1To John Adams from C. W. F. Dumas, 7 February 1781 (Adams Papers)
Je n’ai qu’un instant avant le depart de la poste, pour vous faire parvenir le Poscrit ci joint pour le Congrès. Mr. Deane a repassé ici hier au Soir revenant d’Amsterdam; et il est reparti ce matin pour Paris. Je suis surpris de n’avoir pas vu revenir encore Mr. Gillon de Rotterdam. Avez-vous de ses nouvelles? Ou est-il de retour à Amsterdam? Je suis toujours avec les sentimens de respect et...
2To John Adams from Bidé de Chavagnes, 19 September 1781 (Adams Papers)
Quoyque je ne puisse scavoir par personne positivement si vous estes a paris de retour de vos voyages, l envie que jay de scavoir de vos cheres nouvelles, de celle de vos chers enfants et patriotes, mengage a avoir lhonneur de vous ecrire cette lettre, quand elle devroit voyager aprés vous. Je desire fort que votre santé nait point souffert des longues et dures courses que vous avez fait, et...
I have received, sir, the letter which you did me the honor to write to me the 13th of this month. It was owing to the confidence I placed in your judgment and zeal for your country that I entrusted to you the propositions of the two imperial courts and requested that you would make such observations as you might think them susceptible of. Things are not yet sufficiently advanced to admit of...
4To John Adams from William McCarty, 15 March 1781 (Adams Papers)
Having been taken the 25th. January last, in the Brig Active, on my passage from Philadelphia to L’Orient and Carry’d into England, The British took from me, all my private paper’s and Bills of Exchange, among which were several setts, drawn by Congress, on Holland; Colo. Palfrey in the Shelaly, who had the Seconds, not being arrived, leaves me without any to Present untill I can receive the...
5F. & A. Dubbeldemuts to John Adams: A Translation, 17 June 1781 (Adams Papers)
We are interested in a ship and its cargo of which we have enclosed information. We are taking the liberty to ask that you examine this information and advise us as to the possibility of obtaining damages. We beg you to excuse us for causing this inconvenience. Several of our friends are interested in the ships and cargo brought into Brest. We dared to take the liberty of sending to you one of...
6C. W. F. Dumas to John Adams: A Translation, 20 March 1781 (Adams Papers)
I have the honor of your letter of the 17th and respond to it here. According to the Constitution the president has neither the right to suppress papers addressed to Their High Mightinesses nor the right to deliver them to anyone else. But Their High Mightinesses themselves can, if they deem it appropriate, refrain from, or delay responding to such papers. Now you no doubt remember, sir, that...
7C. W. F. Dumas to John Adams: A Translation, 24 January 1781 (Adams Papers)
In order to keep my promise of sending you all essential news, to save time, and to spare me the sometimes intolerable task of copying the same things too many times, I decided to send my letter to Congress to you, so that you can read it, and then be kind enough to enclose it with your next letter to America. If this arrangement meets your approval, I will continue to do it from time to time;...
8From John Adams to C. W. F. Dumas, 30 April 1781 (Adams Papers)
Arriving this moment, I received your Favour of 26; and am happy to find that you continue in the Same Sentiments. I am Still of the Same mind too, and I Shall call on you, tomorrow, when we will arrange all Things. I wish you would loose no time, in getting a certain Paper, well translated into Dutch. Tr ( PCC , No. 101, II, f. 181). JA ’s memorial of 19 April , above, was translated into...
9To John Adams from Jean de Neufville, 3 May 1781 (Adams Papers)
May I begg leave to inform yoúr Excellency of the invitation I have gott on a súdden to vizit Paris for a few days, where I had the honoúr to wait on His Excellency B Franklin, who did me the honoúr to receive and treat me with the utmost politeness. I have mentioned again the Bill which yoúr Excellency had projected that we should Accept, as belonging to the former parcell bútt Mr. Franklin...
10To John Adams from Edmund Jenings, 17 September 1781 (Adams Papers)
I Hope this will find Your Excellency’s Health well established, and that your Disorder has not left the Remains usually attendant on it, but that your wonted Spirit and Fortitude are continud, for indeed, they are necessary to you at this Juncture, if I am rightly informed of a late transaction in America, which has grievd and Confounded me above Measure. The Hints given me of it are...
11To John Adams from C. W. F. Dumas, 13 May 1781 (Adams Papers)
Après la Lettre que j’ai eu l’honneur de vous écrire hier, n’ayant plus rien à vous apprendre, pour le présent, des affaires publiques, mon intention étoit de vous écrire à loisir la semaine prochaine seulement, sur un arrangement à prendre quant à moi personnellement, en conséquence de ce que vous m’avez fait l’honneur de me dire la derniere fois qu’il en a été question entre nous,...
12To John Adams from John Bondfield, 6 April 1781 (Adams Papers)
Letters from Cadiz inform us of the arrival of a Vessel at that port from Baltimore she left the Bay the 16 february. The Capt. reports more than we can well Credit, that Arnold had made great distruction in the circuit he had taken which had rouzed the Virginians that a Body of Six Thousand Men had got betwixt him and his Shiping and they were in dayly expectation of his being Burgoign’d. The...
13To John Adams from Benjamin Franklin, 22 February 1781 (Adams Papers)
I received the Letter your Excellency did me the honour of writing to me the 15th. Instant, respecting Bills presented to you for Acceptance, drawn by Congress in favour of N. Tracey for 10,000 £ Sterling, payable at 90 Days sight; and desiring to know if I can furnish Funds for the Payment. I have lately made a fresh and strong Application for more Money. I have not yet received a positive...
