At a glanceExternal key matched · partial (96% of the cipher)
- The letter
- Prince Frederick of Orange, in exile in London, to his elder brother the Hereditary Prince: a ciphered note with clear Dutch under it, a clear letter of 7 May 1795, and two pages of cipher written in late May or June 1795.
- Where
- Koninklijk Huisarchief, The Hague, Koning Willem I, inv. XVIII-3; DECODE R2242, listed as a numerical substitution with no decryption.
- The cipher
- Each letter a pair of digits 1–6 written one above the other, with graphic signs for frequent words and names.
- How it was deciphered
- The square recovered from the ciphertext alone for R1892 fits unchanged; the clear Dutch under page 1 confirms it. On 2 October 2026 the two doubtful lines were re-transcribed at full resolution, twelve more word signs were given values from context, and Colenbrander’s Gedenkstukken identified the envoys and ministers named in the text. On 3 October one more pair was corrected on the image and the measure was made stricter (section 04).
- What it says
- The émigré troops are scattered, “geheel verstrooyd en [zonder] hooft”; the ratification of the treaty with France was published before it arrived, from letters of the ministers Meyer and Blauw in Paris, and De Sitter and Van Grasveld are sent to carry it over; England persists in not recognising the new government.
- Still open
- Twenty word signs seen once or twice, with no key sheet and no other occurrence to value them; four more whose values rest on one context each; two tokens under ink blots; and the identity of the “Dankaert” of the postscript.
01 The document and the key
The record has four images. Page 1 holds four cipher lines and the clear text beneath. Page 2 is a clear Dutch letter headed “Den 7 Mey 1795”, beginning “Weest zoo goed en zegt aan mijn Broer dat hij een brief van mij onder couvert van mijn Banquier … ontfangen moet hebben”. It speaks of money drawn on the banker, a bill of exchange, and letters from Hamburg that never came. One word in it is ciphered: 24 43 25 55 15 15 65 = famille. Pages 3 (17 lines) and 4 (8 lines and a postscript) are all cipher.
The key is R1892’s (see that write-up): 11 t, 12 w, 13 ij, 15 l, 21 z, 22 o, 23 k, 24 f, 25 m, 31 d, 32 n, 33 v, 34 h, 35 b, 41 g, 42 u, 43 a, 44 s, 45 p, 51 c, 52 r, 55 i, 65 e; the circle with a dot is de.
02 Page 1, with its clear text
als deezen brief geleesen hebt, dan […] genoomen en gebraaden. Zo het niet verandert, moeten wy niet in de Zee. Als de Erfprins iets begeert, zoo zulks maar weet: ben tot zijn dienst, dood of zoo te leeven, is het zelfde.
“When you have read this letter, [it is] taken and roasted. If it does not change, we must not [go] to sea. If the Hereditary Prince wants anything, let him only know it: I am at his service; dead or alive, it is all the same.” Word signs fixed by this page: >⊙▱ als deezen brief; δ genoomen; H-bar zo/zoo; long S moeten; ⊙Y de Zee; >⊙♁ als de Erfprins; ÷ zoo; ɣ zulks; § maar; v tot; crossed 8 zijn; ʃ zelfde.
03 Pages 3 and 4
Deciphered with the key, after the second pass of 2 October 2026 (one pair corrected on 3 October: saamenhang, not saamendang); [ ] marks a word sign with the value read for it, | a sign not decoded. Spelling as the writer’s.
[De] [brief] braaden. Wat zeid men [van] onse alliansie met [Frankrijk]? Geeft [dat] ook verandering? Men heeft de offeciers en de trouppes [zoo] wel [uit] malkander gelegen, [daar] is [zoo] [weinig] staat op veele der gedimitteerde offeciers te maaken, [dat] men zig [daar] niet veel | [van] | [voor]stellen; ook is er geen de minste saamenhang tussen [dez]elve, zy [zijn] geheel verstrooyd en [zonder] hooft. … [Ik] vreese [dat] de benauwtheid de politiken ook | [dat] verslappen … als men zig [maar] niet [al] te veel openden [dat] het point der coalitie met alle [mogelyk]e |heid behandelt word. Men heeft de ratificatie [van] ons met [Frankrijk] gepubliceert, of schoon de ratificatie zelver nog niet gekoomen was. Het was op | echte [brieven] [uit] Parys [van] onse ministers Meier en Blaauw, en nu zyn nog [naar] [Frankrijk] [als] ambassadeurs gesonden (interlined: [de] Sitter en [van] Grasveld) om de ratificatie van onse | t’ oover te brengen. [Als] [Engeland] [maar] blyft persisteeren [om] het tegenwoordig gouvernement niet te erkennen, dan [zoo] zy geen Robespierismus durven te introduseeren [daar] | zeer veel dispositie | is. Myn respect [daar] het behoort [is] het geheele geselschap nog [daar]. | Hier | omstandig antwoort. Groet myn broer.
P.S. Dankaert is ook [uit]landig | | | al | met hen.
