Washington appointed Willam Short as Minister Resident to the Netherlands in January 1792. He stayed till December. The letter is addressed to the Stadtholder, he fled Holland in 1795 because of the revolution. The Netherlands was the second nation to recognise the United States in 1782, although the Dutch Island of St. Eustatius had recognised it in 1776 (without support of the Dutch government). William Short was the fourth representative of the USA in the Netherlands.