Diary of John Adams, volume 2

1779 March 12. Fryday.<a xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0" href="#DJA02d444n1" class="note" id="DJA02d444n1a">1</a> JA

1779-03-12

1779 March 12. Fryday. Adams, John

1779 March 12. Fryday.1

About one O Clock arrived at Nantes at L'hotelle de la Comedie, Rue,2 after a Journey of near five days, having sett off from Passy Monday the 8th. This Journey, which was by Versailles, is thro the most barren and least cultivated Part of France.

After Dinner, I had the Honour to be visited by the following American Gentlemen. Mr. Williams, Mr. Williams my Pupil,3 Mr. Lloyd, Mr. Ridley,4 Mr. Wharton, Mr. Lee, Mr. Daubrèe Dobrée, Mr 357. Maese Mease, Captn. Jones,5 Lt. Brown, Mr. Ingraham Ingram, Mr. Cummings, Mr. Bradford, Mr. blank in MS

Mr. Jno. Lloyd is a sensible Man. He says that the french officers of Marine, consider Convoys as a disgracefull Service. They hate to be ordered to convoy Merchant Vessells. That when a Convoy is ordered, the officer is negligent and the Merchant dares not complain. The Marine officers and Police officers, and Custom house officers are connected together, and if a Merchant complains he is marked out as an obnoxious Person and Advantages are taken of him, so that he hold his Tongue.

First entry in “Paper Book No. 29” (our D/JA/29), which consists of two gatherings of unstitched leaves without covers. These were evidently put together for JA to carry in his pocket, for use when his larger bound journal was packed up and inaccessible. Having made this single entry, JA did not recur to this “paper book” again until 28 April; the intervening entries were written in D/JA/47.

Thus in MS, but see the following entry.

On the two Jonathan Williamses, who were both from Boston and cousins, see note on 26 Jan. 1776, above.

Matthew Ridley, a Maryland merchant and agent for his state in Europe (Kathryn Sullivan, Maryland and France, 1774–1789, Phila., 1936, ch. 6). Ridley was a correspondent of JA's and kept valuable diaries of his European sojourn, which are with other papers of his in MHi.

John Paul Jones had recently secured, through the good offices of the French government, the vessel he named the Bonhomme Richard, and was fitting her out for a cruise later this year that was to become famous. Several of the persons mentioned here were Jones' officers or associates in this venture.