Series of Manuscript Naval Orders issued by the French naval Minister of War Antoine de Sartine, during the earliest days leading up to and the commencement of French Naval participation in the American Revolution, 1776-1778

No Binding. Near Fine. folio, 99 orders, 137 pages, in very good, clean and legible condition. Splendid series of naval orders issued by the French Naval Minister of War Antoine de Sartine (1729-1801) in the period leading up to and during the commencement of French Naval participation in the American Revolution. These were official copies sent to "intendants de marine" - in this instance J. Mistral at Le Havre. They bear his original signature as well as a secretarial signature of Sartine. The sole originals would of course have been retained by the ministry at Fontainebleau. Sartine had previously been Lieutenant General of the Police of Paris and was known for his organizational skills. His organizational skills are clearly evident in these orders. As such he was particularly well equipped to place the Navy on a sound footing for war. Notably, he removed authority from bureaucrats and functionaries and placed it in the hands of competent naval officers. The orders cover a wide variety of issues including the mundane day to day aspects of operating a navy. Many of the orders appear to concern solely English ships and prisoners many thousands of Loyalists served as officers and crew on English ships during the Revolution. These materials flesh out both Sartine's role and that of Naval offices in general.