78 2441 House of Orange Willem IV Prince and stadtholder of the Dutch Republic 1711 1751
= Probably letters to Lodewijk Theodoor van Nassau-LaLecq (1701-1748), major in the regiment of general Hop. Most of the letters are New Year wishes, occasionally with more personal information, such as the letter of 12 February 1746, written in French, in which Willem IV apologizes for late response to Lodewijk Theodor's letter (it was mislaid by one of his secretaries), writes that he hopes to see him soon and that he will find "La Petite Caroline bien grandie, et devenue assez drole. [continuing in Dutch:] Wij hebben er geloof ik weer Een op stapel. Adieu mon bon Ami (...)". In 1744 he writes about the weaknesses and the losses of the Dutch troups in the skirmishes in Northern France in May 1744. In 1745 he writes about the absence of any news from the war, and about the pleasure that the doll that he has sent to his daughter as a present has given her, and that she has for the first time pronounced his name correctly and clearly as Beverweert (instead of "Blake naise") after she had asked her mother Princess Royal Anna of Hannover, "Mama wat is Blake maise his true name". In his letter of 25 August 1745, he congratulates Lodewijk Theodoor on his success in the battlefield: "il est beau de voire comment vos garettes Holl. [...?] et embellissent toutes les Petites Rencontres [continued in Dutch:] zij noemen dat de Actie van Asche, en seggen dat U [...?] overal gedurende deselve in het heetste van het vuer geweest is (...)". Also writes about his daughter: "(...) et la Petite qui est ici pendant que j'ecris fait dire a Blak maise, that he must come to [Pins Carnill (?)], and that he has a great Wigg." An interesting series of letters, shedding some light on a friendship that clearly was dear to Willem IV and his family.