Papers of John Adams, volume 19

From John Adams to Thomas Barclay, 3 April 1787 Adams, John Barclay, Thomas

To Thomas Barclay

Dear sir— Grosvr. sqr. April 3d. 1787.

I have recieved in due time with great Pleasure all your Letters & Dispatches: But the Reason why I have not answ’d. them regularly, was the uncertainty where you was to be found indeed I have been buisy in other things, & nothing from you seemed to require any other answers, than acceptance & payment of your Draughts, which has been punctually done,

Give me leave my dear sir to congratulate you most sincerely upon your fortunate Journey’s & Voyages & your happy success in the negotiations with the Emperor of Moroco—

I wish very heartily we could ask you to go to Algiers & Tunis & Tripoli; but without further orders from Congress & further Provisions of Money, all attempts must cease—

Inclosed is a list of your Draughts, from my Books and another from my Bankers—1 I hope by this opportunity to send you all my accounts, & pray you to adjust them— I am afraid I have spent more than the generosity of my Country have allowed me, instead of laying up for my Children— I hope soon to hear of your arrival in Paris or London, which would be still more agreable— with great esteem & regard— / I am &c

J.A.

LbC in WSS’s hand (Adams Papers); internal address: “Hon: Thos. Barclay Esqr.”; APM Reel 113.

Not found, but see Barclay’s final reckoning of the accounts as submitted to the commissioners with his letter of 13 July, below. Still uncertain whether to send his accounts to Barclay, JA repeated his query upon returning to the United States the following year, as described in John Adams’ Accounts in Europe: 1785–1788, for which see the appendix to this volume.

From John Adams to C. W. F. Dumas, 3 April 1787 Adams, John Dumas, Charles William Frederic

To C. W. F. Dumas

D. Sir. Aprill 3d. 1787.

your Letter of the 13 of March was brought in to me but this moment—1 I am not able to give you any information you desire— a Gent. by the Name you mention & with the title of Colonel has been introduced to me & has dined with me at this House & I saw him in Holland—2 His Behaviour is Genteel and his Character is in all respects unexceptionable, as far as I know, having Never heard any suggestions to his disadvantage: but can give no further Testimony of him or his family of my own knowledge— accept of my thanks for your obliging Inquiries. My dear Mrs Adams, has been frequently out of health since you saw her— she is now ill of an intermittant fever— but is somewhat better— Mrs. Smith was happily got to bed yesterday, with a fine son, so that I hope to have some Amusement—3 my three sons are all well at the University, in America—4

Please to present my best wishes & respects to your Lady & Daughter—

I have a Volume to send you, as soon as I can find an opportunity— & I wish to have your remarks upon it.

with great regard &c

J A—

LbC in WSS’s hand (Adams Papers); internal address: “Mr. Dumas—”; APM Reel 113.

Not found.

Presumably Col. Uriah Forrest, who also delivered JA’s 5 Sept. letter to Dumas, below.

In a 26 April letter to niece Lucy Cranch, AA described her first grandchild, William Steuben Smith, as “a fine Boy, & I already 34 feel as fond of him as if he was my own son.” AA2 hoped that he would pursue law and thereby “become a pupil of his grandfather’s” ( AFC , 8:24, 303).

JQA, then in his final year at Harvard, graduated on 18 July. CA was a sophomore and TBA was a freshman ( AFC , 8:461).