Papers of John Adams, volume 14
Last night I received your Favour of the 23d. of May.— I regret extreamly that I must loose the opportunity of the Company of Mr Vanberckel to America: but there is no appearance, that the definitive Treaty will be Signed in Time to allow me that Satisfaction and Advantage.
The Treaty with Sweeden is now printing with a Collection of the Constitutions and Treaties, which is making under the Correction of the Duke de la Rochefaucault, but I cant Say when it will be ready.1 I Should be glad to Send a Copy of it to our good Friend Luzac, but I have none.
505Your Amuzements with your Ward, are very rational and will turn very much to his Advantage. You make him translate Suetonius, I hope in Writing, either into French or English.
The Desire of our Friends, Shall be attended to, respecting a certain Ambassador extraordinary.2
I rejoice in the Arrival of the Ratification of our Treaty and Convention. If it were possible, I would go to the Hague to make the Exchange and to Amsterdam to Sign Some more Obligations, but as Mr Hartley is here, and We know not the day and hour when We may be called to Business, I am afraid I cannot with Prudence, quit this Station. It may be expected by their High Mightinesses that I should make the Exchange in Person, and I should wish for that Honour, but considering the Circumstances, I think they will not take it amiss, if it is offered by another. I therefore request of you sir, to make an offer of the Exchange in my Behalf.—3 If you receive the Ratification of the States General you will please to keep it, under Lock & Key, untill my Return.
I have the Honour to be
LbC (Adams Papers); internal address: “Mr Dumas.”; APM Reel 108.
This was Constitutions des treize États-Unis de l’Amérique, Paris, 1783, a collaboration between Benjamin Franklin and the Duc de La Rochefoucauld, who translated the documents. A copy of the volume is in JA's library at MB (
Catalogue of JA's Library
). For a detailed account of the publication of this collection, based in part on The Constitutions of the Several Independent States of America, which Congress published in 1781 at JA's recommendation (vol. 10:178–179; 11:476–477), see Luther S. Livingston, Franklin and His Press at Passy, N.Y., 1914, p. 181–188.
Sir Joseph Yorke. See Dumas’ letter of the 23d, and note 4, above.
Dumas exchanged the ratifications at The Hague on 23 June. He informed Livingston of the exchange in a letter of that date, carried by Pieter van Berckel, who was departing for America later that day (Wharton, Dipl. Corr. Amer. Rev.
, 6:502). He informed JA of the event in a brief note of the 24th (Adams Papers).
We observe by the favour of your Excellencies most honour'd letter of 22 Inst. that Mr. Grand has laid before your Excs. a state of the Affairs of the United States under his Care; and that the Dispositions made upon him are Such, that therefore your Excs. advise us to remit to Mr. Grand on account of Said States a sum of half a 506Million Livres Tournois, if the Cash in our hands, compared with the Drafts made upon us will allow it.1
We take the liberty in answer to this, to assure your Excs. that we would be very Sorry to observe, that the Drafts for Congres might Suffer a disappointment any where, and that we would gladly contribute to prevent such a misfortune, but we are obliged in the present Case to represent to your Excs. that it is impossible for us to make the Comparison which your Excs. mention, because we know that there are at least running 22 bills from Mr. Morris upon us, of which we don't know the Amount, Since we got not his advise, and Since the letters are not offered for acceptance. This we know by the numbers of the bills which we already accepted, being from No. 1 till 27 together ƒ150000. and No. 50 of ƒ100,000—. We want also to know the Amount of the No. 28 till 49, which may be presented every moment, and as soon as we will be informed about it, we promise to make that comparison, and to write again to your Excellencies, if the State of the Cash in our hands will permit us to comply with your advise. For we beg your Excs. to observe, by the Amount of the bill No. 50, that there is some times opportunity for large bills, and consequently it is quite impossible to make any Supposition upon the whole Amount of 22 bills, and We should be Sorry in case by paying out a Sum of 500/m £[₶], for which we have no proper authority, we should be in want for the payment of those Drafts, as may be made upon us in consequence of the informations, which Congress might have received about the Success of the Loan. We beg to consider this and to let us know in answer to this your advise, how in such a case we should do, without displeasing our principals?2
We hope that, after having considered what we have mentioned, your Excellenties will jusify us, if we Should wish to be excused from complying with their advise.
However since it comes from so respectable a society, we think we could do it either for the whole Sum of £[₶]500,000 or part of it upon the following two Conditions.
10. That your Excs. in your respective Qualitie's should properly authorize us to furnish that Sum to Mr. Grand, out of the Stock of Money of the United States in our hands, and be guarant for the approbation of Congres. It is our humble opinion that your Excs. can better do this, then we, who are not so good informed about the particulars of the Affairs of the United States, and of their concerns as your Excellencies
20. That Mr. Grand should give his Engagement to us, that in case the Dispositions of Congress upon us should exceed the Amount of the Cash in our hands, and we also should want a restitution of the Money remitted to him, he in that case will pay our drafts upon him for that purpose, on account of the United states.
If your Excellencies think it convenient to do the matter upon this footing, we beg to let us know in answer to this your resolution, and against what time Mr. Grand should wish to receive the remittances.
With much respect, we have the honour to be / Gentlemen / of your Excellencies, / the most humble and obedt. Servts
s.& Jacob van Staphorst.
RC (Adams Papers); internal address: “To Their Excellencÿs / Mr. John Adams Esqr. / Mr. B Franklin Esqr. / Mr. John Jay Esqr. / Mr. Henry Laurens Esqr. / Ministers Plenipotentiares of the United / States of America / Paris”; endorsed: “Messrs. Willinks & Co to the / Ministers for Peace.”
For the commissioners’ letter of 22 May, which the consortium accurately summarizes, see JA, D&A
, 3:125.
The consortium, having received no reply to this letter, wrote again on 12 June (LbC, APM Reel 103). Writing on behalf of the commissioners, JA responded on 18 June that they were awaiting instructions from America before addressing the consortium's concerns (LbC, APM Reel 108). JA wrote again on 5 July to enclose Robert Morris’ 29 April letter (mistakenly referred to as 30 April by JA) (Morris, Papers
, 7:758–760) and advise the bankers that “the Circumstances are such as to make it necessary you should comply with Mr. Morris's Orders as soon as possible by furnishing to Mr. Grand all the Succour in your Power” (LbC, APM Reel 108). See Grand's plea for the funds, 10 May, above.