Adams Papers Digital Edition

Papers of John Adams, volume 13

From Arthur Lee

From Nicolaas & Jacob van Staphorst
From Francis Dana, 4 October 1782 Dana, Francis JA

1782-10-04

 From Francis Dana, 4 October 1782 Dana, Francis Adams, John
From Francis Dana
Septr: 23d. 1782 4 October N.S. Dear Sir

Please to forward the enclosed letters three in number, by the earliest different opportunities.1 Do not send either in the same enclosures with any others you have already received from me or shall receive hereafter. If you have the same Cypher sent to you, and you 511have patience to do it, decypher one of them. They contain a matter I have hinted to you long since as presenting a clue to a certain piece of advice given to me wh. I did not follow—You will recollect it at once as you also disapproved of it.2 Your picture not yet come to hand. From your Friend & Humble Servant.

RC (Adams Papers).

1.

These are the original, duplicate, and triplicate of Dana's letter of 20 Sept. 1 Oct. N.S. to Robert R. Livingston that, according to Dana's letterbook, were enciphered and sent with the post of 23 Sept. 4 Oct. N.S.. The letter of 1 Oct. is not in the PCC, and Dana wrote in the margin of the Letterbook copy that “This letter is not to be found on the Files of the Office of Foreign Affairs, among my other letters.” Not mentioned, but also enclosed, were the duplicate and triplicate of Dana's 18/29 Sept. letter to Livingston (MHi: Francis Dana Letterbook, Official Letters, 1781–1782).

 2.

The letter was enciphered because it discussed provisions of a proposed commercial treaty between France and Russia, which Dana took up in considerable detail in his letter of 26 Oct. to JA, below.