correspond with a minority, which
has this advantage over that of England, that if this republic will
not declare itself our friend, it cannot be our enemy, on account of
the unanimity required by the constitution; this circumstance alone is
of high importance, and ought to persuade us to assist and confirm
that minority.

Every time I see our friend, he begs me not to fail to communicate to
him immediately any good news I may receive from America. He makes too
good a use of such information to allow any delay on my part.

The two letters, for which I am indebted to Mr A. Lee, have been
inserted in the Leyden Gazette. The Courier of the Lower Rhine
contains a fine eulogy on Mr Joseph Reed, member of Congress; it is
deserving of your notice. I wish I could send you the paper, but I
have only one copy, which I am about to forward to Congress.

I am, &c.

DUMAS.

* * * * *

TO M. DE SARTINE.

Passy, November 16th, 1778.

Sir,

We have the honor of your Excellency's letter of the 6th of this
month, but as the memoir of the French surgeon, which your Excellency
proposed to transmit to us, was by some accident omitted to be
enclosed in your letter, we are ignorant of his case, and consequently
unable to inform your Excellency whether it is in our power to afford
him any relief. If your Excellency will have the goodness to send us
the memoir, we will answer your letter without delay.

In the meantime we may acquaint your Excellency, that the United
States have not adopted any precautions for sending succors to their
subjects imprisoned in England. We have ventured, without orders or
permission from the United States, to lend small sums of money to
persons who have escaped from irons and dungeons in Great Britain, to
bear their expenses to Nantes, L'Orient and Bordeaux. But we have sent
no succor to them while in England, except a small sum of money, put
into the hands of Mr Hartley, to be disposed of by him for the relief
of such as should most want it.

We shall consider every Frenchman, taken by the English on board of
American vessels, in the same light as if he was an American by birth,
and entitled to the same assistance from us as Americans are in the
same situation.

We have the honor to be, &c. &c.