Papers of John Adams, volume 6

385 The Commissioners to John Paul Jones, 22 August 1778 First Joint Commission at Paris JA Jones, John Paul

1778-08-22

The Commissioners to John Paul Jones, 22 August 1778 First Joint Commission at Paris Adams, John Jones, John Paul

The Commissioners to John Paul Jones

~~Sir~~ Passi August. 22. 1778

We have received your Letter of the 16th.1 and have written to Captain Whipple to appoint a Court Martial for the Tryal of Lieutenant Simpson provided there are a sufficient Number of officers to constitute one.2 We are3 This however is not to make any Change in the Command of the Ranger untill the Tryal is over, nor then unless the Judgment of that Court is against him. We are.

LbC (Adams Papers); notation: “not sent.”

An inadvertance for the 15th.

For this sentence as a possible postscript, see the Commissioners' first letter to Jones of this date, note 5 (above). No letter to Abraham Whipple has been found. The Commissioners may, in the meantime, have received Whipple's letter of 19 Aug. (above) and concluded that a reply was unnecessary or, more important, that he and perhaps Simpson had already sailed for America.

The preceding two words were canceled in the course of drafting, indicating that the letter was originally meant to end here, before it was decided to make clear the Commissioners' position on the appointment of Simpson to command the Ranger.

The Commissioners to J. D. Schweighauser, 22 August 1778 First Joint Commission at Paris JA Lee, Arthur Franklin, Benjamin Schweighauser, John Daniel

1778-08-22

The Commissioners to J. D. Schweighauser, 22 August 1778 First Joint Commission at Paris Adams, John Lee, Arthur Franklin, Benjamin Schweighauser, John Daniel

The Commissioners to J. D. Schweighauser

Passi August 22. 1778

We received yours of the 18 Instant.1 Mr. Bersoll has already been informed that he must send his Accounts and Vouchers to us before we can order him to be paid therefore you will inform him that ' till he has furnished us with these for our Examination he must not expect payment and we hope that for his own sake as well as for ours he will not proceed to the indecent Violence you apprehend. We are not in Circumstances to afford any further purchases and therefore desire that the goods on hand only may be ship' d off as speedily and with as little Expence as possible. You will therefore act with Regard to the Saltpetre as you judge most conducive to this End. Mr. Hall2 must also shew a Receipt for the Delivery of the Beef charged to the Ranger, before he can be paid.

With Regard to the Captain's and other Americans not actually in the Service of the 13 united States who apply to you for Money, these are our Sentiments which we desire you will consider as final, that when they are at a Seaport like Nantes where they may supply their Wants by their own Industry, there is no Reason for their asking any thing from the public, nor can we consent that any public Money should be advanced to persons in 386their Situation, it is only to forward them to that Situation that we think ourselves authorised to furnish them Aids from the public Funds. We are wth. great Esteem Yours &c.,

BF AL JA

LbC (Adams Papers); in Arthur Lee's hand.

Not found.

Presumably Elijah Hall, former 2d lieutenant and at the time of this letter, under Thomas Simpson, 1st lieutenant of the Ranger. In the absence of Simpson, Hall would have been left in command of the Ranger during Jones' absence in Paris.