“What do people say about our alliance with France? Does that change anything too? The officers and troops have been so scattered that so little reliance can be placed on many of the dismissed officers that one cannot expect much from them; there is not the least cohesion among them, they are wholly dispersed and without a head … The ratification of ours with France has been published, though the ratification itself had not yet come. It rested on letters from Paris of our ministers Meyer and Blauw, and now De Sitter and Van Grasveld are sent to France as ambassadors to carry over the ratification of ours. If England only persists in not recognising the present government, then they will not dare to introduce Robespierism…”
The date and the names. The ratification is that of the Treaty of The Hague between the Batavian Republic and France (16 May 1795). Colenbrander’s Gedenkstukken (vol. I pp. 655 and 678) names the Dutch negotiators in Paris, Blauw and Meyer, and the extraordinary envoys who carried the ratification, De Sitter and Van Grasveld, received by the Convention on 23 June 1795. Pages 3–4 were therefore written in late May or June 1795, later than the clear letter of 7 May on page 2. The letter itself is not printed in the Gedenkstukken (vols. I–II searched in full text, and the May–July 1795 letters of vol. II pp. 834–841 read).
04 What remains uncertain
Measured with the folder’s scripts over every digit pair and word sign of pages 1, 3 and 4. A token reads as sense when a Dutch model scores its 13-letter window above a threshold calibrated on page 1, or when it lies inside an attested Dutch word of six letters or more. 994 of 1,037 tokens read as sense (95.9%): p. 1 100%, p. 3 95.7%, p. 4 94.5%. By tokens the letter passes the threshold for a complete text (95% of the cipher gives sense). Counted by words on the written-out reading of pages 3–4 (24 October 2026), with the open word signs and doubtful words as holes, it reads at 88.0%: coherent sentences, but under 95%, so the extent is partial. What stays open is single word signs with no key material and two ink blots.
The measure changed on 3 October 2026, and the change should be stated. The 2 October figure (981, 94.6%) counted every value given to a word sign, including those resting on one context. The 3 October measure is stricter in that respect: a value inferred from one context where another word would also fit (grade I) now counts as unread. It is fairer in two others. The writer’s y is scored as ij, since the modern Dutch corpus spells zijn where he writes zyn. A word also passes when it is attested in Dutch of the period, from the project’s Dutch corpus and Colenbrander’s Gedenkstukken for 1789–1798, because the small modern corpus failed plain period spellings such as alliansie, gedimitteerde and persisteeren. Seven values of graphic word signs were upgraded where the sentence admits only one word (below). Applied to the state of 30 September, the new measure gives 90.7%; on the 2 October readings, with no word check, 90.6%. The forced word signs added 26 tokens, scoring y as ij 15 and the word check 13. As a control, letter-shuffled decrypts pass 8.4% of tokens (at most 12.2% over five seeds) with or without the word check, so the word list adds no false passes. Counting the four context-only values as well gives 1,000 of 1,037 (96.4%). The model checks only that the letters read as Dutch, so a wrong word value that is still Dutch passes.
Word signs (H fixed by the clear text of page 1; M several contexts or R1892 agree, or one context that admits only one word; I one context, other words would fit, counted unread):
| Sign | Value | Grade | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| >, H-bar, parallelogram | als, zoo, brief | H | page 1 |
| Λ | dat | M | three contexts here, three in R1892 |
| ∞ | daar | M | four contexts (“[daar] is zoo weinig staat op”) |
| flagged D, inverted D | van | M | “[de] Sitter en [van] Grasveld”, confirmed by Colenbrander |
| check over bar, crossed e, ⊥ | zonder, zijn, om | M | several contexts |
| script L, φ | uit, Frankrijk | M | three contexts each (“[uit] malkander”, “[brieven] [uit] Parys”, “[uit]landig”; alliance, ratification and envoys all “met/naar [Frankrijk]”) |
| <, crossed x, Y with bar, crossed Y, slashed and crossed Λ | naar, al, ik, dez-, dat | M | one context each that admits only one word (“gesonden [naar] Frankrijk”, “niet [al] te veel”, the subject of “[ik] vreese”, “tussen [dez]elve”, a verb-final clause after [dat]), 3 Oct 2026 |
| X, &, +, crossed diamond | weinig, Engeland, mogelyk, voor | I | one context each, 2 Oct 2026; counted unread |
- Open: twenty single-occurrence signs (T-bar, S-stroke, square bracket, H with P, dagger, V-with-cross, C-hook, % twice, crossed o, plain Δ twice, vertical bracket, x mark, Δ with tail, H with loop, ψ, and three in the P.S.), and the four I-grade signs above. None recurs in R1892 with a value, there is no key sheet, and the letter is not in print, so there is no key material to value them; each was retried on 2 and 3 October.
- Two tokens are under ink blots (p. 3 line 12, and the sign after “landig” in the P.S.).
- “Dankaert” in the P.S. is spelled out in the square; who he is was not found.
