Papers of John Adams, volume 14
Permettez-moi que je seliute a Votre Exe. sur l’heureuse issue de notre Gloirieuse Cause, voila nos Ennemis abattú & l’honneur retabli pour jamais a notre Amerique, votre Exe. doit connoitre mieux que personne la grande part que je prend dans tout ce qui concerne les Interets de l’Etats Unis de l’Amerique,1 pour le service desquels je n’ai pas hesité comme une marque de mon attachement a exposer toute ma fortune par consequent elle pourra concevoir de quel plaisir je dois etré animé en nous voyant parvenú en si peu de temps a un but ou les Hollandois n’ont pú atteindre qu’apres septante ans,2 je m’en rejouis & n’en ai jamais douté.
Cette Cour vient finalement a vouloir faire aussi quelque chose pour r’appeller ceux qu’ils ont si legerement & imprudemment bannis, il sembla qu’ils sont revenú de leur ancienne fierté, fondé sur la jadis puissance de l’Angleterre, ils ont soutenú ce Caractere bien en avant & il n’y a que quelque tems qu’ils ont commencé a craindre les Consequences ils ont donc finallement par l’inclus decret revoqué on de trait ceux par lesquels ils nous ont si fortement offensé,3 je tache presentement que je puis decouvrir ma Commission d’aprofondir autant qu’il me sera possible les Dispositions du 279Portugal envers l’Amerique, sans cependant en rien compromettre les Etats-Unis, etant trés fortement persuadé que l’interet du Portugal l’exige, qu’ils nous recherchoient puisque nous pouvons vendre & acheter partout avec moins de géne & plus bon marché. si par des Efforts extraordinaires (& a qouy ils semblent peu disposé) Messrs. le Portugais, ne nous engagoient a leur accorder notre Amitié. sur le pied dont nous l’accordont a toute autre Nation, j’avoue que cet Edict semble plutot etré dicté pour ne plus grossir la masse des affronts dont ils craignoient les consequençes que par un desir Reel a nous faire plaisir, & de celui de nous donner une Satisfaction, ils n’y ont envisagé que Lapas de leur Interets, qui pendant cette Guerre les a fait patir, pour avoir eu trop de Complaisançe pour l’Angleterre, & dont ils veuloient se refaire.
Mon Interêt est lié a celui des Etâts-Unis, & si je ne pui parvenir a etablir une Correspondance entre ces Paÿs d’un avantage reciproque, je m’en irai plutot en Amerique que d’y donner les mains.
Je serois extremement charmé de recevoir des Nouvelles de Votre Exe. e je la prie de Croire que je suis avec beaucoup d’Estime / de Votre Exe. / très humble & très ôbeisst. Serviteur
d.Henrÿ Dohrman
P. S. Je prie votre Exe. de assurer de mon Respect a Messrs. Franklyn, Jay & Laurens, auquels deux premiers nommé j’ai eu l’honneur d’ecrire plusieurs Lettres, dont je n’ai jamais eu de Reponse.4
Translation
Allow me to salute your excellency on the felicitous outcome of our glorious cause. Our enemies are defeated and America's honor is restored forever. Your excellency must know better than anyone what a large part I take in everything that concerns the interests of the United States of America.1 As proof of my attachment, I have unhesitatingly put my entire fortune at risk. Accordingly, you may well imagine how delighted I am to see us reach, in so short a time, a goal that the Dutch only attained after seventy years.2 I rejoice, and indeed never doubted it.
The court here has finally reached the point of wanting to do something to recall those it so unthinkingly and imprudently banished. The Portuguese seem to have renounced their former arrogance, founded on England's former might. They persisted in this trait for a long time and only began to fear the consequences quite recently. In the enclosed decree, they henceforth revoke in a few lines all previous decrees that proved so 280offensive to us.3 At present I am trying to bring to fruition my commission to develop Portuguese relations with America as much as I can, without compromising the United States in any way, convinced as I am that this is in the best interests of Portugal. I think they were courting us, since we can buy and sell everywhere with less bother and expense. If through some extraordinary effort (to which they seem little inclined) the Portuguese were not urging us to grant them our friendship on the same footing as we grant it to every other nation, I confess this edict might seem dictated more by a desire to avoid adding to the mass of insults, with consequences they fear, than by a real desire to please us or to give us satisfaction. They saw only the allure of their own interests, which caused them to suffer during the war for having been too obliging toward England, and they wanted to retrieve their losses.
My own interest lies with the United States, and if I cannot manage to establish a reciprocally advantageous exchange between these countries, then I would sooner leave for America than give my hand to it.
I would be extremely delighted to receive news from your excellency and please be persuaded that I am, with great esteem, your excellency's very humble and very obedient servant
d.Henrÿ Dohrman
P. S. Please will your excellency give my respects to Messrs. Franklin, Jay, and Laurens. I had the honor of writing several times to the first two gentlemen but never received a reply.4
RC and enclosures (Adams Papers). For the enclosures, see note 3.
Dohrman had served as U.S. agent to Portugal since 1780 (vol. 11:56–57).
That is, the Dutch had taken seventy years to become independent from Spain, while it had taken the Americans only seven to be free from Britain. The Dutch revolt began in 1566 and ended only with the 1648 Peace of Münster. The twelve-year discrepancy is owing to the Twelve Years’ Truce, from 1609 to 1621 (vol. 10:115).
On 15 Feb. the queen of Portugal issued a decree allowing American vessels to trade in Portuguese ports for the first time since they were banned on 5 July 1776. Dohrman enclosed the printed decree in Portuguese and his own French translation.
Dohrman had written to the American Commissioners on 5 May 1778 and to Franklin on 22 Sept. 1778 (
Cal. Franklin Papers, A.P.S.
, 1:413, 502), but no extant letters to John Jay have been found. For letters from JA to Dohrman in 1780 and 1781, see vol. 9:319; 11:56.
ca. 20 February 1783]
We have recd. the Letter wh you did us the Honor to write on the 18th. Inst, together with the Passports mentioned in it.
His britannic Majesty's Proclamation of the 14th. Instant has our entire approbation, and we have the honor of transmitting to you, herewith enclosed, a Declaration perfectly correspondent with it.
It appears to us important to both Countries that a System be speedily adopted to regulate the Commerce between them; and it gives us pleasure to inform you that we are authorized to form one,1 on Principles so liberal, as that british Merchants shall enjoy in America & her Ports & Waters, the same Immunities and Priviledges with her own; provided that a similar Indulgence be allowed to those of our Country, in common with british Subjects merchts. in general—
We presume that such a System will on consideration appear most convenient to both; but if it sh if so, we shall be ready to include it in the definitive Treaty—d. not, we shall be ready to frame one on narrower Principles of Reciprocity.
We flatter ourselves that this overture will be considered as a Mark of our attention to the Principles adopted in the Preamble of our Preliminaries,2 and of our Desire to render the commercial Intercourse between us free from Embarrassing & partial Restrictions—
We have the Honor to be with great Regard & Esteem / Sir / Your most obt & very / hble servt
Dft in an unknown hand (Adams Papers); endorsed in an unknown hand: “Sketch of a Letter.”; and by JA: “to Mr Fitzherbert.”
Congress resolved on 31 Dec. 1782 to authorize the American Peace Commissioners to negotiate commercial stipulations as part of an Anglo-American peace treaty (
JCC
, 23:838).
The preamble to the preliminary treaty of 30 Nov. 1782, above, expresses the joint hope that “a beneficial and Satisfactory Intercourse, between the two Countries may be established, as to promise and Secure to both, perpetual Peace and Harmony.”