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Transcribers Note: The original publication has been replicated
faithfully except as shown in the Transcribers Amendments at the end of
the text. Words in italics are indicated like _this_. But the publisher
also wanted to emphasize items in sentences already italicized, so he
printed them in the regular font which is indicated like this: _The
pirates then went to +Hispaniola+._ Superscripts are indicated like this:
M^r Caron de Beaumarchais. Footnotes are located near the end of the
Historical Introduction chapter.

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                             [Illustration]

      [Illustration: Portrait of Beaumarchais, by Nattier, 1765]




                              BEAUMARCHAIS

                            _And the War of
                         American Independence_

                                   BY

                           ELIZABETH S. KITE

        _Diplôme dinstruction Primaire-Supérieure, Paris, 1905
        Member of the Staff of the Vineland Research Laboratory_

                           WITH A FOREWORD BY
                             JAMES M. BECK
                _Author of The Evidence in the Case_

                              TWO VOLUMES
                              VOLUME ONE

                              ILLUSTRATED

                             [Illustration]

                                 BOSTON
                           RICHARD G. BADGER
                            THE GORHAM PRESS


                  COPYRIGHT, 1918, BY RICHARD G. BADGER

                          All Rights Reserved

                  Made in the United States of America

                   The Gorham Press, Boston, U. S. A.


                            TO THE MEMORY OF

                               MY BROTHER


_We have been surprised that no descendant of Beaumarchais was invited to
represent France at the unveiling of that Statue of Liberty, upon the
pedestal of which his name would not be out of