- “Antwoort” on p. 4 line 8 takes a 1 as the writer’s slip for a 4 (M); two pairs there were corrected on the full-resolution images (a hooked 2, a 4 overwritten by a 5).
Full texts
The transcription and the decryption of every document on this page, so that the reading can be used and checked. Short files are shown here; all are in the repository.
Page 1: cipher with the contemporary clear Dutch written under it
Prince Frederick of Orange to his brother the Hereditary Prince, London, 7 May 1795: when the letter has been read the matter is settled; if it does not change, they need not go to sea; if the Hereditary Prince wants anything he need only say so, the writer is at his service, in death or life.
Transcription
[sign:>] [sign:circle with dot] [sign:parallelogram] 41 65 15 65 65 44 65 32 34 65 35 24? 31 43 32 [sign:δ-like loop] 65 32 41 65 35 52 43 43 31 65 32 [sign:H-bar] 34 65 11 32 55 65 11 33 65 52 43 32 31 65 52 11 [sign:long S] 12 13 32 55 65 11? 55 32 [sign:circle with dot] [sign:Y with cross-stroke] [sign:>] [sign:circle with dot] [sign:circle with cross on top ♁] 55 65 11 44 35 65 41 65 65 52 11 [sign:÷ bar with dots] [sign:ɣ hook with long tail] [sign:§] 12 65 65 11 35 65 32 [sign:v-like] [sign:crossed loop, 8 with bar] 31 55 65 32 44 11 31 22 22 31 22 24 [sign:H-bar] 11 65 15 65 65 33 65 32 55 44 34 65 11 [sign:long slash/ʃ]
Decryption
[als] [de] [brief] geleesenhebfdan [genoomen] engebraaden [zoo] hetnietverandert [moeten] wynietin [de] [zee] [als] [de] [erfprins] ietsbegeert [zoo] [zulks] [maar] weetben [tot] [zijn] dienstdoodof [zoo] teleevenishet [zelfde]
Reading
# R2242 page 1: Prince Frederick of Orange to the Hereditary Prince, [London, 7 May 1795], the reading Written 23 Oct 2026 (Claude Opus 5.5, verification 4) from `../decrypt_p1.txt` (R1892 square key, `../apply.py`) and the contemporary clear Dutch written under the four cipher lines (NOTES, "The pages"; a decipherment at the time or the writer's draft). Every digit word of the decode agrees with the clear text, and the word signs (`[als]`, `[de]`, `[brief]`, `[genoomen]`, `[zoo]`, `[moeten]`, `[zee]`, `[erfprins]`, `[zulks]`, `[maar]`, `[tot]`, `[zijn]`, `[zelfde]`) take their values from it; they are written here as words. Word division and punctuation are mine; spelling as the figures give it, except *hebt*, where the pairs give *hebf* and the clear text *hebt*. The clear text has *deezen* where the sign gives *de*, and *is de zaak* before *genoomen*, which has no sign in the cipher and is left out. ## Reading Als de brief geleesen hebt, dan genoomen en gebraaden. Zoo het niet verandert, moeten wy niet in de Zee. Als de Erfprins iets begeert, zoo zulks maar weet: ben tot zijn dienst, dood of zoo te leeven, is het zelfde.
Translation
# R2242 page 1: English Translation of `p1_reading.md` (23 Oct 2026). ## Translation When you have read the letter, then [the matter is] taken and roasted (settled). If it does not change, we need not go to sea. If the Hereditary Prince wants anything, let him just say so: I am at his service; dead or alive, it is all the same.
Page 3 (17 cipher lines), continued on p. 4 read in part
On the Batavian alliance with France: the émigré troops and dismissed officers are scattered, without cohesion or leader; the ratification of the Treaty of The Hague has been published before it arrived, and De Sitter and Van Grasveld are sent to Paris as ambassadors to carry it. WAINUT's proposed values for open signs (not adopted) are listed separately for comparison.
Builds coherent sentences, but under the read bar of 95% of words read as sense (88% here); the holes are marked in the reading.
