Papers of John Adams, volume 6
1778-04-14
Beg leave to Congratulate you on your Safe Arrival to Paris and on the Satisfactory Reception you must have met-with at our Court. I hope you Enjoy good health Such as I Sincerely wish you and your Dear Chield my particullar Attachment for you and to all the Noble Heads of your Cawse is Inexplicable, Shall 32Never Cease my Vows to the Lord for the Preservation of your Healths and the Success of the United States Arms. God Send us all Peace and Tranquillity. I remain with the most Respectfull Sentiments, sir Your Assured & most Devowed huml Servant
P.S. Mr. John Bonfield and two houses More are doing all they Can to depraive me of American Buisness down here, no Man Certainly is fitter for it or Can be a more faithfull Wellwisher of their Cawse than the Writer, (but who is he that has not his troubles) however I have hitherto transacted all what has offer'd and hope that my Principles and Abillitys will Spake for it Self. Some take Great Peans to make me Out an English man others an Irish man, the fact is that I am a french man from Generation to Generation my Rank here is as a Magistrat of this town Voted by a patent of his Magesty Louis the 15th. dated 16. October 1773. &c. Beg leave to present you the Above for Your Government. Captain Tucker is for Employing me Comming Down. Mr. Bonfield to the Contrary is Using all means possible he should not,1 one word from you to Captain Tucker would Settle it.2
That is, Bondfield is endeavoring to see that Tucker does not employ Champagne, a ship broker. Comma editorially supplied. JA met Champagne on 1 April when he came aboard the Boston, which on its arrival in French waters had notified the castle at Blaye, a town a short distance northeast of Bordeaux on the Gironde (JA, Diary and Autobiography
, 2:293; 4:34).
Apparently JA took no action on this letter, but Champagne wrote again on 2 May (below).
1778-04-14
Cadiz, 14 April 1778. RC (PPAmP: Franklin Papers). This letter, addressed to Franklin, Deane, and Lee, was docketed by JA: “Memoire Mr. Daudibert Caille. to be sent to the Emperor of Morocco.” D'Audibert Caille proposed that he be authorized to conclude an agreement with the Emperor of Morocco “aux mêmes conditions que plusieurs autres Puissances l'ont faitte avec ce Souverain” to protect American ships and seamen while also promoting trade.
D'Audibert Caille was appointed consul for foreign nations by the Emperor in 1778 and, ca. 1785, William Carmichael apparently empowered him to act as American correspondent in Morocco (John Jay to the president 33 of the congress, 30 Nov. 1780, and enclosures, Wharton, ed., Dipl. Corr. Amer. Rev.
, 4:169–174; d'Audibert Caille to Benjamin Franklin, 6 July 1784; and to William Carmichael, ca. 1785,
Cal. Franklin Papers, A.P.S.
, 3:201;4:327).
Although there is no evidence that any action was taken on this letter, relations with the states of North Africa were important in regard to American Mediterranean trade and had been dealt with in both the Treaty Plan of 1776 and the Franco-American Treaty of Amity and Commerce of 1778. It was not, however, until ratifications of the Franco-American treaties were formally exchanged on 17 July that the Commissioners concerned themselves with the question. Then they invoked Article 8 of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce, which required the King of France to use his good offices with the Emperor of Morocco and other North African rulers. Not until 1786 did the United States negotiate a treaty with Morocco (vol. 4:292; Miller, ed., Treaties
, 2:8–9, 185–227; Ralph Izard to the Commissioners, 25 Aug.; the Commissioners to Izard, 25 Aug.; and the Commissioners to Vergennes, 28 Aug., all below).