Papers of John Adams, volume 16
as Minister to Great Britain
24 February 1785]1
The United States of America in Congress assembled.
To our trusty and well beloved John Adams Esquire Send Greeting
We reposing special trust and confidence in your Integrity Prudence and Ability have nominated constituted and appointed and by these Presents do nominate constitute and appoint you the said John Adams our Minister Plenipotentiary to reside at the Court of His britannic Majesty and do give you full Power and Authority there to Represent us, and to do and perform all such Matters and Things as to the said Place or Office doth appertain, or as may by our Instructions be given unto you in charge. This Commission to continue in Force for the space of three Years from this Day unless sooner Revoked.
In Testimony whereof We have caused the Seal of the United States to be hereunto affixed Witness His Excellency Richard Henry Lee our President at the City of New York this Twenty fourth Day of February in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Eighty five, and of our Sovereignty and Independence the Ninth.
Cha Thomson Sec
y
John Jay—
Secretary for the Departm
t.of foreign Affairs—
MS (Adams Papers).
JA’s commission, instructions, and letter of credence were enclosed with John Jay’s letter of 18 March, below, which JA received on 2 May. For the details of JA’s appointment, see 530 Elbridge Gerry’s 24 Feb. letter, above, and that from Jay of 15 March, below. See also the Descriptive List of Illustrations, No. 11, above.
e.fevr. 1785.
La copie ci-jointe de la réponse de Mr. le Conseiller Fiscal de l’Amirauté van der Hoop, aux questions que j’avois proposées de la part de l’honble. Com̃ission par une note, étoit faite dès Samedi dernier; & je l’aurois envoyée Mardi à V. E. avec une Lettre pour le Congrès, très intéressante sur les affaires internes de cette Rep.,1 si l’état de mon Epouse, déjà fort indisposée depuis plusieurs jours, n’avoit pas empiré de maniere à nous allarmer extrêmement. Actuellement encore nous ne som̃es pas rassurés. Sa maladie est une fievre bilieuse. Nous présentons nos respects à Mesdames Adams. Dieu veuille qu’un changement favorable, me laisse la liberté d’esprit nécessaire, pour vous écrire plus en détail la semaine prochaine. Mes respects, S’il vous plait, à Messieurs Vos Collegues, De Votre Excellence le très-humble & très-obéissant serviteur
Le Soussigné, Conseiller Fiscal du College de l’Amirauté d’Amsterdam, ayant conféré avec Monsieur Bisdom, Conseiller Fiscal de l’Amirauté de la Meuse,3 sur le contenu de la Note de Mr. Dumas, en date du 31 Décembre dernier, qui leur fut conjointement remise,—a l’honneur de remettre ci-joint à Mr. Dumas la réponse aux questions, qui font l’objet de la dite note, pour l’Information de la Com̃ission Plénipotentiaire des Etats-Unis à Paris; pendant qu’il peut l’assurer, tant en son nom, qu’en celui de Mr. Bisdom, qu’ils ont l’un & l’autre saisi avec empressement cette occasion de pouvoir lui être de quelque utilité /signé
Questions.
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Réponse à la 1
e. Question |
| 1. Quels présens L. H. P. donnerent l’hiver dernier à l’Empereur de Maroc, & à Son Ambassadeur? | L. H. P. ont donné à cette occasion tout l’Equippement pour deux Frégattes de guerre; dix Pieces de canon de bronze, de 24 Livres de balle, & dix de 18 Livres:4 & ont en outre fait remettre à l’Ambassadeur de Sa Maj. Impe. deux Montres, quelques Pieces de Drap de différentes couleurs, de la Mousseline, du Thé, du Sucre, de la Porcelaine, &c. à la disposition de Mr. l’Ambassadeur; pour avoir de quoi se rendre plus agréable à son retour auprès de l’Empereur. |
| 531 | |
| 532 | |
R. à la seconde Q.
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| 2. Qu’ont-Elles été dans l’usage de donner? | L. H. P. ont envoyé de temps à autre une Montre richement montée. Il y a quelque temps qu’Elles ont fait remettre un présent d’un Poignard, enrichi de Diamants, de la valeur de 45,000 florins; & en dernier lieu deux-mille fusils, qui avoient coûté environ 18,000 florins. |
à la troisieme.
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| 3. Quelles sont les som̃es que la République donne annuellement à Alger, à Maroc, à Tunis, à Tripoli, à tout autre Etat pareil? | Il n’y a rien de fixé à cet égard par rapport au Maroc, à Tunis, Tripoli, & d’autres Etats pareils. On y envoie de temps en temps quelques présents pour les obliger.— Quant à Alger, L. H. P. sont dans l’usage d’y envoyer chaque année pour la valeur de cinquante à soixante mille florins en Agrets & en Poudre à Canon.— C’est ce qu’on appelle les Présents ordinaires.— Les présents extraordinaires s’y envoient outre cela tous les deux ans, & consistent en étoffes, Draps, Porcelaines, Sucre, & montent chaque fois à environ 17,000 florins d’Hollande. |
| 533 | |
R. à la quatrieme Q.
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| 4. Quelle est la maniere de traiter avec ces Etats-là? | Toutes les Négociations avec les Etats susdits se font par les Consuls que la République envoie à ces différentes Puissances, & qui y résident constamment: ou bien aussi par les dits Consuls, assistés par quelque Capitaine de Vaisseau de la République: ou bien aussi, en cas de guerre & d’absence des Consuls, par le Com̃andant d’Escadre ou de Vaisseau, qui sont toujours munis dans ce cas-là de Lettres de L. H. P. |
Copié, & collationné avec les Originaux, qui sont entre mes mains, par moi-même. A La Haie le 22 Fevrier 1785.
