Charles-Guillaume-Frédéric Dumas to the American
Commissioners
ALS: American Philosophical Society; AL (draft): Algemeen Rijksarchief
<The Hague, July 3, 1778, in French: What I said in my last
about Amsterdam’s borrowing was much exaggerated; my informant
was mistaken, and our friend van Berckel set me
straight. Yesterday I communicated the treaty to him and to
the Burgomaster of Amsterdam, and they were pleased with
it; now we have only to let the peat slowly catch fire. You will
see, by the enclosed gazette and others, that I am using the
material you sent me; it is having a positive effect. Ever since
Saratoga I have given our friends here control of the battlefield.
We learned this morning from the British papers that
Keppel’s fleet did nothing but take two frigates, begin hostilities,
and then retire before the French coming out of Brest. It
was good to hear of the arrival of the Deane because I knew
that my friend Carmichael was on board.>
630143 = 027-031a.html