Papers of John Adams, volume 7
1778-10-12
Being a Townsman of yours and having suffered in the Grand Cause I have Made my Aplication To Mr. Coffyn in Behalf of the United States of Amirica for a Small Sum of Money sufficent to Bear my Exepences while in France which will be no Longer then I Can Geet a Vessell Bound To America which By the Assistance of Mr. Coffyn I hope will not be Long. Sir My affairs Stands thus1—
I was Taken a Vollenteer with Capn. Henry Johnson in the Sloop 138Yankey.2 Carried from England To the East Indias From Whence I Made My Escape. I Came home in an English East Indiaman. Left Madrass the 6th. of February arrived in England the 6th. of august. Imprest. 13th. the 27th. at London Sept. 25. at Flushing.3 Octr. 7. at Dunkirque, as for Perticulars Excuse me Sir at Presant. Pray Sir Please To mention me in your Letters To America for my wife nor any Other of my friends or Relations Knows not wether I am dead or a Live. Sir I was Borne in Braintree in the Reverend Mr. Saml. Nileses Parish. My Father prehaps you May Very well Know—he was a Leuitnt. in the Western war.4
Sir5 Mr. Coffyn Continues favours To all Americans that Chance To Come through France in Consequence of that I have Wrote Several Letters and Lodged them or Directed them To Be Loged in such Parts of London as may be most Convenient for them To fall in with.
Sir I Can not write in Particular which way we Propose To Gett To America But Rely Intierly on Mr. Coffyns Good Conduct.
Sir Please If Opertunity Favours, ither in your directions To Boston Braintree or Marblehead. This Sir Desire in Case any Mishap Might Befall us.6
NB. By saying us, there is on
Sir I Begg the Favor of Subcribing my self a True Born American
Left Marblehead8 the Place where I am Setled 8. June 1776. with Capn. Henry Johnson.9
Sir. Mr. Elbridge Gerry which was one of the Delagates of the Honorable Conteninl. Congress. and Lives in Marblehead in his fathers Mantion house Opposite myun.
Pray. Sir Remamber me To Mr. Gerry—and he will forward the Same.
Sir I Begg Pardon for Coa
JA's Diary entry for 22 Oct. provides a far more detailed account of Whitmarsh's adventures than does this letter and is apparently based on notes taken by JA during an interview with Whitmarsh (
Diary and Autobiography
, 2:322). It seems likely, therefore, that after writing this letter Whitmarsh went to Paris to present his case to the Commissioners and perhaps, in light of the last paragraph, to deliver it personally to JA. If so, his visit bore fruit because on 26 Oct. he received 240 livres from the Commissioners (Commissioners' Accounts with Ferdinand Grand,
Whitmarsh and Capt. Henry Johnson 139were captured when the Yankee was taken by the English sailors made prisoner from its prizes (Allen, Mass. Privateers
, p. 328).
Flushing, or Vlissingen, is a port in the Netherlands.
William Whitmarsh Jr. was born on 26 Dec. 1748; his father, William Sr., served as a lieutenant in the 1756 Crown Point expedition and filled various town offices in Braintree (
Braintree Town Records
, p. 795, 284, 297, 377, 434; Pattee, Old Braintree and Quincy
, p. 375).
The preceding two paragraphs appear on page one of tbe letter, while this, the following four paragraphs, and the signature were written on page three. The location of the remaining paragraphs is given in notes 6 and 10 (below).
As written, this paragraph makes little sense. Whitmarsh may have intended to clarify it with what, in this reconstruction, appears as the final three paragraphs of the letter. These are centered on page two, below the place and date, with wide margins above and below, and were probably intended to be inserted in the body of the letter, but there is no indication at what point this was to be done.
The preceding two words were written below this paragraph, in the left margin, with a single brace indicating somewhat ambiguously their intended location.
The following six words were written above the line, probably for insertion here.
This sentence was inclosed in braces and appears to have been intended to accompany the two paragraphs that follow. However, its position on the page could be an indication that it was to be part of the dateline.
