Diary of John Adams, volume 2
1778-05-18
Dined at Mr. La Frété's Country Seat, at the Foot of Mount Calvare. The House, Gardens, and Walks are very spacious. It lies upon the Seine—nearly opposite to that Castle whimsically called Madrid, built 313by Francis I.1—The Company Yesterday, were all single Personnes, except Mr. and Mm. La Frété and myself.
Mont Calvaire, also called Mont Valérien, rises above the village of Suresnes, west of the Seine and across from the Bois de Boulogne. For a contemporary view of Mont Calvaire see Jefferson, Papers, ed. Boyd, 12: facing p. 482, with descriptive information and references in same, p. xxxv–xxxvi. Francis I's Madrid is described in Dezallier,
Environs de Paris, 1779, p. 21–22. See also JA's Autobiography under this date.