Papers of John Adams, volume 18
th.1786
We do ourselves the Honor of transmitting to you a Duplicate of our Letters to yourself, and the Commissioners of the Dutch Loans of the 7th: and 22d: March last.1 The latter together with one of this Date addressed to the same Gentlemen & Enclosing a Bill in their Favor on Messrs: Wilhem, and Jan Willink of Amsterdam, we Request the Favor of you to forward by the first Mail—2 Our Letter to the Commissioners is left open for your Perusal, by which you will find, that our Directions to those Gentlemen are to Appropriate the Proceeds of this Bill for the Purpose specified in the Resolve of Congress of the 14th: Feby. 1785 relative to the proposed Treaties with the Barbary Powers, in Case the Monies appropriated for this Object have not been drawn out of their hands, previous to the Receipt of this Bill: but in Case this Event has taken Place our Orders are to discount the Bill, and to apply the Proceeds for the Payment of the Dutch Interest, which becomes due on the first of June next— This Remittance, added to the Sum of Thirty thousand Dollars, which will be remitted to them for the same Purpose by Messrs: Constable Rucker & Co. in pursuance of a Contract made with this Board will very nearly Compleat the whole Sum of Interest which will become due on that day; the Deficiency we trust will be made up by additional Subscriptions to the Loan; but should this not be the Case, we must request you not to draw the whole Monies appropriated for the Barbary Treaties out of the hands of the Commissioners (if not already done) relying on our taking Measures to remit, with all possible Dispatch to those Gentlemen a further Sum of Twenty-thousand Dollars, with Directions to apply it in the first Instance to make up any Deficiency arising on this Account on the Sum of Eighty Thousand Dollars, appropriated for the Purpose above mention’d—
We have the Honor to be with great / Esteem, Your Obedt: Humble: Servts:
Walter Livingston
RC and enclosures (Adams Papers); internal address: “Honble: John Adams Esqr. / Minister Plenipoteniary / from the United States to the / Court of Great Britain.” Dupl (Adams Papers); addressed: “The Honble / John Adams Esqr. Minister / Plenipy. of the United States / to the Court of / London”; endorsed: “Board of Treasury. / 6. Ap. 1786.”
For the copies of the board’s 7 March letter in the Adams Papers, including the one enclosed with this letter, see note 1 to that letter, above. The enclosed 22 March letter to the consortium reported on the progress of the impost, indicated that funds for the Barbary negotiations would be remitted to it, commented on the De la Lande & Fynje bankruptcy, and expressed its hope that the favorable attitude of the States General would facilitate the consortium’s completion of the 1784 Dutch loan. It is not known when JA received the duplicate. For the bankruptcy, see vol. 17:index, Loan consortium.
JA forwarded the board’s letter to the Dutch bankers with his letter to them of 19 May 1786, below. In a reply of the same day to the board, also below, he advised that Congress should rely on collecting the impost to raise the necessary funds, since the Algerian and Moroccan missions had advanced to a degree that it was “not in my Power to withhold the Money appropriated for that Service.”
I lately sent you five or six copies of the last Edition of my Pamphlet. I then supposed it to be correct, but have since discovered in it the Errors mentioned in the inclosed note—1 be pleased to correct it accordingly.
we are well tho not officially informed that all the States have granted the Impost to Congress, except new York, in whose Legislature there is a strong Party against it. You will think it strange, and yet so the Fact is that this Party has not a little been cherished by certain Gentlemen of Congress who were here last Autumn—
Your Letters by the last Packet have been recd.—but I defer particulars to a private opportunity which I am told will soon offer—
Yours very sincerely
{In my opinion a categorical answer to your memorial should not be prest without the further order of Congress.}2
RC (Adams Papers).
For the controversy and ensuing pamphlet war between Jay and Lewis Littlepage, see Jay’s 2 Feb. letter, and note 1, above. Jay’s “inclosed note” has not been found.
For the Adams-Jay code used here, see JA’s first letter of 3 Dec. 1785 to Jay, note 1, above. This letter was presumably decoded upon its arrival, but no such decoding has 236 been found. The text given here is taken from the decoded passage in CFA’s hand appearing immediately below the encoded passage. For Congress’ endorsement of Jay’s view, see his 1 May 1786 letter, below.