Papers of John Adams, volume 14
9–11 February 1783]1
We are honoured with your Excellency's letter of 5 Inst: by whch. you desire us to advertise in Some Gazette, for all persons in Amstm., who have any demand on your Excellency to bring the acct: to us, to hand the Same to you, for examination, we shall perform it and stipulate the time for it till 1st. March.
We observe your Excellency desires to have charged to the acct. of the United States the ballances of your acct. but as Messrs Van Staphorst & de La Lande & fynje ‘d not look upon this order en debita forma as directed to us alone, we beg to get the enclosed returned to us signed by your Excellency.2
We hope not by the before mentioned motion your Excellency may Leave Europe without before returning in Holland, as we Wish to be happy enough to see you again before it, if otherwise by your passage thro’ other places any letters of our House can be serviciable to your Excellency, please to call upon us.
the solidity of the bonds of Danemarch is so much declined in the opinion of publicq that the same are offered at 90% without buyers.
Mr. Thaxter writes us about the Coach whch. stands in needs of many repairs to the Amount even of 25 a 30 guineas, but if the man doth not incline to this, it maybe Sold for 50 a 60 Guineas, we let him be informed of, and prefers to have it sold at said price or higher if possible so he humbly prays your Excellency to order the disposal of the same on said terms or better's.
we beg our Compliments to Mr Thaxter and have the honour to be with respectfull regard / Sir / Your Excellency's Most Humble / and most Obedient Servants
Pray Sir remember us to Mr J: Jay.3
The pacquet is handed to Mr Cerisier, such Pacquets costs a good deal of postage by the mails.
RC and enclosure (Adams Papers); internal address: “To his Excellency John Adams Esqr / Paris”; endorsed: “Messs Willinks.” Filmed at [February 1783].
This date is derived from the Willinks’ mention of JA's letter of 5 Feb., above, and the estimate that it would have taken from four to six days for a letter to travel from 254Paris to Amsterdam. This seems plausible because JA also wrote to Dumas on 5 and 7 Feb., both above, and in his reply of 13 Feb., below, Dumas indicated that the letter of the 5th was received by way of Amsterdam on the 13th, while that of the 7th was received directly from Paris on Tuesday the 11th.
The enclosure was a receipt indicating that the loan consortium was to charge to the account of the United States 7,107.06.08 guilders, received by JA.
This is likely Sir James Jay, for which see the Willinks’ letter of 9 Nov. 1782, above. The firm had had no known contact with his brother John to date.
thFeb
y:1783
We are induced to take the freedom to write to your Excellency from a presumption that our complicated situation will Justify the liberty— In short Sir we have several Ships on hand, but are entirely suspended in our opperations for the want of an eclaircessment respecting the extent of our commercial connection with England— We therefore hope your Excellency will favor us with your answer to the following questions, per return of Post if possible—Vizt:
Can American Vessels be Receiv'd in the Ports of England immediately after Peace is ratified? and if they will then be protected in the Ports of America with English Manufactored goods—?
We are told Congress are about contracting with the fermiers General to pay off the Continental debt in Tobacco,1 and shou'd this be the case we beg leave to crave your Excellency's patronage, We have been in treaty with the fermiers nearly Eighteen Months one of them dined with us lately in Nantes. and gave us some flattering expectations— Should they make application to your honour, and your knowledge of us can Justify your recommendation in our favour, we will pledge our honour, that you will never have cause to regret your confidence. and we shall esteem ourselves equally Indebted, whether we succeed or not— We think it apropos to observe that no American house in Europe receiv'd so large Consignments of Tobacco as ourselves in the course of the last Year, and we may add without flattery. no one better situated for Strict regularity and dispatch—2
We are with every sentiment of respect / your Excellency's— / Most Obedt. and very h'me Servants
RC (Adams Papers); internal address: “The Honble: John Adams Esqr. / Paris—”
On 24 March 1777 Benjamin Franklin and Silas Deane signed a contract with the Farmers General for a loan of two million livres to be paid for by shipments of tobacco, half the money to be advanced immediately. The second million was never paid, and by the date of this letter the Farmers General had received tobacco valued only at 153,229 255livres. In July the Farmers General wrote to Franklin to demand payment, but when Congress considered the request in November, it thought it inappropriate to enter into commercial transactions to discharge the debt, proposing instead that the debt be repaid using whatever revenues were available to Congress for the purpose. However, no payments had been made prior to the dissolution of the Farmers General in 1791 (Jacob M. Price, France and the Chesapeake, 2 vols., Ann Arbor, Mich. 1973, 2:714–715;
JCC
, 25:792–793).
Watson & Cossoul was founded by Elkanah Watson, a young merchant from Massachusetts who had apprenticed with John Brown of Providence, and François Cossoul, a Nantes merchant. Watson, who first went to Europe in 1779, had exchanged letters with JA in 1780, beginning a sporadic correspondence that would continue through 1825 (vol. 9:32–34, 256–257, 276–278). Initially prosperous, by late 1783 the firm was bankrupt and dissolved. Watson and Cossoul moved their business to the Americas, establishing operations in Edenton, N.C., and Haiti (
DAB
). In his reply of 16 Feb., JA indicated his belief that American ships would be received in either British or U.S. ports without passports. He added that he would keep the firm's request in mind if contacted by the Farmers General (LbC, APM Reel 108).