days since, that he was surprised Congress had
not before made such a disposition on the subject of my affairs,) if I
should add anything more, except that I have never had any other
principle in my actions, especially in these six or seven years of
faithful and painful labor, than the service of humanity, of the
United States, and of their honorable Congress; and if in my last
sigh, I could add to this testimony of my conscience the idea of
having retained, the esteem and friendship of all your respectable
Ministers, both in Europe and America, and especially yours, Sir,
which will be very dear to me, and which I pray you to bestow on me, I
shall contentedly close my days with the words of Horace in my mouth;
_non ultima laus est principibus placuisse viris_.

I am, with the most sincere respect,

DUMAS.

_P. S. May 12th._ There arrived here yesterday a second proposition of
Fox for peace with this Republic. It will be presented tomorrow to the
States-General; a new snare, which is happily foreseen and escaped. I
shall speak of it in my next.

* * * * *

TO ROBERT R. LIVINGSTON.

The Hague, June 1st, 1782.

Sir,

My last was of the 10th of May. Since that time I have been constantly
occupied with the French Ambassador and the good patriots of this
country in counteracting the pretended mediators for a separate peace
between Great Britain and this Republic; and we have so far succeeded
that Holland has adopted a good resolution in relation to it, which is
all ready and which will nearly destroy this manoeuvre of the
Anglomanes. On the 21st and 22d of May, I made at the request of the
Ambassador a journey to Dort, where was ready a sketch of a resolution
(since matured and perfected) of which I at the same time made a
translation for the Ambassador. We shall see the effect this will
have.

I know that one of the principal Ministers of the Republic, on the
good will of whom we begin to rely a little more than formerly, has
declared that he has in his pocket the full proofs of the intention of
the British Ministry to amuse and deceive the Republic, which I hope
to see soon irrevocably pledged not to make a peace except in
conjunction with the three other belligerent powers. I cannot explain
myself more at present. If it were not for the disaster of D