Papers of John Adams, volume 17
]11–11 October 1785
The friendly dispositions which his Majesty has been pleased to shew to the United States of America on every occasion, as well as the assurances given them in the 8th. Art. of the treaty of Amity & Commerce that he would employ his good offices & interposition with the powers on the coast of Barbary to provide for the safety of 448the Citizens of the United States their vessels and effects encouraged us to address you our letter of March 28th on that subject. To this you were pleased to favour us with an answer on the 28th of April enclosing the sentiments of His Excellency the Maãl. de Castries on the same subject & confirming our expectations of His Majesty’s good offices whensoever we should be efficaciously prepared to enter into negotiation with those States.2 As circumstances rendered impracticable our proceeding in person to that court, Congress have been pleased to invest us with other full powers authorizing us to substitute agents to proceed thither for the purpose of negotiating & maturing the terms of treaty and of signing them in a preliminary form but requiring their definitive execution by us. They have also permitted & enabled us to comply with those demands to whi[ch] other nations are in the habit of submitting. In consequence of these powers we have appointed Thomas Barclay Esqr agent to the court of Morocco & John Lamb Esqr. to the Government of Algiers, who will immediately procceed to their respective destinations for the purpose of negotiating treaties of Amity & Commer[ce] with those two powers. It remained for us to apprise your Excellency of these transactions, & to beg leave through you to represent to His Majesty that being now fully vested with the powers requisite for carrying these negotiations into effect, and enabled to comply with such moderate demands as actual circumstances give us reason to expect, the moment is arrived in which his powerful influence with those States may be interposed, to our great benefit. And to pray that he will interpose it either by direct address to those powers, or through the medium of his Ministers, Consuls or Agents residing there, or in such other manner as His Majesty shall judge most consistent with his honour & most likely to avail the United States of his efficacious aid.
We have the honour to be with sentiments of the most profound respect / Your Excellency’s / Most obedient and / Most humble Servants
| London. |
John Adams. |
Paris r. 11. 1785 |
Th: Jefferson3 |
RC in David Humphreys’ hand (Arch. Aff. Étr., Paris, Corr. Pol., É.-U., vol. 30:334–335); internal address: “His Excellency / The Count de Vergennes.” Text lost due to a tight binding has been supplied from a Tr (PCC, No. 117, I, f. 17–19).
Thomas Jefferson drafted this letter and the fair copy for JA’s signature that was enclosed with his second letter of 24 Sept., below. Compare it with the first version of the letter drafted by JA on 15 Sept. (No. V, above) and enclosed with JA’s letter to Jefferson of that date, below.
The commissioners are paraphrasing Art. 8 449of the 1778 Franco-American Treaty of Amity and Commerce (Miller, Treaties
, 2:8–9). For the commissioners’ 28 March 1785 letter to Vergennes and the French foreign minister’s reply of 28 April, in which he enclosed a copy of a 24 April letter from the naval minister, the Marquis de Castries, concerning French assistance for American negotiations with the Barbary States, see vol. 16:579–581.
The datelines and signatures are by JA and Jefferson, respectively.
]15–11 October 1785
To all to whom these Presents shall come or, be may be made known.
