Papers of John Adams, volume 19
e.Juillet 1787
Votre Excellence verra par l’Extrait ci-joint la nécessité absolue & urgente que son contenu m’impose, d’avoir recours á Elle, com̃e Ministre Plenipo: des Et. Unis pour ce pays, & ayant seul la disposition de la Caisse qu’ils y ont, afin d’avoir la bonté d’autoriser les Banquiers de cette Caisse à Amsterdam à se charger de me payer mon salaire courant de 1300 Dollars annuels selon l’Acte du Congrés du 14 Oct. 1785 que votre Exce. connoît, par semestres com̃e je l’ai tiré jusqu’ici sur Paris, & dont le semestre court. sera échu en Octobre prochain.—1 Com̃e il y a toujours a perdre sur le change d’ici à Paris, j’ai souvent pensé à proposer à V. E. & à Mr. Jefferson la translation du Paiement de mon salaire de Paris à Amsterdam, & la seule repugnance d’importuner pour mon agrément & ma com̃odité m’a retenu dans l’allure accoutumée—Mais il s’agit de plus à présent: il s’agit de ma subsistance journaliere, sur la sécurité de laquelle j’ai vecu & vis d’un jour à l’autre, & sans laquelle je ne saurois subsister.— Pour diminuer l’inquiétude où je suis à cet égard, j’ai com̃encé par sonder ces Messieurs à Amsterdam; mais pour ménager le crédit du Credit du Congrès, je ne les ai point informés du contenu de la Lettre de Mr. Jefferson, leur témoignant seulement mon desir de recevoir mon salaire à l’avenir de leurs mains, com̃e par la voie la plus naturelle, la moins onereuse & dispendieuse & la plus courte, ajoutant que je prierois V.E. de les y autoriser. Aussi m’ont-ils fait entendre, que moyennant cela ils me feront volontiers ce plaisir.— Je prie donc instam̃ent V.E. d.’autoriser ces Messieurs à me payer au mois d’Octobre prochain le semestre courant échu alors, de 650 Dollars, & de continuer sur ce pied jusqu’à votre nouvel ordre; puisqu’il est indubitablement indifferent aux Etats-Unis que je sois payé à Amsterdam ou à Paris, pourvu que je le sois: tandis qu’il ne peut être indifférent pour leur honneur & crédit en tout sens que ma détresse éclate: ce qui arriveroit bien malgré moi, dès que je ne pourrois pas compter sur ce
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paiement ponctuel en son temps.— J’ai pris & prends patience sur la som̃e qui m’est due en arrérages, jusqu’à-ce qu’il plaise enfin à la trésorerie d’expédier l’ordre que je sollicite depuis si longtemps, & dont l’objet, malgré l’embarras momentané des finances des Etats-Unis, est trop petit pour me laisser si longtemps en souffrance contre la volonté expresse du Congrès:— Mais l’interruption de mon salaire courant m’ôteroit tout moyen d’exister ici; & cela dans un temps encore où je ne pourrois pas meme me réfugier dans ma petite ferme en Gueldre, où la force militaire vient de désarmer & subjuguer tout le peuple, & où l’on est à tout instant exposé à être pillé & egorgé tant dans les Villes qu’auplat-pays. Mr. De Capelle de Marsh vient de se réfugier avec son Epouse enceinte & 5 Enfans à Déventer: cela est sûr; & le bruit court que la garnison de Zutphen à saccagé sa terre.2
Permettez, Monsieur, que je joigne ici le Duplicat d’une Dépeche qui m’est recom̃andée de la part de la Régence de Brunswyk. On m’apprend que le Baron de Féronce qui l’a signée, est l’un des principaux Ministres du Duc regnant de Brunswyk.3 Il s’agit d’ailleurs des Intérêts d’un Citoyen des Etats-Unis.