This paragraph was placed in the left margin of page three. Its position, the appearance of the writing, and the slightly different colored ink make it likely that it was written last, perhaps after Whitmarsh had reached Paris. It would explain Whitmarsh's apology for “Coa
1778-10-13
By Letters this day from Couronna we have advice that the 30th Ultimo arrived at that Port an American privateer of 20 guns. She left Boston 14 August. He reports that Adml. How with the reinforcement he had receivd went down to Rhode Island. He there found Comte D'estaing who on his approach stood out to meet him. A Gale of wind prevented their engageing. Both Fleets sufferd severely by the Storm many ships being dismasted. Admiral How was returnd to New York and Comte d'Estaing had retaken his Post before Rhode Island.1 New Port was invested by the American Army. The privateer in her Passage took two packet Boats One from New York to England the other from England to New York many officers of Rank on board. He has brought Prisoners into Couronna, four Colonels four Majors Eighty others of differ
A French Frigate has sent into Vigo3 a Lisbon Packet with fifty Thousand pounds Sterling in Specie.
An Engagement betwixt a Spaniard and an English Privateer has occationd the sending from Ferol Two Spanish Frigates in quest of the Privateer with orders to bring her into Port if met with.4 I hope to be favor'd in course of post with the Letter of Marque for the Ship Liv-140ingston, requested by my last.5 Mr. Livingston writes me the Ship is in great forwardness. I should be sorry to have her detain'd. She will mount twenty Guns, is burthen 400 tons and will be mannd proportionally.
The French Merchants are in a most Critical State. All their ships are on the Seas coming home without Convoy. Upwards of fifty Sail are already taken. The Loss is estimated at One Milion Sterling. Premiums on them are at from 45 to 60 per cent.6 Their west India Trade is attended at this day with Charges as heavy as to the American States and more exposed. We ought to benefit by the present Opening but so great a stagnation has taken place that we see not a trantient adventurer. There are in this Port four Virginia Pilot Boats which all will not carry one hundred and fifty Tons, they are to load Salt and some triffling stock of Habadashery.
Had I your Commissions I could at this Day lay in a most Suitable Assortment of Coarse Woollens such as Blankets, Cloths, Moltens, Baizes, flannells, frizes, in short all articles of the most useful and highest Nessessity for this Winter the whole amounting to About Two hundred Thousand Livres. The goods are here in Store and could be Shipt in five Days, a most seasonable Supply it would prove to the States. Term for Payment say twelve Months if required could be obtain'd. All could be shipt without a days Delay as the object would be sufficient to load a Vessel which I could either Charter or purchase as you would most approve. Recommending this Humbly to your serious Consideration I am with due Respect Sirs Your most Obedient Humble Serv
Presumably Bondfield means that Estaing returned to his anchorage off Newport, from whence he almost immediately departed for Boston.
The Massachusetts privateer Vengeance, Capt. Wingate Newman, captured the packets Harriot and Eagle on 17 and 21 Sept. From the latter Newman seized four lieutenant colonels, three majors, and one coronet of dragoons, whom he delivered to the British commissary at La Coruna in return for an equal number of American prisoners (Allen, Mass. Privateers
, p. 314).
A town approximately twenty miles north of the Spanish-Portuguese border on the northwestern coast of Spain.
A closing bracket was inserted here. A copy of the letter to this point is now in the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Paris, Corr. Pol., E.-U., vol. 5). No indication of how or why the extract was communicated to the foreign ministry has been found.
Bondfield had written on 10 Oct. to request a letter of marque for the Governor Livingston, named for Philip Livingston and to be commanded by Muscoe Livingston, which was to be ready for sea by 1 Nov. (PPAmP: Franklin Papers). Although a letter of marque was apparently issued on or about 26 Oct., the Livingston
141did not sail until 10 May 1779, then with a cargo of military supplies, and did not arrive in America until 22 July. Livingston, however, was not on board as is evident from his letter to JA of 17 June (below;
Cal. Franklin Papers, A.P.S.
, 3:432; PCC, No. 78, X, f. 149; V, f. 381).
That is, the cost of insuring a vessel and cargo was from 45 to 60 percent of their value. For an earlier reference by Bondfield to the need for convoys and the high cost of insurance, see his letter to the Commissioners of 10 April, and note 7 (vol. 6:23–25).