Papers of John Adams, volume 14
th.January. 1783—
Upon receiving the letter you did me the honor to write me on the 24th. late last evening, I went immediately to consult with my Colleague, Mr: Jay—and we agreed to go this morning to Dr: Franklin. Accordingly we went today to Passy & communicated your letter to him & after recollecting the Powers we have received, we all 218agreed that I should make you the following answer—
You will readily recollect the Resolutions of Congress which I did myself the honor, two years ago, to communicate to the President of their High-Mightinesses, & to the Ministers of Russia, Sweden & Denmark, at the Hague. The letter to the President was sent “au Greffe”—and there may perhaps be now found. These Resolutions contained the approbation of Congress of the Principles of the Declaration of the Empress of Russia, and authorised any of the American Ministers in Europe, if invited thereto, to pledge the faith of the United-States to the observance of them—1
Sometime after this, Congress sent Mr: Dana a Commission, with full power, to accede to the Principles of the Marine Treaty between the Neutral Powers; and he is now at Petersburg, vested with those Powers; and, according to late Intelligence from him, has wellfounded Expectations of being soon admitted—2
It is the opinion of my Colleagues as well as my own, that no Commission of mine, to their High-Mightinesses, contains authority to negotiate this business, and we are all of opinion, that it is most proper that Mr: Dana should negotiate it—
But, as there has been no express revocation of the Power, given to all or any of us, by the first Resolutions, and, if the Case should happen that Mr: Dana could not attend in Season, on account of the Distance, for the sake of accelerating the Signature of the Definitive Treaty of Peace We should not hesitate to pledge the faith of the United-States to the observance of the Principles of the Armed-Neutrality— I wish it were in my power to give you a more satisfactory answer, but Candor will warrant no other—3
With great respect to the Gentlemen, as well as to you, I have the honor to be, Sir, / Your humle: Servt.
RC in Charles Storer's hand (PHC: Charles Roberts Autographs Coll.); internal address: “Mr: C: W: F: Dumas.” endorsed: “Paris 29e. Janv. 1783 / S. E. Mr. J. Adams / 29e reçue par Courier de Mr. l’Ambr. / de Fce. la 1er. Fevr. au matin vers midi / rep. le 4 fevr.” LbC (Adams Papers); APM Reel 108.
For
JA's memorial to the States General of 8 March 1781, which Dumas presented to its president on the 10th, see vol. 11:185; and for his letters of the same date to the diplomatic representatives of Russia, Sweden, and Denmark, as well as to the pensionaries of Amsterdam, see same, p. 182–184. JA's letters proposed that the United States accede to the principles of the Armed Neutrality under the terms of Congress’ resolution of 5 Oct. 1780 (
JCC
, 18:905–906). JA's 1780 initiative came to nothing because the United States was then a belligerent and not recognized by any of the members of the Armed Neutrality, including the Netherlands. JA apparently assumed that since the memorial was sent “au Greffe” or “to the secretary,” it could be found in the office of Hendrik Fagel, the secretary of the States General.
Francis Dana's commission empowering 219him to act as indicated here was of 19 Dec. 1780 (
JCC
, 18:1166–1168).
Though JA does not mention it in any of his correspondence for this period, he and Benjamin Franklin apparently met with Dutch negotiators Gerard Brantsen and Mattheus Lestevenon van Berkenrode at JA's residence and conveyed to them the information contained in this letter. The meeting was likely the result of Dumas’ 24 Jan. letter authorizing JA to confer “ministerially” on the subject, above, and is described in JA's 7 July letter to Robert R. Livingston (Wharton, Dipl. Corr. Amer. Rev.
, 6:518).
Your Favour of the 25 of October never reached me till to day, but it has given me great Pleasure as your Letters always do.— I was disappointed however in finding no Line from Mr Warren except the Superscription of yours.1
I assure you, Madam, what I Said about certain Annals was no Sarcasm. I have the Utmost Veneration for them, although I never was honoured with a Sight of any of them.2
Let me intreat you not to reserve any Place in them for the Dutch Negotiation, if you intend to celebrate my Patience, of all Virtues or Qualities I hate Most to be praised for my Patience. I had rather you Should immortalize my Impudence, for I rather think it was this quality, than the other which produced the Effect in Holland.— I entered into the Seven United Provinces with as much Impudence, as I should have appeared in the 13 United States of America. As Johnny Morehead Said to Mr Bollan. “Mr Such an one used, Sir, to come into my House with as much Impudence, as you would come into your own.[”]3 If the Word Shocks you Madam call it modest Assurance, or honest Boldness, or almost what you will except Patience.
