Papers of John Adams, volume 13
1782-07-09
I take apon My Self to troble you With a few lines to in form you that for the Better Suply of My Self one of My Countraman have let Me have this ticket paying him at philladelfa. I larder in form you that I apply to the loneoffice Who the gentelmen Lookt upon it to good But they wish to hear your apinnion upon it and honnerbell Sr. as we have not Sailed I have Sent you the ticket in Cloused in this Letter and i hope that your honner Will troble your Self to gave Me ansar with the Same in Cloused and Derick it to the Crown and I hope your honner will let Me No Whether it be good or not and likewise What you Will alow Me to Recive for it. If your honner alowes any thing for it pleas to Send Me order in Cloused with the ticket, Pleas to Send Me ansar first porst as I Expect to Sail in a Day or two. So No More at present.2
My Complements to your honner
William Allcock of New Bern, N.C., had been a crewman on the brig Friends out of Edenton, N.C., which was captured in March by a St. Lucia privateer. His captors put Allcock on a Danish brig that carried him to Calais. There he obtained four guineas and set out for Paris. On 6 May, out of money at Amiens, Allcock wrote Benjamin Franklin to request additional funds and received 336 livres (Franklin, Papers
, 37:5, 272–273). He likely then set out for the Netherlands in search of a ship to carry him home and at some point requested JA's assistance, for following the postscript to JA's letter of 9 June to Robert Livingston (above, descriptive note) is a note indicating that on 11 June he supplied Allcock with eight ducats.
Regarding the “ticket” that Allcock enclosed with his letter, JA replied on 10 July that he knew nothing of it, had no authority to do anything about it, and could give him nothing for it (LbC, Adams Papers). For JA's further dealings with Allcock, see John Loveney's letter of