Papers of John Adams, volume 17
the Corner of Duke & Brook streets—
th.1785
I have been so perplexed with Ceremonials, Visits Removals and eternal applications from Beggars of one Species and another, besides the real Business of my Department, that I fear I have not answered your favour of the second of June, which I received in Season— I have received from Mr. Garvey all but my wine & have written him to day to forward that and will run the risque of it, as I believe I shall easily obtain an order to receive it without paying duties—1 Petits Note of Expences which you paid, you either omitted to send me or I have lost it in the Confusion of a Removal, so that I must trouble you to send it again— 173 ƒ82
As to News Papers, I should advise you to apply to the Comte de Vergennes or Mr. Rayneval or Mr. Gennet the Premier Commis of the Bureau des Interpretes, who, I presume will readily order your Gazettes to come with their own, through the same Channel, free of Expence for Postage The father of the present Mr. Gennet, was so good as to oblige me in this Way in the year 1780—3
I wrote to you and Dr. Franklin on the 20th. of June, requesting you to send me a Project of a Treaty of Commerce with this Court, and proposed that agreed on with Prussia as the Model— Let me beg your answer to this as soon as possible
The Dr. is to embark at Spithead or the Isle of White, on board of Captain Truckston as he tells me—
The proceedings at Boston make a Sensation here
Yours most affectionately
RC in WSS’s hand (DLC:Jefferson Papers); internal address: “His Excellency / Thos. Jefferson Esqr.” LbC (Adams Papers); APM Reel 111.
JA wrote to Anthony Garvey on this date, asking him to send “Seven or Eight Cases of Wine” in care of the firm of Richard & Charles Puller and promising to recommend Garvey as a merchant (LbC, APM Reel 111).
Here Jefferson wrote in the amount of “173 ƒ8.” In his account book for 2 June, Jefferson recorded, “Repd. Petit for portage &c. of Mr. Adams’s things 173f8” (
Jefferson’s Memorandum Books
, 1:586).
Edmé Jacques Genet (1715–1781) headed the French foreign ministry’s bureau of translators. He also supplied JA with English newspapers during his first mission to France, and facilitated the American’s contributions to Affaires de l’Angleterre et de l’Amérique, which was under his direction and published by the foreign ministry. “The present Mr. Gennet” was Edmund Charles Genet (1763–1834), who had recently succeeded to his father’s post as chief of the bureau of translators and in the 1790s, as “Citizen” Genet, had a tumultuous tenure as French minister to the United States (vol. 11:24, 55; JA, D&A
, 2:354–355;
ANB
). For a portrait of the younger Genet, see
AFC
, 10:ix–x, 7.
In JA’s hand.