The Times, Madam have made a Strange Being of me. I shall appear a Domestic Animal, never at home, a bashfull Creature, braving the Fronts of the greatest ones of the Earth.—a timid Man, venturing on a long Series of the greatest dangers.—an irritable fiery Mortal, enduring every Provocation and Disgust—a delicate Valeludinarian4 bearing the greatest Hardships.—an humble Farmer, despising Pomp, shew Power and Weath, as profuse as a Prodigal and as Proud as Cæsar— But an honest Man in all and to the Death.—
Alass! who would wish for Such a Character? Who would wish to live in Times and Circumstances when to be an honest Man, one must be all the rest.? Not I.— it can never be the Duty of one Man 220to be concerned in more than one Revolution. And therefore I will never have any Thing to do with another.
But to be more to the Purpose—I Sincerely hope my Friend Mr Warren will go to Congress. I am astonished to learn that at a Time when a large Portion of the Massachusetts was at Stake and in question, and all their Fisheries there should be, but one Member attending the Great Wheel from that State.
I have never had an Opportunity, Madam, to see your Son since he has been in Europe, but once or twice at Amsterdam, and that before I had an House there. He has been travelling from Place to Place; and altho’ I have often enquired after him, I have seldom been able to hear of him. I have heard nothing to his disadvantage; except a Shyness and Secrecy, which, as it is uncommon in young Gentlemen of his Age and Education is the more remarked, and a general Reputation which he brought with him from Boston of loving Play. But I have not been able to learn, that he has indulged it improperly in Europe. But my Advice to him and every young American is and uniformly will be, to stay in Europe but a little while.5
The Reflection, Mrs Warren, that We are now at Peace after the Contest of one and twenty years, which you and I have been witnesses of, is Sweet indeed.— Those Qualities which through the Course of that Period have attracted the Attention and Confidence of the People, will now be little regarded, content, They have answered their End, and may now be laid aside.— Yet it is too Soon for Mr Warren or me to retire— Stability and Dignity must be given to the Laws, or our Labours have all been in vain and the old Hands must do this or it will not be done.
I hope to have the Pleasure of renewing old Acquaintances e’er long, and of being no stranger at the Blue Hills.
There is but one Case in which it is possible that I should Stay in Europe another year, and that is that Congress should renew the Commission with which I came out to make a Treaty of Commerce with Great Britain, in that Case I should hope my Dr Mrs Adams would come to me. But there is not I think the least Probability of that, nor indeed do I desire it.6 The first and strongest Wish of my Heart is to go home to my Family.— But in all Events The Mountain shall come to Mahomet or Mahomet shall go to the Mountain. My Family shall come to me or I will go to them.
With the greatest Esteem and Respect, Madam, / I have the Honour to be, your Fred, & sert
RC (MHi:Warren-Adams Coll.); internal address: “Mrs Warren.” endorsed: “J Adams Esqr. / Jany 29th 1783 / Paris—” LbC (Adams Papers); APM Reel 108.
For Mercy Otis Warren's letter, see vol. 13:541–544. James Warren wrote on 1 Nov., above, but the dispatch of his letter was delayed and it apparently did not reach JA until early April. For the letter's arrival and its effect, see note 1 to Warren's 1 Nov. letter and JA's reply of 9 April, and note 2, below.
This reference is to Mercy Warren's comment regarding JA's letter to James Warren of 17 June 1782 (vol. 13:127–128). There JA speculates about how his negotiations in the Netherlands would be treated in her proposed history of the Revolution, but see note 2 to her letter of 25 October (same, p. 543).
This exchange was probably between Rev. John Moorehead, minister of the Presbyterian Church in Long Lane, Boston, who was noted for his irascibility, and William Bollan, one-time Massachusetts agent in London and former owner of the Brattle Square house that JA purchased in 1768 (
Warren-Adams Letters
, 2:188; JA, D&A
, 3:286–287). The origin of this anecdote is unknown, but for another concerning Moorehead, see JA, D&A
, 2:65.
JA likely meant “valetudinarian,” and John Thaxter changed it to such in the Letterbook. The word refers to a person in ill health, particularly one who is preoccupied with his complaints (
OED
).
When Winslow Warren visited JA at Amsterdam in April 1781, JA had recommended him to Edmund Jenings (vol. 11:296). For Warren's adventures since his departure from America in the summer of 1780, including his capture on his voyage to Europe and 1781 arrest in London in the aftermath of John André's execution, see vols. 9:289; 11:75–76;
AFC
, 3:359–360.
In the recipient's copy, this paragraph is heavily canceled and for the most part unreadable. The text here is provided from the Letterbook, where the corresponding paragraph is not canceled. The cancellation of the text in the recipient's copy was most likely done by Mercy Warren, as it is very unlikely that JA would send a letter with a heavily canceled passage to anyone, much less a friend. Mercy Warren's motive in canceling the passage may have been to remove the perceived criticism in JA's references to her son's “Shyness and Secrecy” and reputation for “loving Play.”
Compare JA's comment here on the possibility that he would remain in Europe with that in his letter to AA of this date (
AFC
, 5:82–83).