Papers of John Adams, volume 16
Your Favr. of the 20th. Inst. arrived last Evening— It is not in pursuance of a recent or hasty Resolution, that I am preparing to return: It has been long taken & maturely considered. the public Accounts still detain me, for ’tho’ always kept by Mr Carmichael, I do not chuse to leave them unsettled behind me— when that Obstacle ceases, which I expect will be very soon, I shall leave Paris. I daily expect Answers to Letters by which I desired a Friend in London to enquire & inform me about a New York vessel there. it is probable I may go in her, if not, I must look out for some other opportunity.
There are Accounts of Barney’s Arrival— perhaps he may be sent back with the Papers you mention— if so, we may soon see him, and in that Case I would return with him.
The coming of your family will be a great Consolation to you & them— may you have a speedy & happy meeting. I wish they had made you a visit immediately on the Return of Peace; & in this wish Mrs. Jay sincerely joins. would it be very inconvenient to you to come to Paris? I cannot propose that you should leave any thing undone, which ought to be done—but if there be no Objection of
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that Sort, a Trip to Paris would not be an unpleasant Excursion. who knows but that you might meet the Commission here—if not, you will certainly meet a cordial welcome from / Dear Sir / Your Friend & Servt
Mr Hartley is daily expected— my Compts. to your Son
Just as I began to fold up this Letter a Gent. told me that He saw Mr Hartley this morng. at Dr. Franklin’s—1
RC (Adams Papers); internal address: “His Exy John Adams Esqr.”
This sentence was written vertically in the left margin.
th:1784
We received the Letter you did us the honour of writing to us the 10th. Inst, with the project of a Treaty that had been transmitted to you by the Baron de Thulemeier, which we have examined, & return herewith, having made a few small Additions or Changes of Words to be proposed, such as Citoyens for Sujets and the like, and intimated some Explanations as wanted in particular Paragraphs.1 The sooner a Copy, with such of these Changes as shall be agreed to by your Excellency and the Prussian Minister, is forwarded to Congress for their Approbation, the better. With regard to the Language of Treaties, we are of Opinion that if the Ministers of the Nation we treat with insist on having the Treaty in their own Language we should then insist on having it also in ours, both to be sign’d at the same time; this was done in our Treaties with France; but if both Parties agree to use a Language that is particular to neither but common to both, as the Latin, or the French, as was done in our Treaty with Sweden, we then think it not necessary to have it also signed in English.2
With great Respect, we are, / Sir, / Your most Obedient and / most humble Servants
John Jay
RC (Adams Papers); internal address: “His Excellency John Adams Esqr”; docketed by JA: “Dr Franklin / Mr Jay / 1784”; and by CFA: “April 29th.”
For the changes to the draft Prussian-American treaty suggested by JA, Franklin, and Jay, see the Proposed Prussian-American Treaty of Amity and Commerce, [9 April — post 5 May], No. II, above.
Franklin and Jay are addressing JA’s 180 comment at the end of his 10 April letter, above, regarding the languages in which the treaty should appear, but since the treaty proposed by the Baron von Thulemeier was never concluded it was an issue of no consequence.