De patriottentijd. Deel 1: 1776-1784

Bijlage VI.
Verbod van kaasinvoer in Frankrijk. - Yorke aan lord Weymouth, 24 September 1779, met bijlage. (Public Record Office, Londen).

Lettre de S.A. le Prince d'Orange au duc Louis de Brunswic.

La Menace de la France et l'Edit qu'elle vient de faire emaner, défendant l'entrée du Fromage de Nord-Hollande, fait un terrible effet. Les Députés des Villes de Nord-Hollande, qui sont au fond très bien intentionnés pour la bonne Cause, sont dans le plus grand embarras. A Purmerende au Marché qui s'est tenu hier, il n'y a eu aucun Débit, et la Régence s'est vû forcée de déclarer aux Marchands de Fromage qu'ils prendroient des mesures pour contenter la France et faire cesser cet Edit. C'est le moment de la Crise. S'il y a moyen de faire aller de nouveau les Marchés et de procurer du Débit aux Païsans Nord-Hollandois, j'espère que je pourrai empêcher que ces Villes ne consentent dans des Moyens violens, tels que de cesser de payer les Charges de l'Union, à moins qu'on n'accorde à la Généralité le convoi illimité; mais si la Stagnation du Commerce des Fromages a lieu, je ne suis plus en état de rien faire pour les engager à demeurer fermes. Le seul Moyen pour cela seroit, si l'Angleterre pouvoit avoir quelque Négociant à la main qui sur son crédit achetât le Fromage qui viendroit aux Marchés d'Alkmaer, Hoorn, Edam, Medemblik et Purmerende, durant cet Automne. Les François auront surement besoin de Fromage dans quelque temps d'ici, et devront l'acheter; ainsi celui qui fera cette emplette n'y perdra rien que l'Intérêt de son Argent. Mais il faudra se dépêcher; les Députés de Nord-Hollande partiront Vendredi ou Samedi pour leurs Villes pour chercher des Instructions, et reviendront Mercredi vraisemblablement munis de très mauvaises Instructions, à moins qu'on ne puisse couper ce mal dans sa racine, en faisant ce que je viens de proposer. Je n'ai rien contre que V.A. fasse lire sous le sceau du secret ce billet à M. Yorke. Si l'Angleterre a quelque intérêt que la France ne gouverne pas à jamais cette République, il faut qu'Elle agisse à présent; car ce moment-ci passé, je ne pourrai plus rien faire. La Hollande fermera sa Caisse et forcera par là les autres Provinces à donner les Convois illimités; et la France, voyant que cela a réussi, recommencera toujours le même jeu de séparer les Intérêts d'une partie de la République des autres Membres, et d'après la Maxime Divide et Impera,

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sera à jamais la Maîtresse absoluë d'un Païs auquel il ne restera plus que le Nom de République.

La Haye, ce 22 Septembre 1779.

G. Prince d'Orange.

Deze brief werd, onmiddellijk na ontvangst, door den Hertog aan Yorke medegedeeld, den 22^sten September ‘le soir à onze heures’, en door den gezant naar Londen opgezonden met de volgende dépêche:

Secret. Hague, September 24^th, 1779.

My Lord,

When I came home on Wednesday night last, I found a Letter from Prince Lewis of Brunswick upon my Table, with an Enclosure in it from the Prince of Orange; the original of the first, with an exact Copy of the second, accompany this Dispatch. As it was too late to see the Stadtholder then, I went privately to him early yesterday morning in order to obtain some further Explanations and put some Questions to him before I sat down to write to Your Lordship. I found the Prince extremely animated, and declaring that he would rather quit the Country, and live upon dry bread, than submit to be so treated by France; that just before I came in, a low Insinuation had been sent round to him of consenting to an Augmentation, and dropping the Article of Ship-Timber, if he would but agree to Convoy in general, and concert it with te French Ambassador, which he had rejected flatly and with contempt; that he was persuaded if he could but parry this low Artifice against the North-Hollanders, who though poor Politicans were fast Friends, whom he could depend upon, and gain three or four weeks more, he should be able to stem the Torrent, and perhaps overset the whole intrigue; that it occurred to him that the shortest way was to keep up the Market in North-Holland, which this pitiful Declaration of France supported by her Partisans at Amsterdam, attempted to annihilate; that he had sent for his own Treasurer to enquire what ready money he himself could advance, and had directed already Ten or Twelve Thousand Pounds to be employed for that purpose; that if England would secretly assist him in it, (for it must not appear that he was receiving Money from England), he would take care it should be no Job, and if any Money was entrusted to him, or the faculty of drawing for it, if wanted, in a private manner, he would manage it discreetly and not spend any, if it could be avoided, as it was very possible, if the Market was but supported at first, that the Affair would blow over, and our Enemies feel the futility of their Intrigues; that could he have hit upon a better expedient, or done it alone, he would not have troubled me upon the subject.

I promised the Prince to lay the affair before Your Lordship by the first Post, as he did not think it necessary I should inform you of it by

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Express, to prevent an éclat, and because he would begin the operation by himself. I took this opportunity however to put a few Questions to His Highness, which I had previously minuted down, and to which he very readily gave me the best Answers he could.

