Papers of John Adams, volume 15
I received the Letter you did me the Honour of writing to me by Capt. Jones, and immediately answer’d it, acquainting you that my Packets contain’d no Commission, nor any Mention of one.2 I have just receiv’d another Letter from you, dated the 14th past, with a Number of Dispatches, but they are Duplicates only and as old as July; they contain nothing of the Commission neither, except the Vote that directs the making it out, which is dated in May. It seems to be forgotten. It was by no means possible for me to save Mr Morris’s Bills. I was in hopes that if you had gone to Amsterdam you might have done something towards it. With great Respect, I have the Honour to be, / Sir, / Your Excellency’s most obedt / & most humble Servant
RC (Adams Papers); internal address: “His Excelly. John Adams Esqre.”
This letter was sent to London and then forwarded to JA in the Netherlands, where he received it at Amsterdam. He acknowledged it in his 24 Jan. letter to Franklin, below. On the day that Franklin wrote, JA and JQA were at Harwich, having left London the previous day, and were awaiting passage for the Netherlands. They sailed on the 5th (JA, D&A
, 3:152; JQA to Peter Jay Munro, 13 Jan., NNMus).
JA’s letter was of 5 Dec., to which Franklin replied on the 10th, both above.