Diary of John Quincy Adams, volume 1
1780-08-14
This morning Pappa went out and at about 10 o clock the South Carolina. She is a
ship of forty guns thirty-two 36 pounders on the main deck and 8 12 pounders on the Quarter
deck. I saw Mr. Amiel on board who is first Lieutenant, I saw also Mr. Fitzgerald and Mr.
Mastin, who are midshipmen on board. We stay'd there some time and after that we came back.
Captn. Joyner did not return. She is a new ship and this will be her first cruize. She is a
very fine Ship indeed. When we had got about as far as the statehouse we took leave of Mr.
55StapHouse and when we got home Commodore Gillon
took leave of us. After we got home Commodore Gillon sent Pappa a Letter which came from
some Gentlemen on board the Alliance.2 She was
in Latt 46. D 13.M. Long 36. D 16 M.
Either Jacob or Nicolaas van Staphorst, brothers and partners in a banking firm. After
Dutch recognition of American independence, the firm as part of a syndicate of Amsterdam
bankers floated a succession of loans negotiated by JA (JA, Diary and
Autobiography
, 2:445).
Letter not found, but presumably from Arthur Lee, who, with his two nephews and other
Americans, sailed for Boston from Lorient on the Alliance
([Boston] Continental Journal, 17 Aug.;
Warren-Adams
Letters
, 2:143–144).
1780-08-15
This morning at about 9 o clock Commodore Gillon came here with two other Gentlemen. At about ten o clock Pappa went out with Commodore Gillon and did not return till 1 o clock. At about two o clock Commodore Gillon came here again and went out to dine but my brother Charles and I did not dine out. At about 4 o clock Pappa got back and drank tea at home. After tea Commodore Gillon came here again and went out with Pappa and stay'd out some time. At about Nine o clock Pappa got home without Commodore Gillon.
1780-08-16
This morning Pappa went out and came back again at about eleven o clock. At about two o clock Commodore Gillon came to our lodgings and went out to dinner with Pappa but my brother Charles and myself dined at our lodgings. At about four o clock Pappa came back without Commodore Gillon. Pappa drank tea at our lodgings. After tea Brother Charles and myself went to take a walk and got back at about seven o clock. I Wrote a Letter to Paris.1 The Post goes from here to there every Monday and thursday at half after 8 o clock in the Evening and arrives there every friday and monday at the same hour.
Not found, but very likely the one referred to by John Thaxter in his letter from Paris
on 21 Aug. (
Adams Family Correspondence,
3:399).
1780-08-17
This morning Pappa went out with Mr. Deneufvilles son and stay'd some time. At about one o clock Pappa got back. At about 2 56o clock Pappa went out to dinner with Commodore Gillon but brother Charles and myself dined at home. After dinner Brother Charles went to take a walk and got back at about 4 o clock. Pappa Got home at about six o clock.
End of the first Volume of my Journal. J Q Adams. MDCCLXXX.1
In the margin, to the left of this paragraph, is a note which reads: “Vive the King of
france Henri IV, ou la Bataille d'lvry, Paris [1775], by Jean Paul Egide
Martini and Barnabé Farmian Durosoy, in which are the lines: “Vive Henri, mon Roi! a mon
Sire! mon bon Maître,” followed by the refrain of a song, “Vive Henri” (Larousse, Grand dictionnaire
universel
).