Papers of John Adams, volume 18
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I Have Been Honoured with Your favour By Mr̃ Joy to Whom I Will Readily Render Every Service in My power, and am also to thank You for the Valuable Books You took the trouble to Collect for me—in the Cause of My Black Brethren I feel Myself Warmly interested, and Most decidedly Side, so far as Respects them, Against the White part of Mankind— Whatever Be the Complexion of the Enslaved, it does not, in my opinion, Alter the Complexion of the Crime Which the Enslaver Commits, a Crime Much Blaker than Any Affrican face— it is to me a Matter of Great Anxiety and Concern to find that this trade is Some times perpetrated under the flag of liberty, our dear and Noble Stripes, to which Virtue and Glory Have Been Constant Standard Bearers— Inclosed I Beg leave to Send a letter for mr̃ Sharp with Aknowledgements for His Attention—
No Event of Great Importance in Paris— Cardinal de Rohan’s Afair Has Produced Many Memoirs— Which of the different tales is the Right one, I do not pretend to Say— the Cardinal Has Been Either a Rogue or a fool, the later Seems the More probable—2 all the farms Have Been Renewed with an Augmentation of Revenüe—that of tobacco Excepted, and on this as well as Every other point I stand a warm Opposer to the Principles of the farm—3 on this Side of the Channel, When Good deeds fail, You will at least find Good Intentions—in England Neither— While Policy is the Result of Passion not of Reason, Every Sensible Calculation is at an End, and it is Still a Matter of doubt with me, However Strange it Appears, if they will Give up the forts, or let us Have the pleasure to Walk into those formidable Works on our Saratoga tune of Yankee doodle.
My Best Respects Wait on the Ladies to Whom as Well as to You Md̃e de Lafayette and our little family present their Affectionate Compliments— Remember me to My friend Colonel Smith— with Every Sentiment of Affection and Regard I Have the Honour to Be— / My dear Sir / Yours
RC (Adams Papers); endorsed by AA2: “the Marquis de la Fayette / Feb 22d—”; and by JA: “1785.”
Lafayette wrote again on 26 Feb. (CtY: S. W. Jackson Coll.). There he replied directly to JA’s 31 Jan. letter, above, praising C. W. F. Dumas’ service to the United States, and asking for JA’s opinion, presumably as U.S. minister to the Netherlands in absentia, on Dutch political unrest.
For the Diamond Necklace Affair, a French court scandal perpetrated by Louis René Edouard, Cardinal de Rohan, and his mistress, Jeanne de La Motte, see vol. 17:341. After their sensational trials, and in tandem with several popular accounts issued by minor participants or observers of the plot, La Motte published Mémoire pour dame Jeanne de Saint-Rémy de Valois, Paris, 1785, and Rohan wrote Requête de monsieur le Cardinal de Rohan au Parlement, Paris, 1785.
For Lafayette’s opposition to the Farmers General and his unsuccessful efforts to have it abolished, see his 16 June 1786 letter, and note 2, below.
th.1786
The last Letter I had the Honor to address to your Excellency was of the 17th: instant—conveyed by Mr Harrison, who has resided in Cadiz, I believe in Quality of Consul—in which I suggested some small Difficulties embarrassing Mr Lamb’s Embarkation—but as I had not received Intelligence of their Removal until Mr Harrison was on the Point setting out—he will supply to your Excellency, that Permission is granted to Mr Lamb for extracting the Sum of £2,000 St out of the Kingdom upon giving Caution to abide the Directions of the Court thereupon.—
Mr Lamb has since purchased a Vessel, instead of freighting, which was perhaps rendered necessary considering a full Quarantine, and that he was demanded half the Price of a small Vessel—for the Freight of a few Months. In three or four days the Vessel will be rendered fit for Sea—at the End of which Time, I know of no further Obstacles to impede our Progress to Algiers. We have no late Intelligence from thence, and are not acquainted or even informed:— whether the spanish Peace is absolutely concluded or not—tho’ we are in the presumption that it must be e’er this.
My Industry should not be wanting in seeking every Occasion to advise your Excellency upon each individual Step, could my Services be equal with my Intentions—but that crude Information might rather obscure than reflect Light upon the Business—especially as we have not always safe Conveyances to command at this Distance.
Mr Jefferson will conclude from Mr Harrison that Mr Lamb will shortly proceed— therefore it may not be of so much Importance to
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offer this Letter for his Inspection—rather than take a more unsuspicious Method of forwarding it to your Excellency inclosed to my Brother— but as I conceived it might be in some Measure satisfactory to your Excellency to be ascertained in these trifling Particulars in a Business so interesting;—I have taken the Liberty to write, and at the same time to evince, that in Matters of more Consequence my Attention shall not be wanting.
With sentiments of the highest Respect, your Excellency will permit me to consider myself / Your most obedient & hum s[er]t
With the purest satisfaction I reflect upon the Expressions of Kindness from Mrs. & Miss Adams on my Expedition, and wish on all Occasions to be suffered respectfully to declare my Sensibility of the honor confered on me.
RC (Adams Papers); addressed: “His Excellency / John Adams Esquire.— / Minister plenipotentiary from the / United states of America at the Court of / Great Britain— / Grosvener square. Corner of Duke street / London.”; internal address: “His Excellency / John Adams Esqr. / Minister plenipotentiary from / the United states of America.”; endorsed by WSS: “Barcelona Feby. / 25th. 1786— / from P. R. Randall / Copy sent to Mr. Jay. / 28th. March 1786—” Some loss of text where the seal was removed. WSS refers to the copy of this letter that was likely enclosed with the commissioners’ 28 March letter to John Jay, below.