Papers of John Adams, volume 18
I have received the Letter you did me the honour to write me, on the 10th. of this month, and embrace the oppertunity by Colonel Trumbull to answer it, The Comte de Reventlow, complaisantly enough, inclosed my Letter to the Baron De. Waltersdorf, in his dispatch to the Danish Ministry, and informed him that it related to a public affair so that there is no room to doubt, that the Letter went safe, and that that Court are acquainted with its contents— But no answer has been received—1
I am told that the Baron De. Waltersdorf has been at Paris and the Hague, long since the Date of my Letter to him, and I was told he was coming to London where I should see him— But he has not yet been here As there is a Danish Minister now in Paris, I should advise you to apply to him: for the foreign Ministers in general at the Court of Versailles, have less timdity upon their Spirits, in all things relating to America, than those at London,2 Cash I fancy, is not an abundant Article in Denmark, and Your Claim has probably delayed and suspended all negotiations with Mr. Jefferson, and me respecting a Commercial Treaty, for which 3 Years ago, there was no3 little Zeal,4 This however is only Conjecture in Confidence.—
LbC in WSS’s hand (Adams Papers); internal address: “Commodore Jones—”; APM Reel 113.
No letter from JA to the Baron von Walterstorff has been found, but for the reason JA received no response from Walterstorff, see Jones’ 7 Jan. letter, note 2, above.
Jones received this letter on or about 9 Aug., the day on which he wrote to Thomas Jefferson (Jefferson, Papers
, 10:208–210). With his letter to Jefferson, Jones enclosed the RC of JA’s letter from which William Short made a copy (DLC:Jefferson Papers). Jones noted JA’s advice to begin negotiations with the Danish representative at Paris and asked for Jefferson’s “advice and assistance” in the undertaking. He also enclosed extracts of letters received from Benjamin Franklin regarding his negotiations with Denmark over the Alliance’s prizes. No reply by Jefferson to Jones’ letter has been found, but on 18 Aug. Jefferson wrote to the Baron Otto von Blome, Danish envoy extraordinary at Paris. Jefferson summarized the negotiations between Franklin and Walterstorff over the Alliance’s prizes and indicated that Jones was now authorized to resume and complete the negotiations (Jefferson, Papers
, 10:270–271).
In the copy made by Short this word appears to be “so,” but it is clearly “no” in WSS’s LbC.
Walterstorff approached Franklin in April 1783 with a proposal for a Danish-American commercial treaty and in June offered a draft agreement. After some changes, the draft was sent to Congress, but no action was taken on it. Since Franklin failed to inform his fellow commissioners, JA and John Jay, of his negotiations with the baron, JA considered the entire business as another example of Franklin’s assumption of powers that he did not have, accomplished at the expense of his colleagues and to the detriment of the United States (vols. 15:223–226, 280; 16:426).
When, in May 1784, Congress created the third joint commission to negotiate commercial treaties with the nations of Europe and North Africa, it included a commission to negotiate a treaty with Denmark, and Jefferson’s model treaty of 1784 was designed to serve as its basis. At a meeting with Walterstorff in Nov. 1784, the commissioners notified him of their new powers, but no negotiations ensued, and a Danish-American Convention of Friendship, Commerce, and Navigation was not concluded until 1826 (vol. 16:374, 421–422, 590; Miller, Treaties
, 3:239–248).
th.1786
I take the Liberty of Directing a Letter to your Honour in order to Convey My Letters to Boston and Will be much obliged to you to forword them & further for gods Sake and the Love of Man to assist Us in this Sad State of Slavery allthough the Sum Is Large But we Cannot help that it is Despreat To be Under the Situation of a Slave as We are the property of the King as Much as his horse Sir if Mr Lamb has Related the Matter as he Told the King he Would be hear in four months and this King Never puts any Confidence in a Nation that Deceves him once I hope Mr Lamb will be hear Within the time for the King has given out that word—
our Rademption Nothing Conserrns the peace from Your most obedent and humble Servent
RC (Adams Papers); addressed: “To / John adams Esqr / the american / Embassador / London”; internal address: “Mr Adams”; endorsed: “Captain Isaac Stephens / 18 July. / recd 28. Ansd 29. Septr. 1786.”
