I have here a letter from Mr. J. W. van Arp of Amsterdam, in which he makes the following request, in Dutch:

“We have in port the ship Fearnot, Capt. Stephen Crack of Boston. This vessel was purchased here by Mr. G. P. Salis, a merchant of this town, who will fit it for the said captain. He and I ask if you would kindly obtain from his excellency Mr. Adams a passport for the said vessel, so that it can set sail. The ship's burden is about 30 to 35 last (that is, 60 to 70 tons) and it will sail under the American flag.”1

Strange things are happening here.2 I speak of nothing less than a conspiracy, beginning last Wednesday, to incite a riot, using the riff-raff and thirty or forty drunkards, printers’ apprentices of Gosse the gazetteer,3 and smelters from the cannon foundry, who were stirred into bacchanalia and other disorders during Thursday and Friday nights. The populace behaved sensibly and jeered at the night owls. For their part the pensionaries went boldly to see the grand pensionary on Saturday evening, forcing him to convene an extraordinary session of the assembly the following Monday morning, while attempts were still being made, uselessly as it turned out, to mobilize the peat-bearers.4 Yesterday morning, Monday, the assembled states requested and then cordially adopted, without opposition, a resolution that will immediately be made public. It begins with very strong arguments enjoining the court of justice to pursue the matter criminally and urging the committees of that body to pass a special act and take all necessary measures to forestall such uprisings in the future. They say the underlying intent in making the populace sport rosettes, as the drunkards had done, was to have all the pensionaries murdered, recall the Duke of Brunswick, conclude a separate peace with the English, take charge of the nation, and so on.

What you told Mr. Brantsen confidentially about the preliminaries signed between you and the English, which contradicted so triumphantly the seditious rumor sown here that the republic's interests had been abandoned in Paris, should not, to my mind, have been any longer confidential after it was disclosed to their High Mightinesses. The members of the States of Holland were informed of it only after they had been sworn to the strictest secrecy and were thus prevented from enlightening the people, who were being told precisely the contrary to encourage their sedition.5

Now everything is turning against the instigators of this plot.

Four towns in Friesland have already followed the example of cities in Holland, taking it upon themselves to make their own appointments; and others will follow suit.6

This week I hope to finish copying the information I promised you.7

With great respect, sir, I remain your excellency's very humble and very obedient servant