Papers of John Adams, volume 16
van Staphorst, and De la Lande & Fynje
th:1784.
I am to take with me to Paris, a Quantity of Bills of Exchange, formerly accepted by me, in behalf of the United States and paid by Messrs: Fizeaux, Grand & Co. it is necessary that a List of these Bills should be made, before I sign a Receipt for them; and therefore, these are to request you, to speak to Mr: Fizeau upon the subject, and assist in making the List, or at least in examining and comparing it, that there may be no mistake; I shall call at Amsterdam, for the Bills the latter End of next Week, or beginning of the week after, at furthest.1
I am &c.
P.S. I owe Mr: Holtzhey, Medallist for some Medals. will you be so good as to pay this, and send me the Receipt, and charge it to the United States as part of my Salary?2 One favour more: i: e: a List of the Sums, of Money, advanced to me, and payments for me, in Paris, London, or here since last July— This will be necessary for me to have in order to the settlement of my Account, with Congress or Mr: Barclay.3
LbC in JQA’s hand (Adams Papers); internal address: “Messrs: Wilhem & Jan Willink / Nicholas & Jacob van Staphorst / & / De la Lande & Fynje.”; APM Reel 107.
For JA’s effort to obtain an accounting of the bills of exchange, see his 4 May letter to Fizeaux, Grand & Co., and note 1, above. In its reply of 11 May (Adams Papers), the consortium wrote that “we applyed to Mr. Fiseaux, who has promised us to get the bills with the note ready.”
JA wrote to Jean George Holtzhey on 8 May (LbC, APM Reel 107), indicating that he had instructed the consortium to pay him for the medals, and in its reply of 11 May (Adams Papers) the consortium promised to do so.
The list, not found, was enclosed with 203 the consortium’s reply. In preparing his account with the United States for presentation to Thomas Barclay, JA had first requested a statement from the consortium in his letter of 16 Aug. 1783 (vol. 15:232–233). He requested a second update in his letter of 25 Aug. 1784, below.
I have rec’d the Letter you did me the Honour to write me yesterday.
I am surprised that Mr: Barclay, should desire you to transmit to me, any Information respecting the Bills, as I have nothing to do with them, and I have no Curiosity about them.1 I am still more surprised at your saying that I stand accountable for a Bill of 824.ƒ— I presume to say, Mr: Thaxter had too much Sense and Modesty, ever to promise the acceptance of a Bill, which he had no authority to do. And I most certainly never promised any such Thing. And now I promise I will have nothing to do with it—not so much as to write to Congress about it.2
Your most humble Servant.
LbC in JQA’s hand (Adams Papers); internal address: “Messrs: Roland & Co.”; APM Reel 107.
Rolland & Co., an Amsterdam mercantile firm, took over the business of Jean de Neufville & Fils following the elder Neufville’s 1782 retirement. It wrote JA on 8 May 1784 (Adams Papers) in response to a 26 April letter from Thomas Barclay regarding bills drawn on the United States and presumably accepted by the Neufville firm. JA’s disinterest in the bills was probably owing to their being drawn on John Jay at Madrid—all denominated in Mexican dollars. In the final accounting it was noted that the bills, drawn in favor of a William Pickles, had been paid twice (Winter, Amer. Finance and Dutch Investment
, 1:150; DNA:RG 39, Foreign Ledgers, Public Agents in Europe, 1776–1787, Microfilm, Reel 1, f. 403). JA wrote to Barclay on 10 May, quoting therein from Rolland & Co.’s letter regarding the bills of exchange (LbC, APM Reel 107).
The bill for ƒ824 that John Thaxter reportedly approved for payment had been remitted by Elkanah Watson.
I have this Moment rec’d your Letter of the 6th: and have now only to say, that if you have not absolutely engaged the House I desire you would not engage it at all, and if you have engaged it, to get released from that Engagement upon the easiest Terms you can— This is an Unlucky Change of Mind But I shall not change again.1
With great Esteem, your &c.
LbC in JQA’s hand (Adams Papers); internal address: “Mr: Barclay.”; APM Reel 107.
But see JA’s letter to Barclay of 27 July, below.