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Brest Affair
Ereunetes: first draft
[[File:75 Pieter Paulus, Secretaris van de Admiraliteit der Maas, 1754-1796.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Pieter Paulus]], the ''fiscaal'' who led the prosecution in the admiralty court]]
The '''Brest Affair''', also known as the '''(Failed) Expedition to Brest''' is the name of a scandal during the [[Patriottentijd]] that was exploited by the Patriot faction to politically undermine the regime of [[stadtholder]] [[William V, Prince of Orange|William V]]. It followed the refusal of the leadership of the navy of the [[Dutch Republic]] to obey a direct order to send a flotilla to the French naval base [[Brest, France|Brest]] before 8 October 1787. The refusal caused a scandal that forced the [[States General of the Netherlands|States General]] to institute a formal inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the refusal, and this inquiry eventually led to a prosecution before a special admiralty court of the parties responsible, led by [[Pieter Paulus]]. However, the prosecution took so much time that meanwhile the Patriot faction was suppressed by [[Prussian invasion of Holland|Prussian military intervention]], so that eventually the case was shelved without coming to a resolution.
==Background==
After the outbreak of the [[Fourth Anglo-Dutch War]] in December 1780 the Dutch Republic became informally involved in the [[American Revolutionary War]] on the side of [[Kingdom of France|France]] and its allies, without, however, a formal alliance being formed. On the initiative of the Amsterdam delegation in the [[States of Holland and West Friesland|States of Holland]] the States General resolved in early 1782 to come to some kind of arrangement with France to at least discuss a common strategy in the sea war, which became known as the ''Concert''<ref>de Jonge, pp. 570-571</ref>. This proposition was accepted by the French with some alacrity, as in their eyes the Dutch military resources, especially the Dutch fleet, lay fallow in the [[roadstead]] of the Texel. When in September 1782 a large British fleet under [[Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe|admiral Howe]] departed for besieged [[Great Siege of Gibraltar|Gibraltar]] in an effort to relieve that stronghold, thereby denuding the [[English Channel]] of [[Royal Navy]] forces, the French [[Charles Eugène Gabriel de La Croix|marquis de Castries]] saw a chance to kill two birds with one stone, and wrote a memorandum for the French minister of foreign affairs, [[Charles Gravier, comte de Vergennes|Vergennes]], in which he proposed that the Dutch should send a flotilla of [[ship of the line|ships of the line]] to the French naval base of [[Brest, France|Brest]], to use that as a permanent base for both its own operations in the [[Dutch East Indies]] (where the flotilla might turn the balance of military power in that theater of the war against the British, in combination with French naval units), and for combined naval operations with French and Spanish fleets in the area of the English Channel, to obtain a naval superiority there<ref group=Note>See Memorandum , ''Observations sur les circonstances actuelles relativement a la Hollande'' (14 September 1782), in Colenbrander, appendix 10, pp. 395-397</ref>.
Vergennes the next day instructed the French ambassador in the Republic, [[Paul François de Quelen de la Vauguyon|Vauguyon]] to put that proposal before the Dutch stadtholder, in his capacity of Admiral-General of the Dutch navy, which happened on 22 September. The stadtholder (as always hesitant) involved the Dutch [[Grand Pensionary]] [[Pieter van Bleiswijk]] who was immediately enthusiastic and put the question to the secret ''besogne'' (committee) for naval affairs of the States General, where the maritime provinces were in favor right away, but (as usual) the land provinces needed more convincing, causing a delay until 3 October, before a definitive decision was made to send a flotilla of ten ships of the line and several frigates. Meanwhile the States General received news that the siege of Gibraltar was about to be raised, which made it likely that Admiral Howe would return sooner than expected, so that the favorable circumstances for moving the Dutch flotilla to Brest appeared to be soon past. This motivated the States General to amend their resolution in the sense that the flotilla had to depart no later than 8 October<ref>de Jonge, pp. 602-609</ref> .
