Papers of John Adams, volume 17

From William Carmichael, 2 September 1785 Carmichael, William Adams, John

From William Carmichael

Sir St. Ildefonso 2d. Septr 1785

Since I had the honor to address you the 18th. Ulto. I have received an Answer from his Excy. the Ct. de Florida Blanca to the application I made in favor of Mr Watson.1 That Minister writes me “that it being necessary to have precise information of the nature of the Case The proper orders are given for this purpose by the Kings direction who is disposed to manifest on this occasion all the condescension which circumstances may admit.” I seize the earliest opportunity of advising your Excellency in order that the Friends of Mr Watson may be persuaded that no endeavour will be wanting on my part to procure his release which I flatter myself I shall be able to effect. I am sorry to inform you that the Algeriens have commenced hostilities against the States. I have vague entelligence of the Capture of five of our Vessels, two of which have Arrived at Algiers, where the prizes Cargoes and Prisoners were immediately Advertized for Sale— Nine Portuguese had also been carried into that Port, These Captures & the prospect of others had so greatly incouraged these Pirates That they are arming a number of Cruizers, many of which are actually or will be soon at Sea. I make no doubt that their Example will be followed By Tunis &c &c Two Algeriens are now here on the business of the Peace between Spain and their Regency. I shall probably have an opportunity of conversing with them But not being authorized & indeed not knowing what effect these hostilities may have in America, any insinuations which thus Situated I may be able to make, will have very little Weight. Mr Jefferson informs me that he will communicate to your Excy. a safer manner of corresponding. the one of which I am Constrained to avail Myself doth not permit me to enter into details2

With Great & sincere respect / I have the honor to be / Your Excellencys / Most Obedt. Hble. Sert.

Wm. Carmichael

RC (Adams Papers); internal address: “His Excy. / John Adams Minister / Plenipotentiary of the United States / at the Court of St. James—”; endorsed: “Mr Carmichael / 2. septr. 1785.”

For Carmichael’s letter of 18 Aug. (Adams Papers), see JA’s of 29 July, note 2, above.

On this date Carmichael wrote a much longer letter to Thomas Jefferson in which he attributed the problems with Algiers to “an illtimed attention to Parsimony and a misguided Jealousy of granting funds to our National Council” and went into considerable detail 390about Spanish-American relations. There, as he does here, Carmichael lamented his inability “to explain personally many things which I dare not comit to paper without a cypher” (Jefferson, Papers , 8:464–467).

To Thomas Jefferson, 4 September 1785 Adams, John Jefferson, Thomas

To Thomas Jefferson

Dear Sir Grosvenor Square Wesminster Septr. 4. 1785

I have received three Letter of the Tenor and Date of the within— I cannot find in any Gazetteer or geographical Dictionary any Such Place as Roscoff, and I can make nothing of the Story. I hope you have more Skill in Divination.1

I have no Letters from Congress, nor any Answer from the Ministry.

Pray what are the Sentiments in France upon the American Acts of Navigation? and what has been the Success of the French Whale Fishery? How many Ships have they Sent out this Year? The Britons have introduced into theirs a Spirit of Gambling, by giving a Bounty of 500£ to the Ship which has the greatest Success; 400£ to the next. This will make many Adventurers, and give a temporary Activity to the Business: But I rely upon it both the French and English Essays will fall through. My Reason for thinking so is, because the Business in itself is not profitable, and, excepting the four Vessells which may obtain the Bounties, the others upon an Average will be loosers. I know that my Countrymen in the best Times, with all their frugality, with all their Skill, and with their particular manner of conducting the Business could but barely live, and the Fishery was valuable to Us, only as a Remittance. The English are Sacrificing the Bread of thousands of their best Manufacturers to the interested Schemes of a very few Individuals and to a narrow Prejudice and a little Jealousy: but I dont believe the Delusion will be durable. Time will Shew, both them and the French, that it is better to buy our Oil and Candles and Fins, and pay for them in Buttons and Ribbons. if they dont, discover their Error We will lay on Duties upon Buttons and Ribbons, equal to the Alien Duties, and grant them out again in Bounties to our Whalemen.

We must not, my Friend, be the Bubbles of our own Liberal Sentiments. if We cannot obtain reciprocal Liberality, We must adopt reciprocal Prohibitions, Exclusions, Monopolies, and Imposts— our offers have been fair, more than fair. if they are rejected; We must not be the Dupes.—

With great Esteem, dear sir, yours

John Adams 391

RC and enclosure (DLC:Jefferson Papers); internal address: “His Excellency Thomas Jefferson.” LbC (Adams Papers); APM Reel 111. For the enclosure, see note 1.

Of the three letters referred to by JA, presumably all from Lister Asquith, only two have been found, both dated 19 Aug. at Roscoff, a French port on the English Channel approximately twenty miles northwest of Morlaix. The first is at its date in the Adams Papers, the second is with this letter in DLC: Jefferson Papers. JA’s bewilderment is owing to the fact that while the letters were similar in their appeals for assistance to prevent Asquith and his shipmates from being imprisoned, neither gave any details about the circumstances leading to such a situation.

Asquith was the owner of the American schooner William and Catherine, bound from Baltimore to Liverpool with a cargo of flour and tobacco. Weather prevented the vessel from making a port in England, and it was blown onto the French coast where, in considerable distress, it put into Ile de Batz, near Roscoff. There the Farmers General charged the vessel and its crew with seeking to smuggle tobacco into France in defiance of the Farmers General’s monopoly, seized the vessel, and imprisoned the crew. JA had no further involvement, and the crew was not freed until mid-1786, but see Asquith’s letter to Thomas Jefferson of [ca. 6 Sept. 1785] laying out the details of his case, and Jefferson’s 14 Nov. memorial to the Comte de Vergennes regarding the William and Catherine, Jefferson, Papers , 8:492–498; 9:31–38, 649–50.