To Thomas Jefferson from C. W. F. Dumas, 1 August 1788
From C. W. F. Dumas
Lahaie 1er. Août 1788
Monsieur
L’incluse fera voir à votre Excellence la raison qui me presse de faire suivre cette Dépeche à celle que j’eus l’honneur de Lui adresser hier. Il me tarde de recevoir du bon souvenir de V.E. les nouvelles du parfait bien-être de nos Etats et du Sien personnel. De Votre Excellence Le très-humble & très-obéissant serviteur
C W F Dumas
Ce qui suit dans mon duplicat qui va par le Havre est si bien dans le Supplément No. LXII de Leide sous le derniere Article du 31e. Juillet, ci-joint que je ne puis que le recommander à l’attention de V-E.—L’hotel des Et.Un. devra être illuminé aussi, sous peine de l’indignation générale.1
RC (DLC); endorsed. FC (Rijksarchief, The Hague, Dumas Papers; photostats in DLC); with postscript not in RC; see note 1. Enclosure: Dumas to Jay, 1 Aug. 1788, stating that the United States should be on guard, if war breaks out between England and France, in respect to navigation and fisheries, impressment of seamen, and western forts; that this hint comes from an important source whose identity he is pledged not to reveal; that he hopes Jay will protect Dumas’ honor, interest, and existence against the British party and its adherents in the new Congress; that most of the foreign ministers are away from the Hague on vacation; that he thinks it his duty to point out that, in order not to be deceived by the system of Government and the sentiments now existing in Holland, it must be understood that everything undertaken from 1779 to 1787 is the result of a plot between a cabal at home and the enemies of the republic abroad, or, to speak plainly, of Great Britain; and enclosing a memorial signed by Baron de Helldorf offering to come to America with an assistant and to be employed by Congress in the manufacture and improvement of small arms and artillery, and stating that he had known Baron Steuben while in the Prussian service. (FC of both letter and enclosure in same; at head of text of letter: “Second Postscrit de mon No. 43 [of 18 July] à S. E. Mr. Jay”; at foot of text of enclosure Dumas stated that Helldorf’s memorial had been read, sealed, and then handed over to him to be forwarded to Jay for whatever use he deemed proper to make of it; translations of both letter and enclosure are printed in iii, 623–8).
1. Postscript not in RC, but supplied from FC. The last article in Supplément lxii for 1 Aug. 1788 to which Dumas refers is dated at Leiden, 31 July and announces that, in consequence of the election of the Chamber of Echevins, the city of Leiden will follow the example set by Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Utrecht by encouraging the citizens to demonstrate “leur joye sur les événemens récens, qui ont eu lieu à l’égard de notre République, tels que la conclusion des Alliances avec les Cours de Londres et de Berlin, la Garantie du Stadhoudérat-Héréditaire mutuelle entre les Provinces &c. par une Illumination générale le 7. du mois prochain, Anniversaire de la naissance de Madame la Princesse d’Orange, ‘dont il a plû a Dieu (est-il dit dans la Publication) de se servir comme d’un Instrument excellent pour délivrer la chère Patrie de sa détresse recente &c’.”