political affairs here, confidering the intereft America has therein; and I flatter myfelf to have the best informations in that refpect. give him the preference in their future connections, as a Dutch merchant and their friend. This merchant has likewife engaged himself, by his fignature to the faid plan, being properly autho rifed to that effect by the regency of Amfterdam, that as long as America fhall not at contrary to the intereft of the 'States of Holland, the city of Amfterdam will never adopt any meafure that may tend to oppofe the interefts of America; but will, on the contrary, ufe all its influence upon the States of the Seven United Provinces of Holland, to effect the defired connection. As a member of the congrefs, you will certainly have feen, before now, the plan of a treaty of amity and commerce, as deftined to be concluded hereafter between the States of Holland and the United States of North America, feveral copies thereof having been fent to America fome time ago. That plan was figned on the 4th of September last, on the part of the city of Amfterdam, by John de Neufville, Efq; properly deputed for that purpose by the penfionary and burgomafters of the faid city, and by W. Lee, Efq; commiffioner from the Congrefs, to whom the propofitions for the faid treaty were made through the channel of the faid Mr. de Neufville: but as the character of that gentleman will probably be unknown to you, I think it proper to mention here, that he is one of the principal merchants of Amfterdam. He has manifested much zeal for the true intereft of his country, of which he feems to have the moft juft ideas; and he has often declared to me, that it is much nearer related to the commercial interests of America and France, than to that of Great Britain. The conduct of this merchant, arifing from that principle, and befides that, from a principle ftill more prevalent, namely, that of promoting the fuccefs of the efforts for the liberty of each country, will, I hope, always be uniform, and will prove favourable to the cause of America. Confequently, I make no doubt, that the commercial people of America will 6 I need not mention to you the great importance of the city of Amfterdam, in the political affairs of the States-General: you are too well acquainted with the hiftory and flate of all countries, to make this neceffary. But the lefs informed politicians will be aftonished to learn, that Amfterdam pays two-thirds of the quota part of Holland, and that the Province of Holland alone bears two-thirds of the charges of all the Seven United Provinces. The regency of this city has hitherto remained faithful and conftant in their engagements, and will, if I am not miltaken, always continue the fame, and perfift therein invariably.. The patriotie party in Holland has had much trouble to thwart the defigns of the prince of Orange, or, to fay the fame thing in another manner, of the English party. 'The court of Great Britain has. a great influence upon the deliberations of this country, through the channel of the prince of Orange, who is a relation to the king king of Great-Britain, and who is fuppofed to have the fame views as the former, with regard to the liberties of the people. He has fome of the lefs confiderable provinces fo much in his intereft, that this, above all, dares not, as yet, refufe his demands; and confequently the deputies of thefe provinces have referved their confent, and divers refolutions, which the province of Holland would otherwife have taken long ago, to the advantage of America: but, unfortunately for us, in this moment, the unanimity of the States is neceffary in most of their refolutions. The spirited conduct which France has lately adopted, in declaring that he would feize all fermon on the day of a general faft, has undergone a fifth edition in London. I beg the favour of you to affure your family of my refpects, and to acquaint my friends that I am very well, and that I intend to return foon to America. I remain, with much respect and efteem, Sir, Your most faithful friend, J. W. STOKTON, To the Rev. Mr. Witherspoon, D. D. No. IV. A Letter from Colonel Dircks, to the Hon. Henry Laurens, Efq. SIR, Philadelphia, Dec. 13, 1779. remembrance of your Dutch fhips trading with Great-Excellency's kind reception, Britain, excepting thofe of Amfterdam and Haerlem, foon brought back the cities of Rotterdam, Dort, and others. Thefe, fearing to fend their veffels to fea, and perceiving that the people began to murmur, were obliged to accede to the refolution, by which the deputies of all the other cities of the province of Holland had confented to grant convoys to their veffels, without even excepting thofe articles of commerce, for which England had continually feized the Dutch fhips, ever fince the beginning of the war with France. Such is the actual ftate of affairs here; and every politican is at prefent impatient to know what Spain intends to do, which has fome time fince made very conderable preparations for war. The post for France is upon its departure; I muft, therefore, conclude this letter. I find in the English newfpapers, that your and the friendship which I experienced from you, at the time of my departure for Holland, about a twelvemonth ago, engages me, in hearing that your Excellency is upon departing for my country, to form the beft wishes for your fuccefs. I am forry, that I am come too late to town, which deprives me of the happiness of having an interview with your Excellency, refpecting the affairs of Holland. I have been in Holland only with a view of uniting the two countries for their reciprocal happinefs; and I have fucceeded as weil as the different circumstances would permit. I beg the favour that you will be pleased to take charge of the herein inclofed letters for my worthy friends and countrymen, the Barons Van der Capellen, from whom, and their friends, I flatter myfelf myself that your Excellency will foon learn, that by my conduct I have gained feveral hearts, which are now nobly and zealously in clined for the affairs and the cause of the Americans. I with that this beginning may in the courfe of time produce many happy events, for the mutual advantage of both countries. I take the liberty of joining here a lift of the names of thofe, who are altogether the worthy friends of America. I pray God to conduct your Excellency, and to grant you the most perfect fuccefs. This is the fincere with of my heart. I remain with the greatest confideration and efteem, Sir, Your Excellency's moft obedient and (Signed) List of Names. Henry Hooft Danielfz, ancient burgomafter of Amfterdam. Daniel Hooft Danielfz, fecretary to the regency of Amfterdam. Van Berkel, counsellor and penfionary of the city of Amfterdam. John de Neufville and fons, one of the principal commercial houfes of Amfterdam. N. B. The laft can inform your Excellency of all the commercial houfes which are our friends. The burgomafter Hooft Danielfz can inform your