[ Autographs ] REVOLUTIONARY WAR FRENCH NAVAL REPORT An important manuscript document, 3pp. legal folio, [France, 1777], a very detailed official listing of the strength of the French Navy as of November 1, 1777 listing about seventy warships by name, the number ofcannon carried by each, and their station and disposition at the time.On the second page the list continues with corvettes and lesser vessels listed in a similar manner, with a recapitulation at bottom. On the facing page is a complete listing of the vessels in the SpanishNavy as of December 4, 1777, with a similar recapitulation at bottom. Undoubtedly this extensive listing was undertaken for military purposes, and originated in the papers of Pierre Augustin de Beaumarchais, (1732 - 1799) French author, watchmaker and merchant whospearheaded early French covert efforts to supply the Continental Armybefore France entered the war in 1778. Many of the vessels listed would later be under the command of the Comte d'Estaing when he sailedfor America the following April. Certainly worthy of further research!Very good condition.