Papers of John Adams, volume 6
1778-07-09
Here inclos'd I have the honour to return you the letter you trusted me so obligingly.1
I'm in great impatience to get a printed copy of the Treaties. If you find it in the papers receiv'd by way of Brest, be So good as to Send it me, along with the other news you'll think fit for publication. My Number 48 is ready, and I expect only the Treaties and such news as you are pleas'd to see publish'd.2
Not identified.
The Affaires de l'Angleterre et de l'Amérique (“Lettres,” vol. 12, cahier 48, p. ii–xvi) contained the official American proclamation of the conclusion and ratification of the Treaties of Amity and Commerce and Alliance adopted by the congress on 6 May. The news soon appeared in American and English newspapers (
JCC
, 11:468–469; Boston Gazette, 25 May; London Chronicle, 4–7 July). The proclamation and the articles of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce that appeared with it—6, 7, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 25, 26, 27, 29—and the attached passports and letters were translated into French directly from either the proclamation itself or a newspaper source, because the text of the articles in Affaires differs from the official French text of the treaty (Miller, ed., Treaties
, 2:7–8, 12–16, 17–18, 20–24, 25, 28–29). JA apparently had some questions as to the propriety of printing articles from the treaty before the official exchange of ratifications had taken place, and it was probably for that reason that an unofficial source for the text of the articles was used. Extracts from various letters concerning American affairs, including James Lovell to JA, 29 April, and William MacCreery to JA, 4 July (both above), and JA to Genet, 12 July (below), also appeared in Affaires (“Lettres,” vol. 12, cahier 48, p. xxxvi–xxvii, xiv–xv, xlix–li).