Excellency which are the gentlemen of the regency in the intereft of America. And the Barons Van der Capellen can inform you of thofe VOL. XXIII. I fhall likewife send you a copy of the correfpondence between Mr. Chamont and a gentleman whom I engaged here to write to him on the fubject of the two fhips built here; by which you will fee, that it was never feriously intended to fell the faid fhips to me. Mr. Franklin has never returned me an answer. I thought that the arrival of Mr. Adams at Paris was a good opportunity to revive this affair. I confequently wrote to him, as well as to Mr. Izard, and Mr. A. Lee, that they fhould addrefs themselves to Monfieur de Sartine, and to the Count de Vergennes, minifters at Verfailles, to endeavour to obtain the [da] faid faid veffels, by offering to pay the prime coft, or to take them by appraitement of four impartial perfons, to be chosen here by the two parties; efpecially as I had already removed here all difficulties, having fuccours promifed to me from high authority, and as I could fit them out either as Dutch property for Euflatia, or as American property for any other port. But the anfwers I received laft night from thofe gentlemen, obliged me to give up the flattering hopes of fending you two of the fineft veilels in the world, of one hundred and eighty-fix feet keel, fit to carry twenty-eight thirtyfix pounders upon one deck. And though they drew too much water for our bar, they would certainly not have tarded to take fome veffels which would have answered our purpofe. Not that I fear that thete gentlemen will not do all in their power to atlift me in this affair, and fome others; but they forefee that this request, in cafe it thould be granted, might perhaps involve me in other dili. culties. There are feveral veffels in the ports of France which would fully antwer our purposes; but the difficulties which I have already experienced, fully convince me that I fhall not obtain any fuccours. It is for this reafon that I have refolved this morning to employ all your money in purchafing bar iron, nails, cordage, fail-cloth, cables, anchors, hipsftores, and other things neceflary to pilots, carpenters, gunners, and coopers chirurgical infiruments and medicines, iron hoops, and all that I thought neceflary for three frigates, excepting guns, powder, and military implements, which I am as yet uncertain whether they may be embarked. I intend to buy the most effential articles double what is neceflary for thefe veffels; and likewife double the quantity of the fmall articles; and in cafe I fhould have any money remaining, I intend to employ it in purchafing woollen cloth, linen, fhoes, ftockings, and hats, for our troops, and to fend all these effects, as foon as poffible, by dif ferent vefiels, to St. Euftatia, from whence you may draw them, by your orders, whenever you shall think it convenient. It will, perhaps, be neceflary to infure here the articles which appear to be deftined for large thips, in cafe they fhould happen to be taken by the English, as well as the cables and anchors. Meffrs. Nicholas and Jacob Van Staphorft, merchants here, will do the bufinefs, and they have promifed me a credit of thirty thousand florins (very likely I fhail be able to get more from them on my own credit) until you come yourfelf, as I now defire you to do, which fum, with Mr. Screipreifer's loan and your own money, will make up a handfome fum, to accomplith the faid views, and fave the State fome lofs on the plan propofed by your Excellency to procure it a good marine. Pardon me, if I fpeak my fentiments at prefent on what may be done. If the State perfifts in the refolution of having a good marine, the three frigates ought to be built at Philadelphia, Bofton, and Portfmouth, in New Hampshire. The oppofition I have met with in France proves clearly to me, that they they never had an intention that America fhould have a marine; otherwife they would certainly have fold the ten fhips which were here lying empty, fince that would not have diminished their ftrength, which they made a plea of last fpring, when I propofed to them a plan, by which Georgia would have been delivered by laft May; but even then, they refused to let us have one fhip. Captain Yoyner has done every thing in his power with respect to your affairs, and he will return to St. Euftatia by the firft good opportunity, as will all the other officers. I will follow him immediately may I, on that account, defire your Excellency to fend Captain Yoyner's orders, that he may find them at St. Euftatia, under cover to Mr. Anfon, and the governor of that place, or to whom you pleafe. I fhall have great pleasure to find myself equally honoured with your orders, and to know how the goods ought to be shipped there. I think, with your permiffion, that if two or three continental frigates were fent here to take them, that would be a more certain method; but I cannot know it till after I am arrived there, and I fhall place them in the warehouses of good merchants. I have not been honoured with a fingle line from our government fince the 31st of January, 1779, fo that I am at present obliged to act without orders, not doubting that you and my country will readily give me credit for acting to the beft of my judgment for your interefts, and that you and they will approve of my conduct, fince that approbation is the only recom pence to which I have looked in all that I have been able to effect by my feeble endeavours. Pleafe God! I fhould have been able to have done more, if the courage of your pretended friends had not been greater than that of your real ones. I am very certain I should have been with you a long time before this with an ample fuccour; but I have the confolation to reflect, that I have done as much as any perfon fent from America has been able to effect in Europe, to obtain credit for a ftate (South Carolina) which was confidered, at the time I negociated the loan, as entirely in the poffeffion of the enemy. I have had many interviews with the lenders; and the brokers in thofe affairs would have procured me, in fix weeks, a million of florins, at five per cent. intereft, for ten or fifteen years, if the pow ers with which I was invefted had been authorized by our government, and to their fatisfaction. However, I have made them promife, that if the guarantee of Congrefs, for which I now write to your Excellency, fhall arrive whilft I remain here, they will advance the faid million on that fecurity, until the full powers and guarants, fuch as I inclofe, which are of their own compofition, and tranflated by their notary, fhall come over. I now fend you the Dutch original and the tranflation, for your ap brobation, and the Dutch oririginal and an English translation of the guarantee of Congress. If I were at this moment in poffeffion of fuch papers, I could get four millions of florins, which makes about three millions of Carolina currency, at five per cent. payable [da] 2 ia |