Transcription
[sign:circle with dot] [sign:parallelogram] 35 52 43 43 31 65 32 12 43 11 21? 65 55 31 25 65 32 [sign:flagged D] 22 32 44 65 43 15 15 55 43 32 44 55 65 25 65 11 [sign:phi/circle with stroke] 41 65 65 24 11 [sign:Lambda/angle] 22 22 23 33 65 52 43 32 31 65 52 55 32 41 25 65 32 34 65 65 24 11 [sign:circle with dot] 22 24 24 65 51 55? 65? 52 44? (cramped at the margin, re-read 2 Oct: written 45 6/3 52 ?4, read offeciers) 65 32 [sign:circle with dot] 11 52 22 42 45 45 65 44 [sign:H-bar] 12 65 15 [sign:script L] 25 43 15 23 43 32 31 65 52 41 65 15 65 41 65? 32 [sign:infinity] 55 44 [sign:H-bar] [sign:X/cross] 44 11 43 43 11 22 45 33 65 65 15 65 31 65 52 41 65 31 55 25 55 11 11 65 65 52 31 65 22 24 24 65 51 55? 65 52 44? 11 65 25 43 43 23 65 32 [sign:Lambda/angle] 25 65 32 21 55 41? [sign:infinity] 32 55 65 11 33 65 65 15 [sign:T with bar/crossed T] [sign:flagged D] [sign:S with stroke] [sign:crossed diamond] 44 11 65 15 15 65 32 22 22 23 55 44 65 52 41 65 65 32 [sign:circle with dot] 25 55 32 44 11 65 44 43 43 25 65 32 34 43 32 41 11 42 44 44 65 32 [sign:crossed Y/lambda] 65 15 33 65 21 13 [sign:crossed e with stroke] 41 65 34 65 65 15 33 65 52 44 11 52 22 22 13 31 65 32 [sign:check-mark over bar] 34 22 22 24 11 [sign:square bracket] 31 55 65 24 65 32 32 43 (last 8 tokens underlined) 11 42 42? 52 15 13 23 21 22 42 31 65 [sign:H with P] 65 32 [sign:Lambda/angle] 21 55 41? [sign:crossed diamond] [sign:dagger/cross] 21 22 42 31 65 32 11 22 22 32 65 32 34 65 35 35? 65 32 (first two 42 written bold, as if corrected) 21 55 41 32 55 65 11 35 52 55 15 15 55 43 32 11? (ink blot on top digit) 41 65 [sign:V with cross below] [sign:Y with crossbar] 33 52 65 65 44 65 [sign:slashed Lambda] [sign:circle with dot] 35 65 32 43? 42 12 11 34 (last 8 tokens have a line drawn through the tops, possibly struck out) 65 55 31 [sign:circle with dot] 45 22 15 55 11 55 23 65 32 22 22 23 [sign:C-hook/open e] [sign:Lambda] 33 65 52 44 15 43 45 45 65 32 [sign:slash with dots, like %] [sign:crossed o] 65 52 [sign:infinity] 25 65 32 (NOTE: between this line and the next, a faint interlinear note in ordinary letters, roughly 'a els a e n o λ', below the words after the Lambda sign) 22 45 [sign:Delta] 33 65 52 11 52 22 42 12 65 32 [sign:vertical stroke/bracket] 43(bottom 3 underlined) 15 44 43 65 32 22 52(22? pair underlined) [sign:> angle] 25 65 32 21 55 41 [sign:section mark §] 32 55 65 11 [sign:crossed x/dagger] 11 65 33 65 65 15 22 45 65 32 31 65 32 [sign:crossed Lambda] 34 65 11 45 22 55 32 11 31 65? (bold overwritten bottom) 52 51 22 43 15 55 11? 55 65 25 65 11 43 15 15 65 [sign:+ cross] 65 [sign:crossed circle above an ink blot] 34 65 55? 31 35 65 34 43 32 31 65 15 11 12 22 52 31 25 65 32 34 65 65 24 11 (the tokens 34..11 of 'heeft' underlined) [sign:circle with dot] 52 43 11 55 24 55 51 43 11 55 65 [sign:flagged D] 22 32 44 25 65 11 [sign:phi/circle with vertical stroke] 41 65 45 42 35 15 55 51 65 65 52 11 22 24 44 51 34 22 22 32 [sign:circle with dot] 52 43 11 55 24 55 51 43 11 55 65 21 65 15 33 65? (bold bottom) 52 32 22 41 32 55 65 11 41 65 23 22 22 25 65 32 12 43 44 34 65 11 12 43 44 22 45 [sign:x mark] 65 51? 34? (top half under an ink blot) 11 65 [sign:parallelogram] [sign:script L] 45 43 52 13 44 [sign:flagged D] 22 32 44 65 25? 55 32 55 44 11 65 52 44 25 65 55 65 52 65 32 35 15 43 43 42 12 65 32 32 42 21 13 32 32 22 41 [sign:< angle] [sign:phi/circle with vertical stroke] [sign:> angle] 43 25 35 43 44 44 43 31 65 42 52 44 41 65 44 22 32 31 65 32 22 25 [sign:circle with dot] 52 43
Decryption
[de] [brief] braadenwatzeidmen [van] onsealliansiemet [frankrijk] geeft [dat] ookveranderingmenheeft [de] offeciers (cramped at the margin, re-read 2 Oct: written 45 6/3 52 ?4, read offeciers) en [de] trouppes [zoo] wel [uit] malkandergelegen [daar] is [zoo] [weinig] staatopveeledergedimitteerdeoffeciers temaaken [dat] menzig [daar] nietveel <T with bar/crossed T> [van] <S with stroke> [voor] stellen ookisergeen [de] minstesaamenhangtussen [dez] elve zy [zijn] geheelverstrooyden [zonder] hooft <square bracket> diefenna (last 8 tokens underlined) tuurlykzoude <H with P> en [dat] zig [voor] <dagger/cross> zoudentoonenhebben (first two 42 written bold, as if corrected) zignietbrilliant (ink blot on top digit) ge <V with cross below> [ik] vreese [dat] [de] benauwth (last 8 tokens have a line drawn through the tops, possibly struck out) eid [de] politikenook <C-hook/open e> [dat] verslappen <slash with dots, like %> <crossed o> er [daar] men (NOTE: between this line and the next, a faint interlinear note in ordinary