Papers of John Adams, volume 16
I am here to collect together the Bills and Send them to you by Express.
When this Express returns, I pray you to Send by him, my Trunk and all my Cloaths. The Books you will deliver also to him or his order to be Sent to me. Will you be so good as to pack the Trunk yourself, and see that the Books, Papers, and Plate are well placed and fixed So that they may not shake too much. You will Send the Key, by him too. if the Trunk is not Sufficient he must purchase another. if Mr Ridley has the Trunk, he will consider this Letter as to him.— Upon a Second Thought, perhaps it would be better to take out the Plate and bring it in a small Box in the Carriage with the Express. There are 96 Pieces of it.
There are of the Bills 169 which I received of Messrs Fizeaux &c formerly and 375 which I received Yesterday. As I have given them a Receipt for these Bills it will be necessary for you to give me one. You have only to sign a Receipt at the Foot of the Lists inclosed, which is a Copy of the one, I gave them.—
| The | 169 | amount to | 186472 florins |
| The |
375
|
amount to |
290780:13
|
| total | 5461 | total | 477252:13.2 |
I am with great Respect, sir your / Frind & servant
P.S. our worthy Friend Mr Jay, returns to his Country like a Bee to his Hive, with both Legs richly loaded with Merit and Honour. He has no doubt announced to Congress his Intention of returning, and this I presume will occasion some Changes in their
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Arrangements, so that I dont think it probable I shall have Occasion to go to Paris at all. at least I shall wait at the Hague their Ultimate Directions. It is necessary for Some one to be here, or our Credit will be in danger of running down So low, that We shall not obtain Money enough to pay the Interest of what We have had.
RC (PHC:Charles Roberts Autograph Letters Coll.); internal address: “Hon. Thomas Barclay.” LbC (Adams Papers); APM Reel 107.
This should be 544. JA corrected the figure on the LbC.
For Barclay’s final totals, see his account of bills of exchange drawn on JA and Henry Laurens at 22 June, below.
You will have receiv’d advice before this of the departure of Mr Jay for London. I was at Passi on friday the Docter askd me if I had seen you and if you intended to come up. I told him that from some words you made use of I judged that you had had intention to come to paris but that some difficulties at present were obstacles to your design.1 Mr Laurence has also been at paris but only past throw in his Journey from the South of France to England. the Docter is here alone. Mr Hartley is at Paris as I am not of the Circle that surround Passi I am entirely a stranger to what passes
The Coffee House politicians are divided in their sentiments of the Event of the Emperors claim on Holland it furnishes them matter for debates2 with respect I have the Honor to be Sir / Your very hbl Servt
Hotel de valois—
RC (Adams Papers).
It is not known when Bondfield, the U.S. agent at Bordeaux and longtime friend of JA, had spoken with JA concerning his return to Paris. If it was in the form of correspondence, the letters are not extant.
For the Austro-Dutch conflict over the opening of the Scheldt River, see JA’s second letter of 13 May to the president of Congress, and note 1, above.
e.May 1784
En vous acheminant les Lettres, &c. ci-jointes, j’ai le plaisir de pouvoir vous dire, qu’il s’agit en ce moment très-sérieusement à l’Assemblée d’Hollde. des mesures pour arriver à la conclusion d’un
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Traité avec la Fce..1 Le Traité définitif de la pax, avec l’Angle. a été signé à Paris le 20. Je suis avec les respects de ma famille joints au mien, De Votre Excellence / le très-humble & très-obéissant / serviteur
In dispatching to you the enclosed letters, etc., I have the pleasure of being able to tell you that at this moment the Assembly of Holland is very seriously considering measures toward the conclusion of a treaty with France.1 The definitive peace treaty with England was signed at Paris on the 20th. With the regards of my family joined to my own, I am your excellency’s very humble and very obedient servant
RC (Adams Papers); internal address: “À son Exce. Mr. Adams.”
The 1 June Gazette d’Amsterdam indicated, in a report dated 30 May at The Hague, that the States of Holland and West Friesland had passed “une Résolution formelle, pour une Alliance entre la France & les Pays-Bas-Unis.” More importantly, however, the States General had adopted the same resolution and resolved “pour charger les Ambassadeurs de la République à Paris de proposer cette Alliance, à S. M. Très-Chrétienne.” But see JA’s second letter of 13 May to the president of Congress, and note 1, above.