The enclosed copy of the response of Mr. Van der Hoop, comptroller of the admiralty, to the questions that I posed in a note on behalf of the honorable commission has been in hand since last Saturday, and I would have sent it to your excellency on Tuesday with a very interesting letter for Congress concerning the internal affairs of this republic,1 if the condition of my spouse, who had already been very indisposed for several days, had not worsened in a way that alarmed us in the extreme. Even now we are still not reassured. Her illness is a bilious fever. We send our respects to the Adams ladies. May God grant that a change for the better will give me the peace of mind necessary to write to you in greater detail next week. My respects, please, to your esteemed colleagues. Your excellency’s very humble and very obedient servant
The undersigned comptroller of the College of the Admiralty of Amsterdam, having conferred with Mr. Bisdom, comptroller of the Admiralty of 534 the Meuse,3 on the contents of Mr. Dumas’ note, dated 31 December last and referred to them jointly, has the honor of herewith remitting to Mr. Dumas, for the information of the plenipotentiary commission of the United States at Paris, their response to the questions that are the object of the said note, assuring Mr. Dumas, not only in his own name but also on behalf of Mr. Bisdom, that both of them eagerly seized this occasion to be useful to him. Signed
Questions
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Response to the first question:
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| 1. What presents did Their High Mightinesses give last winter to the emperor of Morocco and to his ambassador? | Their High Mightinesses gave on this occasion all the equipment for two frigates of war, ten bronze twenty-four pound cannon and ten eighteen pounders,4 and in addition gave to the ambassador of his imperial majesty two watches, several pieces of cloth of different colors, muslin, tea, sugar, porcelain, etc., placed at the ambassador’s disposal so that he might have the means of making his return to the emperor more pleasant. |
Response to the second question:
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| 2. What are they in the habit of giving? | Their High Mightinesses have sent from time to time a richly appointed watch. Some time ago they made a present of a dagger adorned with diamonds, valued at 45,000 florins, and most recently two thousand rifles, at a cost of approximately 18,000 florins. |
To the third:
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| 3. How much does the republic give annually to Algiers, Morocco, Tunis, Tripoli, and all other similar states? | There is nothing fixed in this respect regarding Morocco, Tunis, Tripoli, and other similar states. From time to time they send presents to oblige them. As for Algiers, Their High Mightinesses are in the habit of sending there each year from 50,000 to 60,000 florins worth of cannon tackle and powder. That is what they call ordinary presents. Extraordinary presents are sent as well every other year, consisting of fabric, cloth, porcelain, sugar, and they amount each time to about 17,000 Dutch florins. |
| 535 | |
Response to the fourth question:
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| 4. How do they negotiate with those states? | All negotiations with the above-mentioned states are done by consuls that the republic sends to the various powers and who reside there all the time, or by the said consuls assisted by some captain of a ship of the line, or in case of war where consuls are not present, by a commodore of the squadron or senior captain, who for this reason are always provided with letters from Their High Mightinesses. |
Copied and collated with the originals, which are in my possession, by myself. At The Hague, 22 February 1785.
RC and enclosure (Adams Papers); internal address: “A Son Excellence Mr. Adams.”; endorsed: “M. Dumas”; docketed by CFA: “February 22d. 1785.”
Saturday was 19 Feb., the date of the enclosure, while Tuesday was the 22d, the date of Dumas’ letter to the president of Congress (Nationaal Archief:Dumas Papers, Microfilm, Reel 2, f. 698–699, 701). In that letter Dumas referred to the preparations for a possible Austro-Dutch war but paid far more attention to “la réforme des abus,” that is, to the widening conflict between the Patriot Party, which was seeking constitutional reform, and the Orangist, or Stadholdarian, Party, which was loyal to William V.
The commissioners enclosed Joan Cornelis van der Hoop’s response in their 18 March letter to John Jay, below.
The Dutch Navy, although united under the stadholder as admiral-general and subject to the States General’s authority, was divided into five regional admiralty colleges: Amsterdam, the Meuse, North Holland and West Friesland, Zeeland, and Friesland. Each of the admiralties could, and often did, exercise a striking degree of autonomy (vol. 7:188).
JA was aware of the equipment for the frigates supplied by the Dutch, for which see his letters to Elbridge Gerry and Jay on 12 and 15 Dec. 1784, respectively, both above.