This collection contains two manuscript copies of Jean-Daniel Dumas' Traite de la Defense et de la Conservation des Colonies. One is 190 pages and the other is 281 pages. These copies each contain 27 chapters plus a conclusion. They describe France's colonies in general, as well as the challenges of defending the colonies, duties of the governors general, the cost of colonial administration, commerce in the colonies, and colonial legislation. In his preface, Dumas mentions having presented this essay to the brother of King Louis XV and to several of the ministers in 1773, and that he had expanded it since then.
Jean-Daniel Dumas, son of Samuel Dumas and Anne Martin, was born in Montauban, France, on February 24, 1721. He enlisted in the French army in 1742 and was appointed a captain of marines in 1747. In 1750, Dumas was sent to Acadia in Canada to negotiate with the Indians on border disputes. At Fort Duquesne in 1755, he commanded the combined force of French and Indians to victory over General Braddock, and, in September of that year, he was made commander of the post. Dumas returned to Quebec at the end of 1756, and was promoted major of the city the following spring. Early in 1759 he was commissioned adjutant general inspector of troops in Canada, which positioned him for important roles in the 1759 and 1760 campaigns. After the surrender of Montreal, he was promoted to the rank of colonel and traveled to France, where he was appointed governor general of Ile de France and of Bourbon. In 1780, he was promoted to major-general but was kept out of active service. He died on August 2, 1794, at Albias, France.
