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16 of Great Britain. That gentleman, Lord Stormont, lost no time in warning Vergennes, the French Minister for Foreign Affairs, against the pernicious rebel.

Now, in spite of the fact that Dubourg, who was a familiar of the court, told him that the ministers would not see him, and meant to keep secret any countenance they gave the United Colonies, Deane, like the intrepid Yankee he was, fared forth to the awesome palace of Versailles and presented his commission to Vergennes himself. There would probably have been less discussion had he known that the genial M. Bonvouloir had gone straight from the King's antechamber for no other purpose in the world than to bring Deane before the King.

Vergennes was a past master and post graduate of the game of diplomacy. He was familiar with the document—unique among state papers of the first order, in that it was both entertaining and witty as well as able and daring—already quoted as having been