Papers of John Adams, volume 18

559 The American Commissioners to Thomas Barclay, 25 January 1787 American Commissioners Barclay, Thomas

The American Commissioners to Thomas Barclay

Sir— London Jany. 25th. 17871

We have transmitted to Mr. Lamb a Resolution of Congress vacating his Commission & Instructions2 & we had long before written to him, that we had no further service for him in Europe, and advising him to embark by the first oppertunity for America & lay his accounts before Congress— But by his Letter of october the 10th. to Mr. Jefferson dated Alicant he say’s “he is not able to take passage by Sea or Land” and that “he has been confined three Months” and that “he is exceedingly sorry he cannot have a full Settlement in Europe”3 We still hope that upon the receipt of the Orders of Congress he will embark immediately for New York, and we request of you that you would represent to him his indispensable Duty, to return home immediately, and give an account of his Conduct and expenditure of money: but you may nevertheless receive from him his account, and give your Judgement of it, according to the duty of your Department to Congress & if you please, to us—

Mr. Lamb has drawn upon Mr. Adams as follows

		£ S. d
1785—	Octr. 25th.— favr. of Mr. Grand at Paris—	140: 0: 0
	Do— Do— Do— Do— Do—	160: 0: 0
	Novr. 5th. 2 Bill of 150£ each—in favr. of Mr. Grand =	300: 0: 0
	Decr. 29th. Do. in favour of John Ledyard =—	12: 12: 0
1786—	Jany 25th. 7. Bill in favr. of Messrs. Etienne Drouilhet & Co: No. 1. = £300— No. 2 = 250£ no. 3 = 240£— no. 4 = 260£— no. 5 = 320£— No. 6. = 350£ and no. 7 = 280£ total equal £2000	—2000: 0: 0
	march 7th: in favr. of Messrs: Etienne Drouilhet & Co:	300: 0: 0
	Do— 8th: in favr: of Do.— Do— Do—	300: 0: 0
		£3212: 12: 0

Three Thousand two hundred and twelve pounds sterling has Mr. Lamb received, of the Cash of the United States, for which he is accountable to Congress and to you, and we desire you to get from him his Account of the Expenditure of it, and to enjoin upon him to return to Congress.— with great regard we are &c

John Adams 560

LbC in WSS’s hand (Adams Papers); internal address: “The Hon. Thomas Barclay Esqr.—”; APM Reel 113.

JA prepared a “Draught of a joint Letter” to Barclay of which this is presumably a LbC made from the fair, signed copy enclosed with JA’s 25 Jan. letter to Thomas Jefferson, below. Jefferson mislaid the fair copy, however, and consequently Barclay never received it. Jefferson assumed that David S. Franks carried it with the Moroccan-American treaty papers to his meeting with Barclay at Le Havre. Jefferson thus did not realize his error until 14 Feb., when he received Franks’ 11 Feb. letter advising him to the contrary (Jefferson, Papers , 11:67, 136, 138). Barclay’s next letters were of 10 Feb. to JA (Adams Papers) and to the commissioners (Jefferson, Papers , 11:132–133), in both of which he made clear that he had not seen the totals of either his or John Lamb’s accounts.

The commissioners’ letter to Lamb is at 11 Sept. 1786, above.

Jefferson, Papers , 10:441.

The American Commissioners’ Provisional Ratification of the Moroccan-American Treaty, [1–25 January 1787] Adams, John

The American Commissioners’ Provisional Ratification of the Moroccan-American Treaty

[ 1–25 January 1787 ]1

Now know Ye that We the said John Adams & Thomas Jefferson Ministers Plenipotentiary aforesaid do approve & conclude the said Treaty and every Article and Clause therein contained, reserving the same nevertheless to the United States in Congress assembled for their final Ratification.

In testimony whereof we have signed the same with our Names and Seals, at the Places of our respective residence and at the dates expressed under our signatures respectively.—

John Adams. [SEAL] London January 25. 1787. 2 Th: Jefferson [SEAL] Paris January 1. 1787. 3

MS (PCC, No. 91, I, f. 229).

Thomas Jefferson drafted the ratification, and fair copies were enclosed with his 20 Dec. 1786 letter to JA , above. Signed by JA, they were returned with his 25 Jan. 1787 letter to Jefferson, above. Copies of the ratification were then enclosed in the commissioners’ 27 Jan. letter to John Jay, below, and, together with the commissioners’ [27 Jan.] letter to Sidi Haj Tahar Ben Abdulhaq Fennish, also below, in Jefferson’s 18 Feb. letter to William Carmichael, but see also his letter of that date to Thomas Barclay (Jefferson, Papers , 11:163–165).

In JA’s hand.

In Jefferson’s hand.

From John Adams to the Board of Treasury, 26 January 1787 Adams, John Board of Treasury

To the Board of Treasury

Gentlemen— Grosvr. square January 26. 1787.

In compliance with your Directions, I do myself the honor to inclose to you, a List of all the Draughts of money, which have been 561 made by me, whether on a public or private account since the first day of August 1785. Sometime ago, I transmitted to Mr. Barclay according to the Resolutions of Congress, all my Accounts up to that Day,1—after the Examination he made a settlement of them and transmitted them as I suppose to Congress— I should be happy to be informed whether they have been receivd and whether they are approved— I shall transmit in the same manner to Mr. Barclay, according to those same Resolutions of Congress which are still in force, all my remaining accounts, from the same first of August 1785. for his Examination & Settlement as soon as he returns to Paris—but if he should embark for America from Spain, I shall lay my accounts before Congress, or Your honourable Board, upon my return to America which if my Life & Health remain to me, will certainly be at the expiration of my present Commission to this Court if not before—

You will perceive Gentlemen that Mr. Lamb has drawn more than 3000£ for the purpose of his unfortunate mission & Mr. Barclay more than 4000£ for his fortunate one—

I have been obliged to concur in opinion with messrs: Willinks & Co. of the necessity of paying off the Gratifications in Amsterdam in Cash, & the measure has had an happy effect— Those Gentlemen will no doubt write you the particulars

With great respect &c

J. A—

LbC in WSS’s hand (Adams Papers); internal address: “The Honle: Board of / Treasury of the U. states—”; APM Reel 113.

JA listed debits of 263, 769 livres and credits of 412, 028 livres, for an amount due him of 148, 285. The board said, however, that 113,000 of that was “unaccounted for,” leaving JA due a balance of 35, 258 livres (PCC, No. 138, I, f. 13–21).

JA retained a more comprehensive set of accounts, dated 31 May 1785 – 1 April 1788, in his Letterbooks (APM Reels 107, 124) and on loose sheets (Adams Papers, filmed at 1 April 1788). Aside from accepting the mounting bills sent by the Barbary agents Thomas Barclay and John Lamb, JA regularly charged 210 guineas a month in this period for “Salary and Disbursements for the United States.” Beyond covering his travel needs, the American minister’s other expenditures involved setting up the legation office, such as a £44.13 charge made on 24 May 1786 to equip JA and WSS with “Stationary, Books and Copying Press for the Bureau.” For the details of JA’s accounts as approved by the board, see Foreign Ledgers, Public Agents in Europe, 1776–1787, DNA:RG 39, Microfilm, Reel 1, f. 267.