1^st.	What upon a round Calculation might probably be the Advance necessary for this Operation? Answer. - I have already sent to enquire, and hope to be able to let you know before the Post goes out.
2^d.	May one hope that by adopting this Expedient the French Plan will be stopt, without our being obliged to purchase all the Commodities of the Seven Provinces, whenever France thinks fit to prohibit them? Answer. - I really think so from all the Notions I have acquired, and because People begin to grow weary of such treatment. As to the latter part of the Question, it would be rather too much, though my present Demand, I confess, admits of the Question.
3^d.	May we be sure that the point of unlimited Convoy will be dropt, or so hampered as to amount to the same; and even limited Convoy, at least to the exclusion of all Naval Stores? Answer. - For the unlimited, yes; for the limited, hope so, certainly as far as Ship-Timber is concerned; the other articles are embarrassing and deserve further consideration.
4^th.	May we expect that the Demand of Succour made by my Memorial will be put in Deliberation and supported? Answer. - It is my wish, if I can but bring things a little forwarder, and secure the strength I have in Holland; but I consider the oversetting the French intrigue here to be worth more to England than the Succours would be.
5^th.	Would it not be proper and advisable, in case the present Idea is adopted, to profit of it by proposing a Prohibition of French Productions? Answer. - It is my firm Intention, and what I am labouring at, and I would begin by prohibiting all French Wines.
6^th.	Does not Amsterdam deserve that England should exclude her from the Privileges of the Treaty of 1674? Answer. - Yes; but in the beginning though I might have not been sorry to have seen it done, because it would probably have overset the whole Intrigue at once, and prevented all that has happened, yet it was impossible for me to be the Proposer, for fear of the Consequences. At present things are altered much by the accession of so many other Towns tho the same low Plan. At all events it may deserve a future Consideration. -

P.S. The Prince of Orange sent me word this morming, through the channel of Prince Lewis, that from Fourteen to Fifteen Thousand Pounds would do the business for several weeks to come; that next week the affair would be set in motion, and that the Prince hoped to be able to do it by himself; but he made this confidential Communication to be sure at all events, and that secrecy in the execution was what was the most essential.

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Lord Weymouth aan Yorke. - St. James's October 1^st 1779. (Secret).

.... His Majesty, fully sensible of His Serene Highness's situation, and desirous to remove, as far as is in His Power, the Stadtholder's Difficulties, has been pleased to direct me to acquaint you, for His Information, that H.M. will supply a sum of Money to the amount of Fourteen or Fifteen thousand Pounds to H.S.H., to be employed for the purposes He proposes, and in such manner as He shall judge best. The sum to be drawn for on Messrs. Drummond, by such Persons as the Prince of Orange may think proper to employ, and Your Excellency will learn their Names of the Prince, that Messrs. Drummond may have due Notice of them.

Hoe deze geschiedenis afliep, blijkt uit de berichten van Vauguyon. Aanvankelijk scheen het verbod van groote uitwerking:

Vauguyon aan Vergennes, 5 October 1779....

L'arrêt qui prohibe les fromages de Nord-Hollande contribue à exciter dans cette partie de la province la plus vive sensation. Les députés des différentes régences qui s'étoient rendus à l'assembleé des Etats, ont été rappellés par leurs commettants. Ceux-ci paroissent décidés à leur donner de nouvelles instructions. Vous voyez, M. le Comte, que le nouveau développement de notre système rigoureux, mais juste et modéré, n'a pas tardé à produire son effet.

Den 8^sten October schrijft Yorke dat de Prins met zijn eigen middelen waarschijnlijk slagen zal: werkelijk is de engelsche regeering ook niet voor de toegezegde som aangesproken. De verwachting van Vauguyon werd ditmaal niet vervuld. Dit is wat hij er nog van meldt:

26 October. - Fransche kooplieden hebben naar de Republiek geschreven dat het verbod van noordhollandsche kaas niet ernstig gemeend is, en dat zij de risico wel voor hun rekening willen nemen. Dit doet slecht effect. De regeering dient een streng bevel uit te vaardigen om elke lading kaas onmiddellijk in beslag te nemen.

29 October. - Het is noodig dat het verderfelijk gerucht omtrent de ongevaarlijkheid van den kaasinvoer gelogenstraft worde. Er vertrekken schepen met kaas geladen naar Marseille, maar de verbeurdverklaring er van zou veel te laat vernomen worden. Daarom heeft hij een rotterdamsch koopman overgehaald, een lading naar Rouen te zenden, en terstond het bericht der verbeurdverklaring alom te doen verspreiden. De prijs zal hem heimelijk terugbetaald worden. 't Schip heet het Vertrouwen, kapitein Eysse Eysses Postma.

5 November. - De slapheid waarmee het verbod van kaasinvoer gehandhaafd wordt, heeft de noordhollandsche steden geheel gerust gesteld. Sedert zij weten dat b.v. te Bordeaux hunne ladingen zijn toegelaten is alle vrees verdwenen.

12 November. - De verbeurdverklaring moet toegepast blijven, de kaas die de regeering zelf volstrekt noodig heeft kan zij toelaten en heimelijk betalen.