Diary of John Quincy Adams, volume 1

Saturday 20th. JQA

1779-11-20

Saturday 20th. Adams, John Quincy
Saturday 20th.

This morning about 6 o clock spy'd a sail about 2 miles off. We sent the courier de L'europe to speak with her. She put about and run. About nine o clock she set royals studden studding sails and chased us. About one o clock she came up with us and 4 5 hoisted american colours. We hoisted french flag and pendant; we spoke with her. She was a brig1 eight weeks out of Salem. She has taken three prizes. She says she spoke with the ship the Jack belonging to the same owners with her that the ship Jack has taken two prizes since she came out. The mate came on board. He says they saw an english twenty Gun ship and seven sail he suppos'd a going to Cape Breton for coal. He says there is no English cruisers off the banks; I wrote a Letter to my Mamma2 by her as she is agoing directly to Salem. A clever breeze of wind.

1.

The General Lincoln, a privateer from Salem, commanded by Capt. John Carnes (Dana, Journal; Joseph B. Felt, Annals of Salem, 2d edn., 2 vols., Salem, 1845–1849, 2:270).

2.

Adams Family Correspondence, 3:238–239.

Sunday 21st. JQA

1779-11-21

Sunday 21st. Adams, John Quincy
Sunday 21st.

Nothing remarkable to day except calm all day. 6 o clock. It begins to freshen. We go about 3 knots an hour.

Monday 22d. JQA

1779-11-22

Monday 22d. Adams, John Quincy
Monday 22d.

A fresh breeze all day from the SSE. The Captain says we are about fifty Leagues from the Grand Bank.

Tuesday 23d. JQA

1779-11-23

Tuesday 23d. Adams, John Quincy
Tuesday 23d.

The weather is very much like that of the Bank. The Courier has taken two fish. At twelve o clock we shall Sound. 4 o clock. We have not sounded. Very foggy all this day.

Wednesday 24th. JQA

1779-11-24

Wednesday 24th. Adams, John Quincy
Wednesday 24th.

This morning the Courier lost herself in the fog but at about ten o clock we found her again. I will now give a list of the names of the officers and principal passengers on board the Sensible.

Captain Bidé de Chavagnes. A chevalier of the order of Saint Louis and captain of his most Christian Majesty's frigate La Sensible.

Le Chevalier de Gois briand Goësbriand 1 2'd in command

Mr. Riordan Le Chevalier D'Arriardant

Mr. Painker Le Chevalier de Pincaire

Mr. Denian

6

Mr. Du Breuil Breville auxiliary officers.

Mr. De La Guérivieres Le Chevalier de Guerivierre

Mr. De La Roche la Roche de St. André.2 Midshipmen.

Mr. le major3

Passengers

Coll. Fleury, a French Gentleman Coll. in the American army4

Mr. De Moléon

Mr. De Lancuville

Mr. Delacolombe5 other French Gentlemen in the american army

There are a Great Number of other french Gentlemen whose names I don't know.

American Gentlemen

Mr. Allen6

Mr. Dana7

Mr. Thaxter

My Pappa

Boys

Sammy Cooper Johonnot

My Brother Charles and myself.

Sammy Cooper whom I have before spoke of is a very agreable young Gentleman and makes the passage much less tedious to me than it would be if he had not came with us.

At about 12 o clock we sounded and found bottom at thirty fathom deep. We fish'd a half an hour but caught nothing. Very foggy all day till about 6 o clock PM it clear'd up. 9 o clock. A fresh breeze from the west. Sailors say that when there is a bad wind drink a bowl of punch upon the Captson and the wind will come right. Mr. Dana Mr. Allen and Mr. Thaxter try'd the experiment and the wind changed and came fair; there's super stition for you.

1.

As he himself wrote his name ( Adams Family Correspondence , 3:223–224).

2.

The editorial insertions for this and the names listed above are taken from JA's less phonetically written and probably more correctly spelled listing of officers of La Sensible ( Diary and Autobiography , 2:395).

3.

The ship's medical officer, or surgeon major, M. Bergèrac (same, 2:395; entry for 15 June 1785, below).

4.

François Louis Teissèdre de Fleury, a French volunteer in the American Revolution, who had distinguished himself in numerous early battles, for which he received a congressional medal (Lasseray, Les français sous les treize étoiles , 2:425–433).

5.

Louis Saint Ange, Chevalier Morel de La Colombe, a French officer participating in the American Revolution (same, 1:324; La Colombe to JA, 21 June 1780, Adams Papers). His name appears to have been added to JQA's listing at some later time.

7 6.

Jeremiah Allen, a Boston merchant, whom JA described as “travelling with a View of establishing a private commerce in Spain as well as in France” (JA to the Governor of La Coruña, 18 Dec., LbC, Adams Papers).

7.

Francis Dana, lawyer, member of the Massachusetts Council and of the Continental Congress, 1777–1778, accompanied JA as secretary to the peace commission. Two years later JQA served as Dana's personal secretary and French interpreter for a year when Dana was appointed minister to Russia; Dana left there in 1783, frustrated and unrecognized by the government of Catherine the Great. Dana's Journals, kept on this trip to Paris and his subsequent journey in 1781 to St. Petersburg and now at MHi, are an important supplement to JQA's Diary (JA, Diary and Autobiography , 4:191; Sibley-Shipton, Harvard Graduates, 15:204–217).