Papers of John Adams, volume 14
y.1783.
None of yoúr Excellency's favours to answer Since our Last of 2 Janny.1 whereby we acquainted yoúr Excellency the Compleating of the £[₶]400/M Desired by Mr: Grand at Paris. the drafts we paid of Boƒ2200.— accepted by yoúr Excellency. and the distribútion of Obligations during the month of December. amounting to a Sum of ƒ24000.—.
Having Since wrote to his Excellency Robert Morris Esqr. we advised him that in the Course of the month of Jany. we distributed again Several Obligations amounting to ƒ18000.—.
We also receiv'd a Letter of his Excellency of 27th. noṽ wherein he acquaints ús of Several drafts Done on ús for the amount of Fifty Thousand Seven hundred and Six Current florins.2 which Shall all be duely paid. being 8. thereof presented and accepted before we received his Excellency's advice.
Messs. John de Neufville & Son have deliverd us a note of 7 Coupons paid by them for yoúr Excellen. account as.
| N | 95 | } | Each of ƒ25.—.— due 1st Septr.1782. am t. . . . . to |
ƒ175.— |
| 96 | ||||
| 98 | ||||
| 99 | ||||
| 167 | ||||
| 169 | ||||
| 170 | ||||
| for Several postage of Letters | “ 4.10— | |||
| together ƒ179.10— |
bút as we have no order of yoúr Excellency to pay this. we Shall be very glad to receive it as Likewise yoúr further approbation on any other demands these Gentlemen might do on ús3
We have the Honoúr to remain with a perfect Consideration / Sir / Yoúr Excellys. most obedt. / most humb Servants.
s.& Jacob van Staphorst.
RC (Adams Papers); internal address: “To his Excelly. John Adams Esqr. / at Paris.”
Not found, but see the consortium's letter of 9 Jan, above, which concerns many of the matters attributed to the 2 Jan. letter.
Morris, Papers
, 7:124.
These coupons were the legacy of JA's unsuccessful 1781 effort to raise a loan through Jean de Neufville & Fils.
The Bearer of this, Dr. John Wheelock, is President of an Institution in America, which is founded upon good Principles and deserves Encouragement. If you will give him Leave he will explain to you his Errand to Europe, and if you think there is any Prospect of his Success, I should be obliged to you for any Advice you may give him.2
I am impatient to get back to Holland where I hope to have the pleasure of a little more Conversation upon the Times. remember me most respectfully and affectionately to our Friend in Overyssel, the Baron de Poll.
With much Esteem & Respect, / Your most obedient servant
RC (PHi:John Adams Letters); internal address: “Mr Van der Kemp.” LbC (Adams Papers); APM Reel 108.
For François Adriaan Van der Kemp, Mennonite minister, fervent Dutch patriot, and JA's longtime friend and correspondent, see JA, D&A
, 2:456.
For John Wheelock's mission to Europe to raise money and obtain materials for Dartmouth College, see the Sept. 1782 letter from the college's trustees (vol. 13:488–489). On 18 Feb., in addition to this letter to Van der Kemp, JA wrote letters of introduction to Jean Luzac (ICHi:Madlener U.S. Presidents Coll.), Daniel Crommelin & Sons, C. W. F. Dumas, Rev. Archibald MacLaine, Baron Joan Derk van der Capellen tot den Pol, and the loan consortium (all LbC's, APM Reel 108).
e.fevr. 1783
Nos amis sont très contents de la Déclaration réitérée que je leur ai faite de votre part, &c., & vont agir en conséquence auprès de la Cour de France, compris celle d’Espagne, & auprès de vos 272Excellences. Ils me paroissent persuadés, que la mesure peut & doit réussir. Cependant, à tout événement, ils me chargent de proposer encore la question suivante, pour obtenir là-dessus une réponse, favorable s’il se peut, qui acheveroit de les mettre à l’aise, & de les tranquilliser.
“Q. Lorsque L. H. P. auront fait la proposition à la France, de signer conjointement avec l’Espagne, l’Amérique, & les Pays-Bas unis, une Convention fondée sur les principes de la Neutralité armée pour le maintien de la liberté de la Navigation;— au cas que la France & l’Espagne parussent vouloir reculer & différer une telle convention, ou S’y refuser avant la conclusion ou signature du Traité définitif;— Mr. Dana, & pendant son absence Mr. Adams, Soit seul & com̃e Ministre des Etats-Unis auprès de cette République, ou avec Mrs. ses Collegues, seroient-ils prets à signer une telle Convention provisionnelle, lorsqu’elle leur seroit proposée de la part de L. H. P., entre les Etats-Unis & les Pays-Bas unis?”