==The Non-Event==
The Dutch naval top (admirals [[Johan Zoutman|Zoutman) and Reynst), who had been involved in an advisory capacity, were opposed to the plan, but their advice was ignored. The Admiral General had on 30 September already sent a secret order to the admiral commanding the Texel squadron ([[Andries Hartsinck]]) to make preparations for a speedy departure in case the order would be formally given, and the admiral had thus instructed his captains, without, however, telling them the reason. When the formal resolution was made on 3 October the Admiral General sent two letters with the formal order to Hartsinck and Vice-Admiral [[Lodewijk van Bylandt]], the officer designated to command the flotilla. Hartsinck only received the letter on 5 October, but van Bylandt was absent that day, because he had departed on 3 October, together with his second-in-command, Rear-Admiral Van Hoey, for [[The Hague]]. Van Bylandt hoped to persuade the stadtholder and Admiral-General at the last moment to desist of giving the order, or to withdraw it. So he was rather embarrassed when he heard on 4 October that the order had already been sent and that he was to depart within three days with the flotilla as its commander. Nevertheless he did his best to convince the stadtholder in an interview on the evening of 4 October (of which nothing is known with certainty as both Van Bylandt and William have always refused to divulge the details). It seems likely, according to the historian de Jonge, that van Bylandt presented the following arguments. Firstly, the fleet was not ready to depart at short notice, due to lack of provisions, and disrepair of the ships. Secondly, he brought the political argument to the table, that the stadtholder and the navy were already accused of cowardice in the war with Great Britain, and of possible collusion with the enemy, and that any mishap therefore would be used to further those accusations. Thirdly, he made clear that he could not, and ''would not'' execute the order to depart with the flotilla in the given circumstances. The stadtholder did not directly confront van Bylandt about this refusal, but deflected the matter to the Grand Pensionary that same evening. Van Bleiswijk apparently was convinced, at least according to van Bylandt, and more or less seems to have given permission to ignore the order. The stadtholder, however, decided after consulting with the representatives of the [[Admiralty of Amsterdam]], Van der Hoop, and of [[Admiralty of Rotterdam|Rotterdam]], Bisdom, to persist with the order and to sent the two flag officers to the Texel to execute it<ref>de Jonge, pp. 604, 611-614</ref>.
Van Bylandt therefore departed for the Texel, but could not board Hartsinck's flagship before 7 October, due to the inclement weather. Harsinck told him that he had convened his captains on 5 October in a council of war, presented them with the order of the States General to send the flotilla, and asked them whether such an order in their opinion could be executed at such short notice (i.e. before 8 October). The captains had replied unanimously that this was impossible, due to the state of the ships and the lack of provisions. Van Bylandt felt understandably justified by this news in his refusal to execute the order, but asked Hartsinck to convene a conference with the other flag officers present at the Texel, to ask for their opinion in the matter. The flag officers then stated in a written declaration, signed by all, that the order could not be executed in the given circumstances, and this declaration was sent to the Admiral General. The stadtholder then presented this declaration, together with the rest of the correspondence he received from admiral Hartsinck, to the Grand Pensionary and later to the members of the committee for naval affairs of the States General, and the latter a few days later decided to withdraw the order to sent the flotilla to Brest, as the fatal date of 8 October, mentioned in that order had already passed. which made the whole project moot. The planned "expedition" therefore was a non-event; it never happened<ref>de Jonge, pp. 615-619</ref>.
