by reason of his equivocal answer, accused him of being in the English interest, like the majority of the chief men here. It is said, that it is truth only which is offensive.

I have finished the translation of the opinion of the city of Amsterdam, inserted in the Acts of the Republic, September 8th. I am preparing copies of it for you, Gentlemen, and for Congress. When yours is finished, I shall forward it with the request, that you will have two copies of it made by a skilful and exact French copyist, and send them to Congress as duplicates and triplicates of that, which I shall transmit to it from this place; for on the one hand, I consider this paper important and useful to the United States, both for the precise and authentic information which it affords relative to the present condition, political, military, &c. of this republic, and as an example of the evils it has drawn upon itself for the last century, by interfering too much with the imaginary balance of power, and with the wars of the European States, thus imposing upon itself the burden of a standing army, which has swallowed up its navy and subjected it to an imperious rival, &c. &c.; and on the other hand, this long paper occupies my time, which is valuable to me, and fatigues my hand, which unfortunately is not steady. My translation has been approved by our friend. It would be well to have it translated into English also, and if you had a translator who understood Dutch, I could transmit you the original.

I am, Gentlemen, &c.

DUMAS.

FOOTNOTES:

[53] See Van Berckel's Declaration, above, p. 457, dated Sept 23d.

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TO E. T. VAN BERCKEL, BURGOMASTER OF AMSTERDAM.

Passy, October 29th, 1778.

Sir,

Upon maturely considering the letter and declaration, which we have had the honor of receiving from you, we are of opinion, that there are some propositions relative to that business, which can only be properly discussed in a personal interview. We therefore wish that you, or a person authorised by you, would meet one of us at Aix-la-Chapelle, or any other place, which you may judge more convenient, for conducting this business with the most perfect secrecy.

Should this proposal meet with your approbation, you will have the goodness to apprise us of the time and place you think proper for the interview. It may be proper, that we should inquire for one another, whenever we meet, under fictitious names; the fixing upon which we also wish to leave to you.

We shall be glad of an answer as soon as is convenient to you; and have the honor to be, with great respect, Sir, your most obedient, and most humble servants,

B. FRANKLIN,
ARTHUR LEE,
JOHN ADAMS.

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TO COUNT DE VERGENNES.

Passy, October 29th, 1778.

Sir,

We have the honor to inform your Excellency, that we are ready to execute and exchange the declarations, concerning the omission of the 11th and 12th articles of the treaty of commerce, and to request your Excellency to appoint a day to wait on your Excellency for that purpose.

We have the honor to be, with the greatest respect, &c.

B. FRANKLIN,
ARTHUR LEE,
JOHN ADAMS.

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COUNT DE VERGENNES TO THE COMMISSIONERS.

Translation.

Versailles, October 30th, 1778.

Gentlemen,

I have received the reply, with which you honored me, regarding the arrangements to be made with the Barbary powers, for the protection of the American flag in the Mediterranean. Before the king can make any efforts to forward your views in this respect, I think it proper, that you should be provided with full powers from Congress, and that you should be not only authorised to propose the presents, which you may be expected to bestow, but also supplied with the necessary funds to satisfy these expectations. When all these preliminaries shall be complied with, you may rest assured, Gentlemen, that the king will hasten to forward, as far as he is able, the wishes and views of Congress. I have the honor to be, &c.

DE VERGENNES.

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TO M. DE SARTINE.

Passy, October 30th, 1778.

Sir,

We have been honored with your letter of the 26th of October, and we thank your Excellency for the prompt and generous manner in which you have given liberty to four of our countrymen, who were among the prisoners at Denant. Such examples of benevolence cannot fail to make a lasting impression on the American mind.

Since the receipt of your Excellency's letter, we have received another from the American prisoners at Brest, by which it appears, that there are ten of them, from four of whom only we had received letters when we wrote before, the other six having written to us, but their letters miscarried. We enclose a copy of this last letter, and have the honor to request a similar indulgence to all the ten.

By a letter we received last night from L'Orient, we have the pleasure to learn, that three vessels bound to the coast of Brazil have been taken by his Majesty's frigates, or by French cruisers, and sent into that port. It is very probable that the three masters of these vessels and every one of their sailors are Americans.

We are happy in this opportunity of communicating to your Excellency some intelligence, which we have been at some pains to collect, and have good reason to believe exactly true. The English last year carried on a very valuable whale fishery on the coasts of Brazil, off the River Plate in South America, in the latitude 35 south, from thence to 40, just on the edge of soundings, off and on, about the longitude 65 from London. They have this year about seventeen vessels in the fishery, which have all sailed in the months of September and October. All the officers and almost all the men belonging to those seventeen vessels are Americans, from Nantucket and Cape Cod in Massachusetts, excepting two or three from Rhode Island, and perhaps one from Long Island. The names of the Captains are Aaron Sheffield of Newport; Goldsmith and Richard Holmes from Long Island; John Chadwick, Francis May, Reuben May, John Meader, Jonathan Meader, Elisha Clark, Benjamin Clark, William Ray, Paul Pease, Reuben Fitch, Zebedee Coffin, and another Coffin, all of Nantucket; John Lock, Cape Cod; Delano, Nantucket; Andrew Swain, Nantucket; William Ray, Nantucket. Four or five of these vessels go to Greenland; the fleet sails to Greenland the last of February or beginning of March.

There was published last year in the English newspapers, and the same imposture has been repeated this year, a letter from the Lords of the Admiralty to Dennis de Berdt, in Coleman street, informing him that a convoy should be appointed to the Brazil fleet. But this, we have certain information, was a forgery, calculated merely to deceive American privateers, and that no convoy was appointed or did go with that fleet, either last year or this.

For the captivity of a fishery so entirely defenceless, (for not one of the vessels has any arms) a single frigate or privateer of twentyfour or even twenty guns would be quite sufficient. The beginning of December would be the best time to proceed from hence, because they would then find the whale vessels nearly loaded. The cargoes of these vessels, consisting of bone and oil, will be very valuable, and at least 450 of the best kind of seamen would be taken out of the hands of the English, and might be gained into the American service to act against the enemy. Most of the officers and men wish well to their country, and would gladly be in its service if they could be delivered from that they are engaged in. But whenever the English men of war or privateers have taken an American vessel, they have given to the whalemen among their crews their choice, either to go on board a man of war and fight against their country, or to go into the whale fishery. So many have chosen the latter, as to make up most of the crews of seventeen vessels.

We thought it proper to communicate this intelligence to your Excellency, that if you found it compatible with his Majesty's service to order a frigate from hence, or from the West Indies, to take from the English at once so profitable a branch of commerce, and so valuable a nursery of seamen, you may have an opportunity of doing it; if not, no inconvenience will ensue.

We have the honor to be, &c.

B. FRANKLIN,
JOHN ADAMS.

[Mr Lee did not sign, but objected to the acknowledgment of giving up the American subjects, captured in the enemy's vessels, as being a favor.]

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COUNT DE VERGENNES TO THE COMMISSIONERS.

Translation.

Versailles, October 31st, 1778.

Gentlemen,

You request that a day be fixed for the interchange of declarations relative to the omission of the eleventh and twelfth articles of the treaty of commerce. If next Monday, November 2d, is convenient to you, I should be glad to have the honor to receive you, and I flatter myself you will do me the honor to dine with me on that day.

I have the honor to be, &c.

DE VERGENNES.

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