“On est persuadé ici, que sans un Traité pareil, soit entre la France, l’Espagne, les Etats-Unis & les Pays-Bas-Unis, ou, à défaut des deux premieres, au moins entre les deux dernieres Puissances, rien ne sauroit prévenir ni excuser la honte du Traité définitif pour cette République, qui n’est entrée en guerre que pour la liberté des mers, & qui en a fait une conditio sine qua non dans ses préliminaires de paix.”
Il est fort à souhaiter que l’un de ces deux arrangemens soit faisable à défaut de l’autre, parce que cela applaniroit tout d’un coup, le chemin au Traité définitif.— Il ne resteroit du moins d’autre difficulté que celle de Négapatnam & de la navigation par les Moluques, sur lesquelles je viens de lire le rapport des 17 Directeurs de la Compagnie, qui oppose les raisons les plus fortes à la cession de l’un & de l’autre.1
Mon opinion est, sauf toujours votre meilleur avis, que votre acquiescement à la demande de ces Messieurs, peut se fonder sur ces trois choses: 10. Sur la Résolution des Etats-unis du 5 Octobr 1780, com̃uniquée par vous-même à L. H. P. par Lettre du 8 Mars 1781;2 & sur ce que vous m’avez marqué, que vos pouvoirs à cet égard n’ont point été révoqués:— 20. sur ce que L. H. P. sont une des Parties de la Neutralité armée, à laquelle Mr. Dana attend qu’il plaise à une autre des Parties d’admettre les Etats-Unis:— sur ce qu’il ne s’agit, ce me semble, que de se garantir réciproquement, ce que vous avez déjà signé dans le Traité d’amitié & de Commerce conclu avec L. H. P.
Je suis avec tous les sentimens d’un vrai & grand respect, & en vous priant de les faire agréer aussi à LL. EE. Mrs. Franklin, Jay, Laurens, & Brantzen, Monsieur / De V. E. le très humble & très / obéissant serviteur
Translation
Our friends are very content with the renewed declaration that I have made to them on your part, etc., and will act accordingly with the courts of France and Spain, and with your excellencies. They seem to me convinced that the measure can and ought to succeed. But in any case, they instruct me again to ask the following question, in hopes of obtaining a favorable reply if possible, which would completely reassure them and put them at ease:
“Question. When their High Mightinesses have made their proposal to France that it sign jointly with Spain, America, and the United Netherlands an agreement based on the principles of the Armed Neutrality in order to maintain the freedom of navigation, should France and Spain seem inclined to defer such an agreement or to reject it before the conclusion or signature of the definitive treaty, would Mr. Dana (and in his absence, Mr. Adams, either acting alone or as minister of the United States to this republic, or in conjunction with his colleagues) be prepared to sign a provisional agreement of this nature between the United States and the United Netherlands when it is proposed by their High Mightinesses?
“We are convinced here that without such a treaty, whether between France, Spain, the United States, and the Netherlands, or, failing the two former, at least between the two latter powers, nothing could avert or excuse the shame of the definitive treaty for the Netherlands, which only went to war over the freedom of the seas and which made it a conditio sine qua non in its preliminaries to peace.”
It is most desirable that one of these two solutions be feasible if the other should fail, because it would immediately smooth the path to a definitive treaty. At least then the only remaining difficulty would be Negapatam and navigation through the Moluccas. I have just read a report on this matter by the seventeen directors of the company, which argues strongly against ceding either.1
My opinion—unless, of course, as always, you have a better one—is that your acquiescence to these gentlemen's demands could be based on the following three things: 1. On the resolution made by the United States on 5 October 1780, which you yourself communicated to their High Mightinesses in a letter of 8 March 1781,2 and in which you noted that your powers in this matter have not been revoked; 2. On the fact that their High Mightinesses are one of the parties involved in the Armed Neutrality, and that Mr. Dana is waiting until it pleases one of the other parties to admit 274the United States; On the fact that it seems to me simply a matter of guaranteeing mutually what has already been signed in the treaty of friendship and trade concluded with their High Mightinesses.
I am, with all the sentiments of true and great respect, sir, and pray that you present them also to their excellencies Franklin, Jay, Laurens, and Brantsen, your excellency's very humble and very obedient servant
RC (Adams Papers); internal address: “Paris à S. Excellce. Mr. Adams, M. P. des E. U.”; endorsed: “Mr Dumas Feb. 18 / 1783 / Ansd 23.”
For the substance of the Dutch East India Company's protest against any concessions in an Anglo-Dutch treaty with regard to the East Indies, which the company claimed would result in the rapid and total ruin of its trade and be in violation of the 1782 instructions to the Dutch peace negotiators, see the Gazette d’Amsterdam of 21 Feb., and vol. 13:248.
See JA's 29 Jan. letter to Dumas, note 1, above.