Editing Fourth Anglo-Dutch War (section)

===Declaration of war===
The British government saw the danger of this move (it might embroil Great Britain in war with [[Russian Empire|Russia]] and the Nordic powers [[Gustavian era|Sweden]] and [[Denmark–Norway]] also), so declared war on the republic shortly after it announced its intentions in December 1780.<ref>{{Harvnb|Edler|2001|pp=163–166}}</ref>
To forestall Russia from coming to the aid of the Dutch (something Empress [[Catherine II of Russia]] was not keen on, either), the British government cited a number of grievances that were ostensibly unrelated to the Dutch accession to the league. One of these was the shelter the Dutch had (reluctantly) given to the American privateer [[John Paul Jones]] in 1779.<ref>{{Harvnb|Edler|2001|pp=62–69}}</ref> More importantly, much was made of a draft treaty of commerce, secretly negotiated between the Amsterdam banker [[Jean de Neufville]] and the American agent in [[Aix-la-Chapelle]], [[William Lee (diplomat)|William Lee]], with the connivance of the Amsterdam [[pensionary]] [[Engelbert François van Berckel|Van Berckel]], and found among the effects of [[Henry Laurens]], an American diplomat who had been apprehended by the British cruiser [[HMS Vestal (1779)|HMS ''Vestal'']] in September 1780, on the high seas. He had been sent by the [[Continental Congress]] to establish diplomatic relations with the Dutch Republic. The draft treaty was cited as proof by the British of the non-neutral conduct of the Dutch.<ref>{{Harvnb|Edler|2001|pp=88–91, 151–152, 164}}</ref>