letters, roughly 'a els a e n o λ', below the words after the Lambda sign) op <Delta> vertrouwen <vertical stroke/bracket> 43(bottom 3 underlined) lsaeno 52(22? pair underlined) [als] menzig [maar] niet [al] teveel openden [dat] hetpointde (bold overwritten bottom) rcoalitiemetalle [mogelyk] e <crossed circle above an ink blot> heidbehandeltwordmenheeft (the tokens 34..11 of 'heeft' underlined) [de] ratificatie [van] onsmet [frankrijk] gepubliceertofschoon [de] ratificatie zelve (bold bottom) rnognietgekoomenwashetwasop <x mark> ech (top half under an ink blot) te [brief] [uit] parys [van] onseministersmeierenblaauwennu zynnog [naar] [frankrijk] [als] ambassadeursgesondenom [de] ra
Decryption
# Copied verbatim from NOTES.md, section 'Additions from an independent reading (12 Oct 2026, contributed by WAINUT)' (22 Oct 2026): WAINUT's proposed sign values and readings where they differ from or fill the project's reading; proposals, not adopted.
## Additions from an independent reading (12 Oct 2026, contributed by WAINUT)
**Status: proposals, not adopted (review 12 Oct 2026).** The values below are not in `apply.py` or the key and do
not change the Remaining gaps; see the review controls in `../r1892/NOTES.md`.
Who did this work, how, and with what grades and "blind" confidences is set out in `../r1892/NOTES.md`, in the
section of the same name. The square and the readings above are Bourdeau's; WAINUT's independent reading agrees with
them except for the signs below, which are open above or read differently. Lines are those of `transcription_p3.txt`
and `transcription_p4.txt`. The shapes were compared on crops of the full-resolution images.
| sign here | observation | value | grade | contexts | blind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| crossed o (p3 l10) | the same shape as the p1 sign under "zijn" ("ben tot [zijn] dienst"): an α crossed by a slash | zijn | M | "… verslappen. [%] [zijn] er [daar] men op [Δ] vertrouwen" | - |
| dagger (p3 l8) | the same shape as the crossed x = al of p3 l11 | al | M | "dat zig [voor][al] zouden toonen" | 0.55 |
| S in the P.S. (p4 l8) | the same dotted S as § = maar (p1, p3 l11, p4 l2) | maar | M | "[maar] [voor]al [⊖] met hen" | - |
| crossed ø in the P.S. (p4 l8) | the same shape as the crossed diamond of p3 l5 and l8 | voor (as there) | I | "maar [voor]al", with the next pairs 43 15 = al | 0.5 |
| H with P (p3 l8) and H with loop (p4 l8) | one shape, an H with a P-loop, twice | verwacht | I | "die men natuurlyk zoude [verwacht]en, dat zig vooral zouden toonen"; "[verwacht] hier[ψ] omstandig antwoort" | 0.55 |
| ψ (p4 l8) | the same trident as R1892 p2 (line 15 of its transcription) | over | I | "[verwacht] hier[over] omstandig antwoort"; R1892 "voorstellingen die daar[over] gedaan zyn" | - |
| plain Δ (p3 l11, p4 l1) | the same shape occurs once in R1892 p2 (line 6) | kan, also as a syllable | I | "daar men op [kan] vertrouwen"; "de ratificatie van onse [kan]t over te brengen" (Δ is followed by 11 = t); R1892 "[?]en [kan] dezelve zulks op de volgende wyze". The 2 Oct candidates "Staaten" and "zyde" each fit one place | - |
Considered and not proposed: V with cross below (p3 l9), "ge[dragen]" (blind 0.55), where "getoond" fits as well;
C-hook (p3 l10), "zal" (0.4). The T-bar reading "goeds" agrees with the note above. R1892's H/I sign, read there as
Engeland (I), is not the & read here as Engeland (I); if both values hold the key has two signs for England, so one of
them is probably wrong.
Not measured here. The R1892 control shows that `measure_sense.py` would count these values as sense whether or not
they are right. The case for them is the shape match and the contexts.Reading
# R2242 pp. 3-4, Prince Frederick of Orange to the Hereditary Prince, 1795: the reading
Written 23 Oct 2026 (verification 3) from the decrypts `decrypt_p3.txt` and `decrypt_p4.txt` (R1892 square key,
`apply.py`, transcription state of 3 Oct 2026) and the reading in NOTES.md ("What the cipher says"), divided into
words. Spelling is the writer's (y for ij, *persisteern*, *offeciers*). Word signs with an H or M value are written as
words; the four I-grade values (X *weinig*, & *Engeland*, + *mogelyk*, crossed diamond *voor*) are `[?word]`; `[…]` is
a sign with no value or under an ink blot. No contemporary decipherment of pp. 3-4 is known (p. 1 has the clear
Dutch under the cipher); the letter is not in Colenbrander's *Gedenkstukken*. WAINUT's proposals for the open signs
(`wainut_proposals.md`) are not used. Page 3 runs to *om de ra-*, page 4 begins *-tificatie*.
