Diary of John Quincy Adams, volume 1
1785-05-09
Walk'd into Paris in the morning, to the Marquis de la Fayette's; to go with him to Mr. Jefferson's upon the subject, of the Importation of our whale oil, into this Country.1 I was told the Marquis was gone out of Town, on horseback. Call'd upon Mr. Williamos and from thence went to Mr. Jefferson's, where I waited till past noon for the Marquis, but, as he did not come then, I walk'd back again to Auteuil: was very much fatigued as it was exceeding warm. All the family, but myself dined at the Marquis's, and did not return till late in the evening.
Lafayette had lent his diplomatic and political skills to help gain for Boston and New
England merchants engaged in the whale oil trade an important French market after they had
lost their largest customer, Great Britain, as a result of the war. He negotiated an
arrangement with M. Tourtille Sangrain, who had a contract to light the streets of Paris,
to buy about a thousand tons of oil from American merchants. Returning to America,
JQA carried with him Sangrain's proposals, copies of government passports,
samples of oil, and letters from Lafayette to Jeremiah Wadsworth of Hartford and Samuel
Breck of Boston (Louis Gottschalk, Lafayette,
'4:116–117, 165–167; Lafayette to
JQA, 14 May, Adams Papers).