==The scandal==
== Notes and references ==
===Notes===
===References===
==Sources==
*Colenbrander, H.T. (1897), ''De Patriottentijd. Deel 1: 1776-1784''[http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/cole002patr01_01/cole002patr01_01_0020.php]]
*[[Johannes Cornelis de Jonge|Jonge, J.C. de]], and J.K.J. de Jonge (1869), ''Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen. Deel 4'' [https://ift.tt/2JzCPIG]
[[Category:The Patriottentijd| ]]
The '''Brest Affair''', also known as the '''(Failed) Expedition to Brest''' is the name of a scandal during the [[Patriottentijd]] that was exploited by the Patriot faction to politically undermine the regime of [[stadtholder]] [[William V, Prince of Orange|William V]]. It followed the refusal of the leadership of the navy of the [[Dutch Republic]] to obey a direct order to send a flotilla to the French naval base [[Brest, France|Brest]] before 8 October 1787. The refusal caused a scandal that forced the [[States General of the Netherlands|States General]] to institute a formal inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the refusal, and this inquiry eventually led to a prosecution before a special admiralty court of the parties responsible, led by [[Pieter Paulus]]. However, the prosecution took so much time that meanwhile the Patriot faction was suppressed by [[Prussian invasion of Holland|Prussian military intervention]], so that eventually the case was shelved without coming to a resolution.
==Background==
After the outbreak of the [[Fourth Anglo-Dutch War]] in December 1780 the Dutch Republic became informally involved in the [[American Revolutionary War]] on the side of [[Kingdom of France|France]] and its allies, without, however, a formal alliance being formed. On the initiative of the Amsterdam delegation in the [[States of Holland and West Friesland|States of Holland]] the States General resolved in early 1782 to come to some kind of arrangement with France to at least discuss a common strategy in the sea war, which became known as the ''Concert''<ref>de Jonge, pp. 570-571</ref>. This proposition was accepted by the French with some alacrity, as in their eyes the Dutch military resources, especially the Dutch fleet, lay fallow in the [[roadstead]] of the Texel. When in September 1782 a large British fleet under [[Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe|admiral Howe]] departed for besieged [[Great Siege of Gibraltar|Gibraltar]] in an effort to relieve that stronghold, thereby denuding the [[English Channel]] of [[Royal Navy]] forces, the French [[Charles Eugène Gabriel de La Croix|marquis de Castries]] saw a chance to kill two birds with one stone, and wrote a memorandum for the French minister of foreign affairs, [[Charles Gravier, comte de Vergennes|Vergennes]], in which he proposed that the Dutch should send a flotilla of [[ship of the line|ships of the line]] to the French naval base of [[Brest, France|Brest]], to use that as a permanent base for both its own operations in the [[Dutch East Indies]] (where the flotilla might turn the balance of military power in that theater of the war against the British, in combination with French naval units), and for combined naval operations with French and Spanish fleets in the area of the English Channel, to obtain a naval superiority there<ref group=Note>See Memorandum , ''Observations sur les circonstances actuelles relativement a la Hollande'' (14 September 1782), in Colenbrander, appendix 10, pp. 395-397</ref>.
Vergennes the next day instructed the French ambassador in the Republic, [[Paul François de Quelen de la Vauguyon|Vauguyon]] to put that proposal before the Dutch stadtholder, in his capacity of Admiral-General of the Dutch navy, which happened on 22 September. The stadtholder (as always hesitant) involved the Dutch [[Grand Pensionary]] [[Pieter van Bleiswijk]] who was immediately enthusiastic and put the question to the secret ''besogne'' (committee) for naval affairs of the States General, where the maritime provinces were in favor right away, but (as usual) the land provinces needed more convincing, causing a delay until 3 October, before a definitive decision was made to send a flotilla of ten ships of the line and several frigates. Meanwhile the States General received news that the siege of Gibraltar was about to be raised, which made it likely that Admiral Howe would return sooner than expected, so that the favorable circumstances for moving the Dutch flotilla to Brest appeared to be soon past. This motivated the States General to amend their resolution in the sense that the flotilla had to depart no later than 8 October<ref>de Jonge, pp. 602-609</ref> .