## Reading
De brief braaden. Wat zeid men van onse alliansie met Frankrijk? Geeft dat ook verandering? Men heeft de offeciers
en de trouppes zoo wel uit malkander gelegen, daar is zoo [?weinig] staat op veele der gedimitteerde offeciers te
maaken, dat men zig daar niet veel […] van […] [?voor]stellen; ook is er geen de minste saamenhang tussen dezelve, zy
zijn geheel verstrooyd en zonder hooft.
[…] die […] natuurlyk zoude […] en dat zig [?voor] […] zouden toonen hebben, zig niet brilliant ge[…]. Ik vreese
dat de benauwtheid de politiken ook […] dat verslappen […] […] er daar men op […] vertrouwen […] als aen o[…], als
men zig maar niet al te veel openden dat het point der coalitie met alle [?mogelyk]e […] heid behandelt word.
Men heeft de ratificatie van ons met Frankrijk gepubliceert, ofschoon de ratificatie zelve nog niet gekoomen was.
Het was op […] echte brief uit Parys van onse ministers Meier en Blaauw, en nu zyn nog naar Frankrijk als
ambassadeurs gesonden de Sitter en van Grasveld om de ratificatie van onse […] t'oover te brengen.
Als [?Engeland] maar blyft persisteern om het tegenwoordig gouvernement niet te erkennen, dan zoo zy geen
Robespierismus durven te introduseeren, daar […] zeer veel dispositie […] is. Myn respect daar het behoort; is het
geheele geselschap nog daar? […] hier […] omstandig antwoort. Groet myn broer.
P.S. Dankaert is ook uitlandig […] […] […] al […] met hen.Translation
<!-- English translation of texts/p3_p4_reading.md (Claude Opus 5.5, 23 Oct 2026), the reading of the project's decrypts of pp. 3-4 (decrypt_p3.txt, decrypt_p4.txt; R1892 square key). Same holes: […] = sign with no value or under a blot; [?word] = I-grade word sign. Page 3 runs to "the ra-", page 4 begins "-tification". --> # R2242 pp. 3-4, Prince Frederick of Orange to the Hereditary Prince, 1795: English translation The letter [?braaden]. What do people say of our alliance with France? Does that make any change either? The officers and the troops have been so thoroughly separated from each other, and so [?little] reliance is to be placed on many of the dismissed officers, that one cannot […] much […] of […] [?imagine] there; nor is there the least cohesion among them; they are entirely scattered and without a head. […] who […] naturally would […] and that would have shown themselves [?for] […], did not […] themselves brilliantly. I fear that the distress […] the politicians too […] that slackening […] […] there where one […] trusts […] as to o[…], if only one did not open oneself too much, that the point of the coalition is handled with all [?possible] […]ness. The ratification of ours with France has been published, although the ratification itself had not yet come. It was on […] genuine letter from Paris from our ministers Meier and Blaauw, and now De Sitter and Van Grasveld have also been sent to France as ambassadors to carry over the ratification of our […]. If only [?England] goes on persisting in not recognising the present government, then they will not dare to introduce Robespierrism, for which there is a very great disposition […]. My respects where they are due; is the whole company still there? […] here […] detailed answer. Greet my brother. P.S. Dankaert is also abroad […] […] […] already […] with them.
Page 4 (8 cipher lines and P.S.) read in part
If England persists in not recognising the present government, they will not dare introduce Robespierrism, for which there is much disposition; respects to the whole company; a detailed answer is awaited; greetings to his brother. P.S.: Dankaert is also abroad.
Builds coherent sentences, but under the read bar of 95% of words read as sense (88% here); the holes are marked in the reading.
