t, my person, services, and
fidelity; and this for the love I bear to your cause, and on the most
perfect conviction of its justice. I have conducted myself in the
execution of your orders with all imaginable prudence, circumspection,
and patience. At last, however, I am the victim of the suspicions and
implacable hatred of your enemies. They have found it an easy task to
injure me indirectly in the sordid, ungrateful, and treacherous heart
of a person on whom my fortune depended, and who is devoted to them. I
should be ruined, with my family, if I had not firm confidence of
receiving in your service the annual stipend allotted for their
subsistence, of which I have been deprived. To this injustice they
have added the insult of tempting me by deceitful offers, which I
rejected with disdain, because I could not accept them without
exposing your secrets, or at least degrading the character with which
you have honored me, in the eyes of those who have knowledge of it. My
refusal has exasperated them against me; they will secretly ruin me as
far as they are able. But I have said enough of myself.

Your enemies have begun to take the Dutch vessels in Europe as well
as in America; among others, one for St Eustatia. They are impatient
at Amsterdam to know how the Regency will take this; and they write me
that this circumstance will, probably, be the cause of the detention
of vessels, bound for the Islands, two months in this port.

I have the honor to be, &c.

DUMAS.

* * * * *

TO THE COMMITTEE OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS.

The Hague, October 14th, 1777.

Gentlemen,

If I do not speak to you in all my letters, of the person with whom
you know I am connected at the Hague, it is not because this connexion
does not continue daily, but because it is sufficient to give an
account of our conferences to your honorable commission in Europe, and
also, considering the time that my packets are on the way, my reports
would be as superfluous and useless to you, as they would be long and
difficult to decypher, or dangerous to transmit without cypher. The
enemy alone would be able to profit by them. Moreover, I doubt not but
your Commissioners transmit to you the result of all that passes.

Our States-General are assembled; and they have begun with labors,
which by no means please your en