==The Non-Event==
The Dutch naval top (admirals [[Johan Zoutman|Zoutman) and Reynst), who had been involved in an advisory capacity, were opposed to the plan, but their advice was ignored. The Admiral General had on 30 September already sent a secret order to the admiral commanding the Texel squadron ([[Andries Hartsinck]]) to make preparations for a speedy departure in case the order would be formally given, and the admiral had thus instructed his captains, without, however, telling them the reason. When the formal resolution was made on 3 October the Admiral General sent two letters with the formal order to Hartsinck and Vice-Admiral [[Lodewijk van Bylandt]], the officer designated to command the flotilla. Hartsinck only received the letter on 5 October, but van Bylandt was absent that day, because he had departed on 3 October, together with his second-in-command, Rear-Admiral Van Hoey, for [[The Hague]]. Van Bylandt hoped to persuade the stadtholder and Admiral-General at the last moment to desist of giving the order, or to withdraw it. So he was rather embarrassed when he heard on 4 October that the order had already been sent and that he was to depart within three days with the flotilla as its commander. Nevertheless he did his best to convince the stadtholder in an interview on the evening of 4 October (of which nothing is known with certainty as both Van Bylandt and William have always refused to divulge the details). It seems likely, according to the historian de Jonge, that van Bylandt presented the following arguments. Firstly, the fleet was not ready to depart at short notice, due to lack of provisions, and disrepair of the ships. Secondly, he brought the political argument to the table, that the stadtholder and the navy were already accused of cowardice in the war with Great Britain, and of possible collusion with the enemy, and that any mishap therefore would be used to further those accusations. Thirdly, he made clear that he could not, and ''would not'' execute the order to depart with the flotilla in the given circumstances. The stadtholder did not directly confront van Bylandt about this refusal, but deflected the matter to the Grand Pensionary that same evening. Van Bleiswijk apparently was convinced, at least according to van Bylandt, and more or less seems to have given permission to ignore the order. The stadtholder, however, decided after consulting with the representatives of the [[Admiralty of Amsterdam]], Van der Hoop, and of [[Admiralty of Rotterdam|Rotterdam]], Bisdom, to persist with the order and to sent the two flag officers to the Texel to execute it<ref>de Jonge, pp. 604, 611-614</ref>.
Van Bylandt therefore departed for the Texel, but could not board Hartsinck's flagship before 7 October, due to the inclement weather. Harsinck told him that he had convened his captains on 5 October in a council of war, presented them with the order of the States General to send the flotilla, and asked them whether such an order in their opinion could be executed at such short notice (i.e. before 8 October). The captains had replied unanimously that this was impossible, due to the state of the ships and the lack of provisions. Van Bylandt felt understandably justified by this news in his refusal to execute the order, but asked Hartsinck to convene a conference with the other flag officers present at the Texel, to ask for their opinion in the matter. The flag officers then stated in a written declaration, signed by all, that the order could not be executed in the given circumstances, and this declaration was sent to the Admiral General. The stadtholder then presented this declaration, together with the rest of the correspondence he received from admiral Hartsinck, to the Grand Pensionary and later to the members of the committee for naval affairs of the States General, and the latter a few days later decided to withdraw the order to sent the flotilla to Brest, as the fatal date of 8 October, mentioned in that order had already passed. which made the whole project moot. The planned "expedition" therefore was a non-event; it never happened<ref>de Jonge, pp. 615-619</ref>.
==The scandal==
== Notes and references ==
===Notes===
===References===
==Sources==
*Colenbrander, H.T. (1897), ''De Patriottentijd. Deel 1: 1776-1784''[http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/cole002patr01_01/cole002patr01_01_0020.php]]
*[[Johannes Cornelis de Jonge|Jonge, J.C. de]], and J.K.J. de Jonge (1869), ''Geschiedenis van het Nederlandsche Zeewezen. Deel 4'' [https://ift.tt/2JzCPIG]
[[Category:The Patriottentijd| ]]
April 10, 2018 at 07:03AM