Permettez aussi que je présente mes respects & ceux de ma famille à MMesdames Adams & Smith, com̃e aussi mes meilleurs complimens à Mr. Cutting. Je suis avec grand respect, De Votre Excellence / Le très-humble & très-obéissant / Serviteur
Your excellency will understand, in considering the attached extract, with what absolute and urgent necessity its contents have compelled me to appeal to you, given that the minister plenipotentiary of the United States to this country has exclusive access to the treasury held here, so you may have the goodness to authorize the bankers of the treasury in Amsterdam to take care of paying me my current annual salary of 1,300 dollars, according to the act of Congress of 14 October 1785, which is known to your excellency, half-yearly as I have drawn it from Paris up until now, the current half-year of which will expire next October.1 As there is always a loss in the exchange between here and Paris, I have often thought of proposing to your excellency and to Mr. Jefferson that the payment of my salary be transferred from Paris to Amsterdam, but, averse to importuning for my sole pleasure and convenience, I continued along the same path. But more is presently at stake: namely, my daily subsistence, which has allowed me to live securely from day to day, and without which I would not know how to live. To lessen my anxiety in this regard, I began sounding out those 114 good gentlemen in Amsterdam. But, to preserve full faith in the credit of Congress, I have not informed them of the contents of Mr. Jefferson’s letter, offering them only my wish to receive my salary from their hands in the future, as from the most natural, shortest, and least onerous, wasteful route, adding that I would pray your excellency to authorize my request. They thereby gave me to understand that, with such an authorization, they would grant it. Therefore, I urgently pray your excellency to authorize these gentlemen to pay me the current half-year’s income of 650 dollars when it falls due next October and to continue along the same lines until further orders from you; since it is doubtlessly of no consequence to the United States whether I am paid in Amsterdam or in Paris, as long as I am paid, while it cannot be immaterial to their honor and credit that my distress become public. It may indeed become public despite me as soon as I shall no longer be able to count upon this payment in good time. I have waited patiently and continue to await the sum due me in arrears, until it pleases the treasury finally to expedite the order which I have requested for so long, the object of which, in spite of the momentary financial difficulty of the United States, is too small to leave me in distress for so long against the express will of Congress. The interruption of my current salary would deprive me of all means of living here, and this at a time when I could not even seek refuge at my small farm in Gelderland, where military forces have recently disarmed and subjugated the entire people, and where we are at all moments exposed to pillage and slaughter as much in cities as in the plains. Mr. der Capellen van de Marsch has just sought refuge with his pregnant wife and five children at Deventer, so much is certain, and the rumor runs that the Zutphen garrison has laid waste to his lands.2
Allow me, sir, to attach herein the duplicate of a dispatch that was entrusted to me by the Regency of Brunswick. It is made known to me that the Baron Féronce, who signed it, is one of the principal ministers of the reigning Duke of Brunswick.3 Besides, it has to do with the interests of a United States citizen.
Allow me also to present my respects and those of my family to Mrs. Adams and Smith, as well as my best compliments to Mr. Cutting. I am, with great respect, your excellency’s most humble and most obedient servant
RC and enclosures (Adams Papers); internal address: “A Son Excellence M. J. Adams M. P. des Et. Un.”; endorsed: “Mr Dumas. 10. July. / ansd. 5. Septr. 1787.”
Dumas enclosed two letters. The first was an extract of Thomas Jefferson’s 14 June letter regarding his lapsed salary. There, Jefferson explained that because the Board of Treasury had not resupplied Paris banker Ferdinand Grand’s funds for American agents, it would be “necessary for us to suspend all draughts on him” (Jefferson, Papers
, 11:471). The second enclosure, written in Dutch, was a copy of Dumas’ 22 May letter to the loan consortium introducing two German officials considering immigration to America (Adams Papers).
Robert Jasper van der Capellen van de Marsch (1743–1814), of Deventer, Overijssel, was a cousin of prominent Patriot Joan Derk van der Capellen tot den Pol (1741–1784), and he had notably advanced JA’s mission by championing U.S. recognition and a Franco-Dutch alliance in 1781. With his wife, Sara 115 Jacoba van de Velde (1745–1823), of Batavia, Capellen van de Marsch fled to Deventer in 1787 and sought Louis XVI’s protection (vol. 12:58–59, 133; Biografisch Portaal van Nederland).
Dumas’ third enclosure, not found, was presumably given to Dumas by Louis Ernst, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, the controversial chief advisor to William V, for whom see vol. 11:395–396. Dumas also sent a copy of it to John Jay on 7 June, for which see
Dipl. Corr., 1783–1789
, 3:577–578.
th:July 1787.
I embrace the earliest opportunity of acknowledging your Excellency’s favors of the 21st. of April by Mr Miller and the 22nd of the same month by Mr. Heyward which were yesterday handed to me.—1 The intelligence they contain of attempts to counterfiet our paper Currency in Great Britain will I hope by putting Us on our Guard enable us to repell the threatened mischief.
At the same time that I express the high sense with which I am impressed of your Excellency’s attention to the welfare of this State give me leave to entreat a continuance of that Vigilance and exertion hitherto manifested in this business and as it may be essential to the success of our endeavours to oppose the evil in its first stage, that some Expence should be incurred in employing proper Persons to detect and counteract the intended fraud, in procuring intelligence and rewarding those whose Services may merit it: I will readily answer your Excellency’s drafts for disbursements on this account to the amount of Three hundred pounds Sterling; the Recess of our Legislature constrains me to be thus limited in a business wherein I think Expence should not be spared.
We are looking forward with anxious expectation to the result of the deliberations of the Federal Convention now sitting at Philadelphia. Your Excellency’s defence of the Constitutions arrived in time to be of Utility.
I have the honor to be with due / Consideration and Respect / Sir / Your Excellency’s most obedt Servt
P. S. If any Counterfiet Bills should come into your Excellency’s possession it will be of essential service to have them immediately transmitted.—
RC (Adams Papers).
No letter of 21 April to Pinckney has been found, but for JA’s 22 April warning about the possible counterfeit of North and South Carolina currency, see his 30 April letter to John Jay, and note 1, above.