Transcription
(interlinear above line 1, after "brengen"?) 44 55 11 11 65 52 65 32 [sign:inverted triangle with stroke] 41 52 43 44 33 65 15 31 11 55 24 55 51 43 11 55 65 33 43 32 22 32 44 65 [sign:Δ] 11 22 22 33 65 52 11 65 35 52 65 32 41 65 32 [sign:>] [sign:&] [sign:§] 35 15 13 24 11 45 65 52 44 55 44 11 65 65 52 32 [sign:⊥ inverted T] 34 65 11 11 65 41? 65 32 12 22 22 52 31 55 41 41? 22 42 33 65 52 32 65 25 65 32 11 32 55 65 11 11 65 65 52 23 65 32 32 65 32 31 43 32 [sign:H-bar] 21 13 41 65 65 32 52 22 35 65 44 45 55 65 52 55 44 25 42 44 31 42 52 33 65 32 11 65 55 32 11 52 22 31 42 44 65 65 52 65 32 [sign:∞] [sign:%] 21 65 65 52 33 65 65 15 31 55 44 45 22 44 55 11 55 65 [sign:Δ with tail] 55 44 25 13 32 52 65 44 45 65 51 11 [sign:∞] 34 65 11 35 65 34 22 22 52 11 55 44 34 65 11 41 65 34 65 65 15 65 41 65 44 65 15 44 51 34 43 45 32 22 41 [sign:∞] [sign:H with loop] 34 55 65 52 [sign:ψ-like] 22 25 44 11 43 32 31 55 41 13 32 11 12 22 22 52 11 41 52 22 65 11 25 13 32 35 52 22 65 52 [P.S.] 31 43? 32 23 43 65 52 11 55 44 22 22 23? [sign:looped L/script ℒ] 15 43 32 31 55 41 [sign:ink blot, illegible] [sign:S] [sign:crossed ø] 43 15 [sign:circle with horizontal bar ⊖] 25 65 11 34 65 32 .
Decryption
(interlinear above line 1, after "brengen"?) sitteren [van] grasveld tificatievanonse <Δ> toovertebrengen [als] [engeland] [maar] blyftpersisteern [om] hettegenwoordiggou vernementnietteerkennendan [zoo] zygeenro bespierismusdurventeintroduseeren [daar] <%> zeerveeldispositie <Δ with tail> ismynrespect [daar] het behoortishetgeheelegeselschapnog [daar] <H with loop> hier <ψ-like> omstandigyntwoortgroetmynbroer [P.S.] dankaertisook [uit] landig <ink blot, illegible> <S> <crossed ø> al <circle with horizontal bar ⊖> methen .
Decryption
# Copied verbatim from NOTES.md, section 'Additions from an independent reading (12 Oct 2026, contributed by WAINUT)' (22 Oct 2026): WAINUT's proposed sign values and readings where they differ from or fill the project's reading; proposals, not adopted.
## Additions from an independent reading (12 Oct 2026, contributed by WAINUT)
**Status: proposals, not adopted (review 12 Oct 2026).** The values below are not in `apply.py` or the key and do
not change the Remaining gaps; see the review controls in `../r1892/NOTES.md`.
Who did this work, how, and with what grades and "blind" confidences is set out in `../r1892/NOTES.md`, in the
section of the same name. The square and the readings above are Bourdeau's; WAINUT's independent reading agrees with
them except for the signs below, which are open above or read differently. Lines are those of `transcription_p3.txt`
and `transcription_p4.txt`. The shapes were compared on crops of the full-resolution images.
| sign here | observation | value | grade | contexts | blind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| crossed o (p3 l10) | the same shape as the p1 sign under "zijn" ("ben tot [zijn] dienst"): an α crossed by a slash | zijn | M | "… verslappen. [%] [zijn] er [daar] men op [Δ] vertrouwen" | - |
| dagger (p3 l8) | the same shape as the crossed x = al of p3 l11 | al | M | "dat zig [voor][al] zouden toonen" | 0.55 |
| S in the P.S. (p4 l8) | the same dotted S as § = maar (p1, p3 l11, p4 l2) | maar | M | "[maar] [voor]al [⊖] met hen" | - |
| crossed ø in the P.S. (p4 l8) | the same shape as the crossed diamond of p3 l5 and l8 | voor (as there) | I | "maar [voor]al", with the next pairs 43 15 = al | 0.5 |
| H with P (p3 l8) and H with loop (p4 l8) | one shape, an H with a P-loop, twice | verwacht | I | "die men natuurlyk zoude [verwacht]en, dat zig vooral zouden toonen"; "[verwacht] hier[ψ] omstandig antwoort" | 0.55 |
| ψ (p4 l8) | the same trident as R1892 p2 (line 15 of its transcription) | over | I | "[verwacht] hier[over] omstandig antwoort"; R1892 "voorstellingen die daar[over] gedaan zyn" | - |
| plain Δ (p3 l11, p4 l1) | the same shape occurs once in R1892 p2 (line 6) | kan, also as a syllable | I | "daar men op [kan] vertrouwen"; "de ratificatie van onse [kan]t over te brengen" (Δ is followed by 11 = t); R1892 "[?]en [kan] dezelve zulks op de volgende wyze". The 2 Oct candidates "Staaten" and "zyde" each fit one place | - |
Considered and not proposed: V with cross below (p3 l9), "ge[dragen]" (blind 0.55), where "getoond" fits as well;
C-hook (p3 l10), "zal" (0.4). The T-bar reading "goeds" agrees with the note above. R1892's H/I sign, read there as
Engeland (I), is not the & read here as Engeland (I); if both values hold the key has two signs for England, so one of
them is probably wrong.
