It is surprising how similar the blade of the cutlass is to the one on the Basket hilt British cavalry sword you posted. Supports the batch theory I guess.
But would the French have sold blades to Britain? Scotland, yes, but the cutlass has the broad arrow indicating government ownership and it seems unlikely that the French would sell arms to the manufacturers of their worst enemy or the Brits buy them.
The two countries were at war for most of the 18th century so perhaps it is more likely that they were manufactured at Solingen or another place using the FDL.
CC.
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