Diary of John Adams, volume 3

120 Tuesday May 6. JA

1783-05-06

Tuesday May 6. Adams, John
Tuesday May 6.

Dined at Mr. Jays. Lt. General Mellville, who is here to solicit for the Inhabitants of Tobago, the Continuance of their Assembly and Tryals by Jury, was there.

Wednesday May 7. JA

1783-05-07

Wednesday May 7. Adams, John
Wednesday May 7.

Dined at Mr. Caluns Calonne's.

Thursday May 8. JA

1783-05-08

Thursday May 8. Adams, John
Thursday May 8.

The Duke de la Vauguion and Mr. Hartley, Mr. Laurens and Jay, Mr. Barclay1 and Ridley, dined with me.

1.

Thomas Barclay (1728–1793), a Philadelphia merchant, had been elected by Congress United States consul in France, 5 Oct. 1781; on 2 Jan. 1783 he was named consul general. He had business interests at Lorient, but JA first encountered him in Amsterdam, and before long Barclay rented a large house in semirural Auteuil on the outskirts of Paris. Here JA was to be his guest during a period of illness in the fall of 1783, and afterward JA rented the house for the use of himself and family. In 1782 Barclay was given a commission to settle the accounts of all American ministers and agents in Europe; from 1785 he served as United States agent in protracted and futile negotiations with Morocco. See JCC , 21:1036; 23:730; 24:3; Barclay's letters in PCC, Nos. 91, 118; JA-Barclay correspondence in Adams Papers; Jefferson, Papers, ed. Boyd, vols. 7–12, passim; VMHB , 8:19, 21 (July 1900); scattered references in PMHB , Diary entries of 14 Sept., 7 Oct. 1783, 17 Aug. 1784, below.

Fryday May 9. JA

1783-05-09

Fryday May 9. Adams, John
Fryday May 9.

Dined with Mr. Laurens, with a large Company. The M. de la Fayette shewed me, the Beginning of an Attack upon the Chancellor &c. &c.

Saturday. May. 10. JA

1783-05-10

Saturday. May. 10. Adams, John
Saturday. May. 10.

Dined with the M. de la Fayette, with a large American Company.

Monday May. 19. JA

1783-05-19

Monday May. 19. Adams, John
Monday May. 19.

The American Ministers met Mr. Hartley at my House, and he shewed Us his Commission and We shewed him ours. His Commission is very magnificent, the Great Seal in a Silver Box with the Kings Arms engraven on it, with two large gold Tassells &c. as usual.1

In the margin: The Commissions of the Comtes de Vergennes and D'Aranda, on the 20. of January, were plainer than ours, and upon Paper. The French reserve their Silver Boxes to the Exchange of Ratifications.

121

Dined with Mr. Laurens and Mr. Jay at Mr. Hartleys, Hotel de York.

We are to meet of Evenings at 6 O Clock, De Die, in Diem, at my House.

Mr. Hartley informed Us to day that the Kings Council had not agreed to our Proposition, of putting Britons upon the Footing of Americans in all American Ports, Rivers &c. and Americans on the Footing of Britons in all British Ports, Rivers &c. He says he is very sorry for this because he thinks it just and politick And that he shall ever be in Parliament for bringing Things to that point.

1.

Hartley's full power under the Great Seal, as required by the American Commissioners (see 27 April, above), was dated 14 May 1783; of the several copies in the Adams Papers, one forms a part of JA's Diary record for 22 May, below.