Adams Family Correspondence, volume 12
I am very much gratified to find by your favour of the 26th: that your Journey from Brussels was so pleasant, and that you are so well satisfied with what you had seen.— I shall request Messrs: Moliere to extend your credit with their correspondents at Paris.
There is a Danish vessel going to Lisbon from Amsterdam in the course of three weeks or a month. I shall go to Amsterdam in a few days to ascertain whether it will be expedient to take passage in her.
Your friend Parker is here for a few days. The Citizen Plenipotentiaire & our Tilly are sitting to him for their pictures.1
Your numerous friends here, always obligingly demand of your news. I go on in the usual stile, more and more dissatisfied with my solitude. No letters from America.
Remember me particularly to my friends at Paris, and to Messrs:
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d’Aranjo and Brito. Tell the latter that I shall be happy to take any commands for his Country. He mentioned before he went from here that he might have some.2
After the letter, which you will find I have written this morning to Mr: Pitcairn,3 you will not be sorry to see me come to a short conclusion with you, in the assurance of being your ever affectionate brother.
LbC in TBA’s hand (Adams Papers); internal address: “Mr: T B Adams. Paris”; APM Reel 130.
That is, Mr. Parker, the artist who had painted miniature portraits of JQA and TBA, for which see vol. 10:xii. Parker’s current subjects were François Noël, the French minister at The Hague, and Tilly Whitcomb, JQA’s servant.
Francisco José Maria de Brito was the secretary of the Portuguese legation at The Hague, described by JQA as “a sensible well informed Man.” Brito had likely accompanied Antonio de Araujo de Azevedo on the latter’s special mission to France (D/JQA/24, 22 March, 9 April 1795, APM Reel 27).
JQA to Joseph Pitcairn, 2 May 1797, in which JQA commented on Algerian-American relations and criticized recent French attempts to instigate war with the United States. He also discredited rumors of James Madison’s arrival in Paris as envoy extraordinary to France (OCHP:Joseph Pitcairn Letters).
d1797
Your letter of the 21st of April, appears to intimate a doubt of the possibility of our meeting, my last disappointment my beloved friend, has taught me to fear, and I have endeavored to acquire fortitude, in case of the worst—1 Heaven knows with what delight I should have accompanied you, and how rejoiced I should be to have it in my power to contribute to your happiness but if this cannot be done, without inconvenience to you, my Adams, I should surely consult my own happiness not yours, if I wished it—
I am happy to hear that your brother means to accompany you, could I envy any one it certainly would be him— We have this day hear’d of the Peace between the French and the Emperor of Germany your brother is fortunate as this it is said has made Paris very gay—2 Papa has been very ill, but is now recovering—
Adieu, write to me I entreat you my best friend, endeavor to mitigate the pain, I cannot help feeling, at the idea of your departure, and believe / me unalterably yours
RC (Adams Papers).
In a short letter to LCA of 21 April, JQA suggested that their separation was likely to continue owing to the difficulty of finding American vessels bound for Lisbon. JQA also wrote that TBA, who was currently visiting Paris, had decided to accompany him to 102 Portugal. He wrote again on 28 April reporting his intention to travel from Amsterdam to Lisbon aboard a Danish vessel and that ongoing friction between Portugal and France would likely prohibit her accompanying him (both Adams Papers).
The London Evening Mail, 1–2 May, published a report from the French Directory announcing the signing of the preliminary peace agreement with Austria.
LCA wrote a similar letter to JQA on 16 May, repeating her acceptance of their continued separation and her happiness that TBA would remain with him. She also commented on her father’s preparations to return to the United States (Adams Papers).