Adams Papers Digital Edition

Papers of John Adams, volume 10

Certification of C. W. F. Dumas’ Oath of Allegiance to the United States, 16 December 1780 JA Searle, James Certification of C. W. F. Dumas’ Oath of Allegiance to the United States, 16 December 1780 Adams, John Searle, James
Certification of C. W. F. Dumas' Oath of Allegiance to the United States
Amsterdam December 16. 1780

Charles William Frederick Dumas, personally appeared before Us and took the Oath of Allegiance to the United States of America, upon the holy Evangelists of Almighty God.1

John Adams Minister Plenipotentiary from the United States James Searle Member of Congress for the Commonwealth of Pensylvania 416

MS (DLC: Dumas Papers); endorsed by Dumas: “Amst. 16e. Dec. 1780. Acte de mon serment de fidélité, aux EtatsUnis. d'Amérique, prêté personnellement entre les mains de leur Min. plénipe. Jn. Adams, à Amsterdam. NB. NB. J'avois dejà prêté Serment de fidélité dans ma premiere Lettre au Congrès en acceptant leur Agence accréditée par leur committé, datée du 9–12 Décembre 1775. V. la Lettre du Dr. Franklin. Cwf Dumas.” No letter of 9–12 Dec. 1775 from Dumas to Congress has been found, but the letter to Franklin may be that of 14 Dec. 1780 in which Dumas informed Franklin of his decision to take the oath of allegiance, a copy of the certificate for which he sent to Franklin on 21 Dec. ( Cal. Franklin Papers, A.P.S. , 2:323, 325).

1.

The oath taken by Dumas was as follows: “I do acknowledge the Thirteen united States of north america to be Free Sovereign and Independant States, and I do hereby Declare and acknowledge myself a Subject of the Said States only, and that I will do nothing prejudicial to the Freedom, Sovereignty and independence of the Said States but will promote the Same by all lawfull means” (PCC, No. 101, f. 132).

 To Thomas Digges, 17 December 1780 JA Digges, Thomas Ross, Timothy D. To Thomas Digges, 17 December 1780 Adams, John Digges, Thomas Ross, Timothy D.
To Thomas Digges
17th. Decr. 1780

I regularly recieve the Newspapers, but have not recieved the Books or Pamphlets of any kind.

If a Majority of the People your Way think America still theirs, they are a Majority of Ideots. They might as sensibly think Gascoigne and Guienne still theirs1—poor deluded Fools! how I pity them!

Sir Jo. Y. is pelting the Dutch with Memorials, in the Stile of Bernard's Speeches and Hillsboroughs Letters.2 The Dutch hate War. They will not be Aggressors, but your Ministry have War in their Hearts against Amsterdam, if not the whole Republick. The Ministry laboured to divide the People of Boston from their Leaders, the People of Massachusetts from Boston, and the other Colonies from Massachusetts, until they united all in one independent Sovereignty, which will be an Example in Arms, Arts, Liberty and Glory, for the Admiration and Envy of the rest of Mankind. They are now labouring to divide the People of Amsterdam from the Regency, the other Cities of Holland from Amsterdam, and the other six Provinces from Holland. That Ministry have no other Maxims of Government than Corruption and Division: but they take their Measures so awkwardly, every where but in England, that they produce Union. They will do so in this Case, and presently the 7 United Provinces will be as independent as the 13 United States of America.

LbC in John Thaxter's hand (Adams Papers); directed to: “Mr. Timothy D. Ross.”

1.

The provinces of Guienne and Gascogne formed Aquitaine, which had come under English rule in the mid-12th century, but had been governed by France since the mid-15th century.

 2.

For an earlier comparison of Sir Joseph 417Yorke and the British ministry to Bernard and Hillsborough in the same context, see JA's letter of 16 Nov. to the president of Congress, and note 4 (No. 20, above).