Not measured here. The R1892 control shows that `measure_sense.py` would count these values as sense whether or not
they are right. The case for them is the shape match and the contexts.Reading
# R2242 pp. 3-4, Prince Frederick of Orange to the Hereditary Prince, 1795: the reading
Written 23 Oct 2026 (verification 3) from the decrypts `decrypt_p3.txt` and `decrypt_p4.txt` (R1892 square key,
`apply.py`, transcription state of 3 Oct 2026) and the reading in NOTES.md ("What the cipher says"), divided into
words. Spelling is the writer's (y for ij, *persisteern*, *offeciers*). Word signs with an H or M value are written as
words; the four I-grade values (X *weinig*, & *Engeland*, + *mogelyk*, crossed diamond *voor*) are `[?word]`; `[…]` is
a sign with no value or under an ink blot. No contemporary decipherment of pp. 3-4 is known (p. 1 has the clear
Dutch under the cipher); the letter is not in Colenbrander's *Gedenkstukken*. WAINUT's proposals for the open signs
(`wainut_proposals.md`) are not used. Page 3 runs to *om de ra-*, page 4 begins *-tificatie*.
## Reading
De brief braaden. Wat zeid men van onse alliansie met Frankrijk? Geeft dat ook verandering? Men heeft de offeciers
en de trouppes zoo wel uit malkander gelegen, daar is zoo [?weinig] staat op veele der gedimitteerde offeciers te
maaken, dat men zig daar niet veel […] van […] [?voor]stellen; ook is er geen de minste saamenhang tussen dezelve, zy
zijn geheel verstrooyd en zonder hooft.
[…] die […] natuurlyk zoude […] en dat zig [?voor] […] zouden toonen hebben, zig niet brilliant ge[…]. Ik vreese
dat de benauwtheid de politiken ook […] dat verslappen […] […] er daar men op […] vertrouwen […] als aen o[…], als
men zig maar niet al te veel openden dat het point der coalitie met alle [?mogelyk]e […] heid behandelt word.
Men heeft de ratificatie van ons met Frankrijk gepubliceert, ofschoon de ratificatie zelve nog niet gekoomen was.
Het was op […] echte brief uit Parys van onse ministers Meier en Blaauw, en nu zyn nog naar Frankrijk als
ambassadeurs gesonden de Sitter en van Grasveld om de ratificatie van onse […] t'oover te brengen.
Als [?Engeland] maar blyft persisteern om het tegenwoordig gouvernement niet te erkennen, dan zoo zy geen
Robespierismus durven te introduseeren, daar […] zeer veel dispositie […] is. Myn respect daar het behoort; is het
geheele geselschap nog daar? […] hier […] omstandig antwoort. Groet myn broer.
P.S. Dankaert is ook uitlandig […] […] […] al […] met hen.Translation
<!-- English translation of texts/p3_p4_reading.md (Claude Opus 5.5, 23 Oct 2026), the reading of the project's decrypts of pp. 3-4 (decrypt_p3.txt, decrypt_p4.txt; R1892 square key). Same holes: […] = sign with no value or under a blot; [?word] = I-grade word sign. Page 3 runs to "the ra-", page 4 begins "-tification". --> # R2242 pp. 3-4, Prince Frederick of Orange to the Hereditary Prince, 1795: English translation The letter [?braaden]. What do people say of our alliance with France? Does that make any change either? The officers and the troops have been so thoroughly separated from each other, and so [?little] reliance is to be placed on many of the dismissed officers, that one cannot […] much […] of […] [?imagine] there; nor is there the least cohesion among them; they are entirely scattered and without a head. […] who […] naturally would […] and that would have shown themselves [?for] […], did not […] themselves brilliantly. I fear that the distress […] the politicians too […] that slackening […] […] there where one […] trusts […] as to o[…], if only one did not open oneself too much, that the point of the coalition is handled with all [?possible] […]ness. The ratification of ours with France has been published, although the ratification itself had not yet come. It was on […] genuine letter from Paris from our ministers Meier and Blaauw, and now De Sitter and Van Grasveld have also been sent to France as ambassadors to carry over the ratification of our […]. If only [?England] goes on persisting in not recognising the present government, then they will not dare to introduce Robespierrism, for which there is a very great disposition […]. My respects where they are due; is the whole company still there? […] here […] detailed answer. Greet my brother. P.S. Dankaert is also abroad […] […] […] already […] with them.
Key: key_square.md, key_word_signs.md
05 Sources
- DECODE R2242, images I15891–I15894 (login); Koninklijk Huisarchief, The Hague, Koning Willem I, inv. XVIII-3.
- The key: DECODE R1892, key recovered from the ciphertext alone in this project (write-up).
- H. T. Colenbrander, Gedenkstukken der algemeene geschiedenis van Nederland van 1795 tot 1840, vols. I–II (1905–06), full text at resources.huygens.knaw.nl: vol. I pp. 655, 678 (the envoys De Sitter and Van Grasveld, the ministers Blauw and Meyer); vol. II pp. 834–841 (letters of May–July 1795; this one is not among them).
Transcriptions, decrypts and notes: targets/r2242/ in the repository.