Dumas to the American Commissioners
AL: American Philosophical Society; AL (draft): Algemeen Rijksarchief
<The Hague, October 30, 1778, in French: As a result of the
merchants’ address the Assembly of Holland will reconvene
next Wednesday, the corps of nobility of the province has
withdrawn a counter-address and an important personage
seems to be alarmed. The British party is also concerned.
The Grand Pensionary is displeased by Suffolk’s reply. I
have given him a printed copy of the Franco-American treaty
and told him you felt he could proceed in the manner he
judged most agreeable to the republic. Seeing him amazed and
at a loss for words I made him understand he owed you a
reply, which I told him you expected, and gave him an extract
of Mr. Franklin’s letter of September 22. He read it carefully
and smiled at the ending. I volunteered to convey to you anything
he might like and beseeched him to believe me as zealous
for the welfare of this republic as I am a friend of the
Americans. He answered, “I do not doubt it.” I gave our friend
van Berckel an account of the meeting and a copy of the excerpt.
I told him I was giving his city something it could use
to raise charges if your overture was repressed; he agreed and
thanked me profusely. On the 28th an important person in
whom we can have full confidence but who requested anonymity
asked me to tell Mr. Franklin that there are serious but
secret reasons which impose the need for delay on the Grand
Pensionary. I have noticed that of late our friend has softened
his attitude toward the Grand Pensionary. I received the papers
Mr. [Arthur] Lee sent and forwarded a copy to the printer
at Leyden. P.S.: I have received a violently anti-British 180-page
Dutch brochure which will serve to further arouse this
nation.>
630887 = 027-660a.html