Whereas the United States of America in Congress Assembled, reposing special trust & confidence in the integrity prudence & ability of their trusty & well-beloved the Honble John Adams late one of their Ministers Plenipotentiary for negotiating a peace, and heretofore a Delegate in Congress from the State of Massachusetts & chief Justice of the Sd. State: the Honble Doctr. Benjamin Franklin their Minister Plenipotentiary at the court of Versailles & late another of their Ministers Plenipotentiary for negotiating a peace: and the Honble Thomas Jefferson a Delegate in Congress from the State of Virginia & late Governor of the sd State, did by their Commission under the seal of the United States & the signature of their then President, bearing date the twelfth day of May in the year of our Lord Christ one thousand seven hundred & eighty four, constitute & appoint the said John Adams Benjamin Franklin & Thomas Jefferson their Ministers Plenipotentiary, giving to them or a majority of them full powers & authority for the sd United States & in their name to confer, treat and negotiate with the Ambassador, Minister or Commissioner of His Majesty the Emperor of Morocco, vested with full & sufficient powers of & concerning a Treaty of Amity & Commerce as the case might be, to make & receive propositions for such a Treaty, & to conclude & sign the same transmitting it to the United States in Congress Assembled for their final ratification. And as it might so happen that the great and various affairs which the said United States had committed to the care & management of their sd. Ministers Plenipotentiary, might not admit of their meeting the Minister or Commissioner of which His Majesty the Emperor of Morocco might appoint to treat with them, of & concerning such Treaty, at a time & place that might otherwise be most convenient. 450Therefore The said United States in Congress Assembled, did on the eleventh day of March in the year of our Lord Christ one thousand seven hundred & eighty five, by their Commission under their seal & the signature of their President, authorize & empower their said three Ministers Plenipotentiary and the majority of them, by writing under their hands & seals to appoint & employ, and at pleasure to remove, such Agent in the said business as they, or the majority of them might think proper, which said Agent should have authority under directions & instructions of their said Ministers, to commence & prosecute negotiations & conferences for the said Treaty, with such person or persons on the part of His Majesty the Emperor of Morocco as to their said Ministers, or the majority of them should appear proper. Provided always that the Treaty in question should be signed by the said Ministers, but that preliminary articles thereto, might if previously approved by their said Ministers, or the majority of them be signed by the said Agent.2 And whereas Dr Benjamin Franklin one of the Ministers Plenipotentiary aforesaid is since returned to America.
Now know ye, that we John Adams Minister Plenipoten[tiary] of the United States of America at the court of Great Britain and Thomas Jeffer[son] Minister Plenipotentiary of the said States at the court of France, two of the Ministers Plenipotentiary aforesaid & a majority of them, reposing special trust & confi[dence] in the integrity, prudence & ability of the Honble. Thomas Barclay Esqr Consul General of the United States in France, have constituted, appointed & employed, and do by these presents constitute appoint & employ him the said Thomas Barclay, as Agent in the business aforesaid, hereby giving him full authority under our direc[tions] and instructions, to commence & prosecute negotiations & conferences for the said Treaty with such person or persons on the part of the Emperor of Morocco, as His Majesty shall appoint & empower for that purpose. Provided always that the Treaty in question shall be signed by us, but that preliminary articles thereto may if previously approved by us, be signed by the said Agent.
In testimony whereof we have hereto set our hands & seals
| London Octr. 5. 1785 | Paris 11 Otober 1785 |
| John Adams L.S. | Ths Jefferson L.S.3
|
FC in David Humphreys’ hand (PCC, No. 87, I, f. 137–138). Dft (Adams Papers); filmed at 5 October. Text lost due to a torn manuscript has been supplied from the Dft.
In the 5 Oct. postscript to his 2 Oct. letter to Thomas Jefferson, below, JA indicates that he had drafted four commissions, Thomas Barclay’s to Morocco and John Lamb’s to Algiers, Tripoli, and Tunis, and was enclosing fair copies of them for Jefferson’s signature. In the Adams Papers, in addition to Barclay’s draft commission to Morocco, there is a LbC of Lamb’s commission to Tunis (LbC, APM Reel 111), also dated 5 Oct., that presumably was intended as an example of the commissions drafted by JA for Lamb. A note immediately following the LbC indicates that it was transcribed on 6 Oct. by Paul R. Randall, Lamb’s secretary.
To this point the commission is a close rendering of the commissioners’ 11 March commissions to negotiate with the Barbary States, except that the pronouns have been altered to make clear that Barclay’s commission is being issued by the commissioners rather than Congress. The wording of the remainder of the commission is JA’s. For the text of the joint commission to negotiate with Morocco, see vol. 16:563–564.
Immediately following the signatures, David Humphreys wrote, “N.B. The Commission to John Lamb Esqr Agent to the Dey & Government of Algiers is of the same tenor & date.”