This letter presumably was accompanied by an 18 July note from Zaccheus Coffin, not found, and perhaps by a 25 July letter from Richard O’Bryen, below. For JA’s replies to all three men on 29 Sept., see his letters to O’Bryen and Stephens of that date, and notes, both below.
There are two great Objects which I think should engage the Attention of Patriots here, & which appear to me to involve every thing else—to preserve entire our political Liberties, & to support our National Faith. To effect either of these Capital Ends, we must
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counterwork the Designs of Great Britan, who to say the least does not appear to be our most cordial Friend, by her Emissaries amongst us, to ruin both. The internal Enemies of this Country ridiculed our early Ideas of Opposition, embarrassed our Measures through the whole Conflict and prolonged the War. They had nearly broke up our Army in 1782,1 and they are now practicing the same Arts, by influencing many weak Men to with-hold the necessary Aid of Taxes, to destroy the publick Faith. I should therefore think it very impolitick to increase their Number by admitting the Tory Refugees without Discrimination. Jonathan Philanthrop whom you well knew,2 with many others took a very active Part, & they were very successful in promoting the Designs of the British Government before the War; There are some among them who would be the fittest Instruments to be employed by that Court in tearing up, or rather undermining the Foundations of our newly erected Fabrick.— If you ask, What has thrown me into this Fit of Zeal against the Refugees? I answer, they already have or soon will in my opinion form a dangerous Faction. But I will be more explicit in my next.3
This Letter I commit to the Care of Mr Benjn. Austin junr whose Father and Connexions you are not unacquainted with.4 Adieu & believe me / your affectionate Friend
RC (Adams Papers); internal address: “Ex̃cy J Adams.”
Samuel Adams probably means 1783 rather than 1782. On 10 and 12 March 1783, in the Newburgh Addresses, Continental Army officers expressed concern over Congress’ inadequate funding of the army and the commutation of their pensions. In July 1783 the Pennsylvania line mutinied against Congress for its disbanding of the army without paying the troops. The initial crisis over the addresses was quelled only by George Washington’s 15 March appeal to the patriotism of the officers who had served under him. The mutiny was ended by regiments that responded to Congress’ appeal for assistance, but it resulted in Congress’ leaving Philadelphia and settling in New York City (vols. 14:410; 15:115–121).
Between 1 Dec. 1766 and early Feb. 1767, Jonathan Sewall, using the pseudonym “Philanthrop,” published a series of letters in the Boston Evening Post defending Massachusetts governor Francis Bernard against a multitude of newspaper attacks stemming from Bernard’s support for the Stamp Act. JA, using the name “Humphrey Ploughjogger” and several other pseudonyms, responded with a series of letters in the Boston Gazette between 5 Jan. and 16 Feb. 1767 (vol. 1:174–211). Sewall, a loyalist who had been one of JA’s closest friends, left Boston for England in 1775. For JA’s 1774 meeting with Sewall at Casco Bay and the two men’s reunion in Sept. 1787, see
AFC
, 1:135–137.
There are no extant letters between Adams and JA until 2 Sept. 1790 (Adams Papers), and no further expansion by Adams on the loyalist issue.
Benjamin Austin Jr., a Boston merchant who visited the Adamses in late Aug. 1786, had just completed a series of newspaper articles under the pseudonym of Honestus that bitterly attacked the legal profession, for which see Richard Cranch’s 3 Oct. letter, and note 3, below. James Bowdoin also introduced Austin in a 18 July 1786 letter to JA (Adams Papers). Austin was the son of Boston merchant Benjamin Austin Sr. and brother of Jonathan Loring Austin, who had carried news
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of Gen. John Burgoyne’s defeat at Saratoga to Europe in 1777, and who had served as JA’s secretary at Passy in 1778 (
AFC
, 3:262; 7:328).