 At the end of 1665, Henri Buat a Frenchman with connections to the House of Orange became involved in unofficial correspondence with Sir Gabriel Sylvius, who was acting on behalf of Lord Arlington, a minister of Charles II.Their correspondence was a means for the Dutch and English governments to explore possibilities of peace without commitment.At an early stage, Buat made the Grand Pensionary Johan de Witt fully aware of this correspondence, and Buat added material provided by de Witt to his letter, including possible peace terms, although de Witt was unsure whether Charles was genuinely seeking peace.