Papers of John Adams, volume 15
As I am about Settling my Accounts with Mr Barclay who is impowered by Congress to settle them, I must beg the favour of you, Gentlemen, to Send me, an exact Account, in detail of every order I have drawn upon you, and of every Sum of Money you have paid upon my order, from the Beginning, and of all the Money I have 233received of you, jointly or Seperately, whether directly or by the Way of Mr Vander Iver at Paris,1 whether by paying off Accounts against me, or by Sending once, a few Articles to Mrs Adams.
I am Sorry, Gentlemen to give you this Trouble, but as I must produce my Vouchers to Mr Barclay, it is necessary. When I have it all in one View, I can easily Settle it, but I find it impossible to do it without. With great Respect &c
P.S. In Short, I believe, the Shortest Way, will be, for you to send me, a Copy of your whole Account, with the United States of America out of which I can with Certainty make up my own. at present I find it, impossible to do it.2
LbC (Adams Papers); internal address: “Messrs Wilhem and Jan Willink / Nicholas and Jacob Van staphorst / and / De la Lande & Fynje”; APM Reel 106.
For an instance of JA’s requesting funds from the Paris banking firm of Van den Yver Frères for bills drawn on the consortium, see the commissioners’ 10 Sept. letter to the president of Congress, note 1, below.
In preparing his account with the United States for presentation to Thomas Barclay, JA requested updated accounts from the consortium on at least two more occasions, in his letters of 8 May and 25 Aug. 1784 (both LbC, APM Reel 107). When JA’s account with the United States was finally settled on 10 Oct. 1785, it was current to