Papers of John Adams, volume 18
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y.27. 1787.
I have received with pleasure your obliging Letter of the 24 of october and am much affected with the disagreable State of things in the Massachusetts— It is indeed news to me that there is any such 564 fixed determination as you mention in the minds of men of greatest Influence. Perhaps I am not a proper confident of those Gentlemen, As to my comeing home it is not possible for me to come home with decency untill next year, at the expiration of my Commission, which will be in about 12 months, then I shall come home of course— I wish with all my heart I were now in Boston, or to embark for that town to-morrow, not that I give full credit to your sanguine partiality to me in supposing that I shall be Chosen first Magisrate—Nor that I think it an eligible situation in such times, or that my health or other Qualifications would enable me to sustain the Weight of it, with dignity at any time— Indeed I doubt whether my sentiments of Government are agreable to the Majority of our state, and I am not enough of an accomodating disposition, to give up or conceal sentiments that I think of Consequence for the sake of Places, The Commotions in New England allarmed me so much that I have thrown together some hasty speculations upon the subject of Government which you will soon see— If the general spirit of those papers is not approved in our Country, my Career in political Life, will be very short—
I see by some news papers rec’d to day that you have distinguished yourself in support of the Laws in a manner that does you great honour & will not soon be forgotten—1 I begin to suspect that some Gentlemen who had more Zeal than Knowledge in the year 1770. will soon discover that I had good Policy as well as sound Law on my side when I ventured to lay open before our People the Laws against Riots, Routs & unlawful assemblies—mobs will never do–to govern states or command armies—2 I was as sensible of it in 70. as I am in 87—to talk of Liberty in such a state of things– Is not a Shattuck & a Chase3 as great a Tyrant, when he would pluck up Law & Justice by the roots, as a Bernard or a Hutchinson when he would overturn them partially? you see I have not forgotten old stories any more than you— I am sorry however that you recollect the old affair of the Letters in which I ever believed you as innocent as myself and more so too—4 I had long since forgotten it or at least all unpleasant feelings occasioned by it— Altho those Letters gave offence to some Men whom I alway’s esteemed—there were other sentiments in them which contributed to apprize the Continent early of what I was about & to prepare their minds for it— Those Letters are the first Monument extant of the Immortally glorious Project of Independence— Instead of blushing at them altogether, I Glory in 565 them & so will my Grand Child that I hope to see next spring—5 You will oblige me much sir by any Communications you can spare the time to make me
Yours
LbC in WSS’s hand (Adams Papers); internal address: “Colonel Hitchbourne”; APM Reel 113.
The newspapers have not been identified but likely reported on the cavalry raid led by Hichborn, for which see Hichborn’s 16 Jan. letter, note 2, above.
JA presumably refers to the 1770 Boston Massacre trials where he argued that the British soldiers were justified in defending themselves because the people confronting them were engaged in a riot and unlawful assembly. See, for example, his argument in Rex v. Wemms (JA, Legal Papers
, 3:242–270) and his comment in his autobiography that his purpose was to lay before the jury “the Law as it stood that the[y] might be fully apprized of the Dangers of various kinds, which must arise from intemperate heats and irregular commotions” (JA, D&A
, 3:296).
By “Chase,” JA meant Daniel Shays.
See note 1 to Hichborn’s 24 Oct. 1786 letter, above.
JA became a grandfather on 2 April 1787, when AA2 gave birth to a son, William Steuben Smith, at the American legation in Grosvenor Square.
to Sidi Haj Tahar Ben Abdulhaq Fennish
London,
27 January 1787
To His Excellency, Sidi Hadg Jaher Ben Abdelhack Fennish, in the service of His Majesty the Emperor of Morocco—
We have received, with high satisfaction the Letter, which Your Excellency, by the Command of His Majesty the Emperor of Morocco did us the honor to write Us, on the 1st. day of the blessed month Ramaden 12002 and transmitted to us by the Honourable Thomas Barclay Esquire, who was sent to your Court, in order to negotiate an Amicable Treaty of Peace and Commerce, between His Majesty, The Emperor of Morocco and all His Dominions, and those of the United states of America— We are happy to learn, that this matter has been fortunately concluded to the satisfaction of all Parties. The Contents of the Treaty, We have learned, from the said Envoy, The Honorable Thomas Barclay Esqr. To Whom his Imperial Majesty delivered it with a Letter to the United States.
It is with the most respectful satisfaction that We learn from Your Excellency, that the Conduct of our said Envoy, the Honourable Thomas Barclay Esquire, has the entire approbation of His Imperial Majesty, and that he has behaived with Integrity and Honour since his Arrival in His Imperial Majesty’s dominions, and above all that 566 His Imperial Majesty has been graciously pleased, to give him two Honourable, favourable and unparrallelled Audiences signifying His Majesty’s perfect Satisfaction at his Conduct—
We pray Your Excellency, if you think proper, to express to His Imperial Majesty the high sense We entetain of His Majesty’s Friendship to the United States of America, and of his Goodness to the said Honourable Mr. Barclay—
And We request of your Excellency to accept of our sincere Thanks, for the Kind assistance You have given to the said Envoy in the Course of these negotiations.
With much pleasure we learn, that your Excellency is charged with the affairs of our Country by His Imperial Majesty, at His Court & doubt not that your Excellency will do all that lies in Your Power to promote the friendly Intercourse, that is so happily began—
We shall transmit, without delay, to the Honourable the Congress of the United states an account of all these proceedings and entertain the fullest confidence assurance that they will receive in due time, the approbation of that August assembly—3
May the Providence of the one Almighty God, whose Kingdom is the only existing one protect Your Excellency— With great respect we have / the Honor to be, Yours &c.
th.1787.
LbC in WSS’s hand (Adams Papers); APM Reel 112. Dft (Adams Papers); filmed at [Jan. 1787].
The Papers of Thomas Jefferson (11:79–80) print this letter from a Tr by William Short, which is virtually identical to the LbC printed here. The Jefferson editors attribute the differences between Short’s Tr and the Dft in the Adams Papers to changes made by Jefferson to “conform to expressions used by Taher Fennish” in his [28 June 1786] letter, above. It is more likely, however, that the changes were made by JA, because Short’s Tr was almost certainly made from a signed, fair copy of the letter carried by David S. Franks to Jefferson for his signature, not found, which Jefferson mislaid and then sent on to Thomas Barclay, unsigned, with his 18 Feb. 1787 letter to Barclay, but see also Jefferson’s letter of that date to William Carmichael (same, 11:163–165, 236). That JA made the changes seems even more likely given the fact that the LbC in WSS’s hand was presumably also made from the fair copy sent to Jefferson.
That is, [28 June 1786], above.
The commissioners’ report to John Jay was of 27 Jan. 1787, below. Congress ratified the treaty on 18 July, but Moroccan authorities considered the treaty ratified once it had been signed and sealed into a leather book. For that reason, Congress saw no need to send an agent on another costly mission to exchange ratifications. Instead, on 23 July Congress sent a letter with the instrument of ratification, which the emperor of Morocco received and acknowledged by 17 Aug. 1788 (Miller, Treaties
, 2:185, 225–226).