Papers of John Adams, volume 18
thJune 1786
We are honored with Your Excellency’s Favor of 19th: Inst: mentioning You had perfected the Congress Bond No: 4543 and returned it by Mr: Daniel Parker, Who has delivered same to us—1
We take the Liberty, to inclose Your Excellency, the Edict of His Most Christian Majesty, appointing us in conjunction with Messr: Henry Fizeaux & Co: the Treasurers of his Finances in these United-Provinces.2 A Commission so highly honorable and consequential and congenial to our system of Politics, is very flattering to us; and it can but give Pleasure to the Well-Wishers to the Credit of America, that its Management is confided to a Commissioner of Congress Loans in this Country—
We are respectfully / Your Excellency’s / Most obedient humble Servants
s.& Jacob van Staphorst.
RC and enclosure (Adams Papers); internal address: “His Excelly / John Adams Esqr:—”
With their 9 June letter (Adams Papers) the Staphorsts enclosed bond No. 4543 from the 1782 Dutch loan, which JA had neglected to sign. In his 19 June 1786 reply (LbC, APM Reel 113), JA indicated that he had signed the bond and was returning it by way of Daniel Parker, as requested.
The enclosure was a printed copy, in
369
370
French and Dutch, of the 1 June arrêt appointing the Fizeaux and Staphorst firms as overseers of French finances in the Netherlands. It was a revision of a 10 May arrêt to the same purpose. The 10 May and 1 June arrêts appeared in the Gazette de Leyde on 6 and 27 June.