alutary to the American Confederation than a patched-up peace, which
shall leave the enemy possessor of Canada, Nova Scotia and
Newfoundland; whence he would not cease nor be slow to vex you by all
manner of means, perhaps to divide you, which will be worse.

But let us wait what Parliament says at the end of this month. Then we
may be able to say of the Congress of Peace, what the poet Rousseau,
in his Ode to Fortune, said of a hero becoming man again;

Le masque tombe, George reste,
Et le Romain s'evanouit.

And so much the better, I think, for America and for this Republic. I
am, with very great respect, Sir,

DUMAS.

_P. S._ I thank you, Sir, for the excellent letter of Mr Payne to the
Abbe Raynal. If it is possible I shall publish it in French.

* * * * *

TO ROBERT R. LIVINGSTON.

The Hague, December 12th, 1782.

Sir,

Some days ago I was about to prepare a new despatch, touching affairs
on the carpet here, when an unforeseen event prevented me. It is
nothing less than a conspiracy, which might be termed Catilinarian, if
there had been an able Catiline in it; but they only had the intention
of the Roman, without his sagacity.

We were congratulating ourselves here on the despatches from Paris,
which informed the Grand Pensionary, much to the regret of the
conspiracy, of the news of the signing of preliminaries between the
Ministers of the United States and Great Britain. We were only
surprised at the oath of secrecy exacted of the members of the
Assembly, before communicating to them the contents of despatches so
well suited to reassure and relieve the nation of the fear, which, to
excite discontent, it had been industriously endeavored to inspire,
that it would be deceived and abandoned by the other powers, when on
the 5th and 6th, the festival of St Nicholas, famous in this country,
which they seemed disposed to make another St Bartholomew's, the
conspiracy broke out and failed. Persons were sent about during these
two days, with the Orange cockade in their hats and an address of
thanks in their hands, applauding the good management of the marine,
and at night about thirty men, paid and intoxicated, made a noisy
procession through the streets and squares, to endeavor to raise the
populace, who, however, would not sign, nor join the sed