14To John Adams from Francis Dana, 25 February 1781 (Adams Papers)
The enclosed letter came to hand the last Evening; I was about breaking it open, agreable to your directions, but observing it marked Cadiz, and supposing it to be a mear private Letter, I desisted. If it shou’d contain any news from our Country, I doubt not you will advise me of it by the first opportunity. Mr. Bondfield, who has lately been at Paris, writes me from Bordeaux on the 20th....
15C. W. F. Dumas to John Adams: A Translation, 6 June 1781 (Adams Papers)
According to the orders in your letter of the first of this month, I sealed the letter you sent me for the president of Their High Mightinesses with my own seal and addressed it in Dutch with the name of the man who presides currently, the Baron Pallant de Glinthuisen. I brought it to him yesterday morning and told him that I received it from Mr. Adams with orders to deliver it to him. He took...
16To John Adams from William Tudor, 5 February 1781 (Adams Papers)
I had the Honour of your Letter by Monsieur Jean Baptiste Petry about six Weeks since, and should before this Time have acknowleged the Receipt of it, had a favourable Opportunity presented but so many of our merchant Ships are captured that a Letter goes subjected to too much Hazard which is transmitted by a private Vessel; This goes by The Alliance and I hope will arrive safe, for the Loss...
17To John Adams from the President of Congress, 1 January 1781 (Adams Papers)
You will receive herewith enclosed, a Commission as Minister Plenipotentiary to the United Provinces of the low Countries, with Instructions for your Government on that important Mission; as also a Plan of a Treaty with those States, and likewise a Resolve of Congress relative to the Declaration of the Empress of Russia respecting the Protection of neutral Ships &c. Proper Letters of Credence...
18To John Adams from Jean Luzac, 17 March 1781 (Adams Papers)
The reason, why I have not called on Your Excellency for seeing together the House I had spoken of, is that it is doubtful, as I have been informed, whether it is yet to be let or not, a Lady being at present in treaty about it with the Proprietary. If they do not agree, I will hear further of it, and have the honor of informing Your Excellency instantly. This time at least I have proved a...
19To John Adams from John Bondfield, 7 August 1781 (Adams Papers)
We have many American Vessels arrivd within these five or six days past most of them belonging to No. Carolina but last from the West Indies, the situation of the Army’s preventing their return and will detain them in a foreign Trade til a change takes place, the latest advices we have by them are of May consiquently them at hand Via London are later and more circumstial. Our letters from...
20To John Adams from Benjamin Franklin, 30 June 1781 (Adams Papers)
This is to request that you will accept no more Bills with an Expectation of my Paying them, till you have farther Advice from me: For I find that Mr. Laurens, who went away without informing me what he had done, has made so full a Disposition of the Six Millions granted at my Request before his Arrival, that unless the Specie he sent to Holland is stopt there, I shall not be in a Condition to...
21To John Adams from Jean Luzac, 19 January 1781 (Adams Papers)
I am sorry, there appeared something suspicious to you in the paragraph, mentioned in your last Letter. If it had been send to me by some person or other, perhaps I would make no secret of it: But I can assure you on my word, the whole paragraph is of my own frame and contains my own sentiments on the subject. Nobody whosoever had any part in it nor any notice of it: And, when I shall have...
22To John Adams from Benjamin Franklin, 7 April 1781 (Adams Papers)
Among the late intercepted Letters from London, is one from the Army Agent there to the Traitor Arnold, by which it appears that his Bribe was 5000 £ Sterling, in Bills drawn on Harley & Drummond, who are the Contractors for furnishing the Army with Money. Inclos’d I send you a Copy of that Letter, and shall send you others by next Post. The English Papers tell us, that you have succeeded in...
23C. W. F. Dumas to John Adams: A Translation, 3 June 1781 (Adams Papers)
I received your orders of the day before yesterday, and I will not fail in executing them next Tuesday morning, not being able to do so earlier because of the holidays. I consulted a well-connected friend who advised me to carry the letters personally since this would be more polite and decent for everyone, and this way they could not be refused. I will have the honor at that time to give you...
24To John Adams from Jean de Neufville & Fils, with a Draft Contract for a Loan, 22 January 1781 (Adams Papers)
May it please Yoúr Excellency that we now lay before her the papers she hath charged us with to prepare for a Loan, we shall have the honoúr to undertake for and in behalf of the United States of North America; we have discused the Same on the Advice of Some people accústomed to regulate money matters, on which they have been corrected by a Lawÿer, we should be verry happy if yoúr Excellency...
25To John Adams from Philip Mazzei, 31 May 1781 (Adams Papers)
I have perused with the greatest satisfaction your most sensible and eloquent memorial to the Dutch united States, especially as it contains many things, which I much wanted to have published to the World in an occasion likely to obtain the general observation. I wish that your sound reasoning may awake the Dutch from their ignominious Lethargy, and that I may be mistaken in the opinion I...
26To John Adams from John Thaxter, 7 February 1781 (Adams Papers)
Yesterday I had the Honor of your’s of the 4th. instant. I acquainted Mr. Luzac immediately with your Request respecting the Crisis, who informed me that it should be translated as soon as possible into the Language You have chosen. I am exceedingly sorry to learn that the Complaint in your Eyes has returned, and that your Health suffers. I should have been very happy to have taken off your...
27To John Adams from James Warren, 4 June 1781 (Adams Papers)
It is some Time since I wrote to you, and much longer since I have been honoured with a Line from you. I have but Just got to Town. Mr. George Storer who goes by the way of Denmark is on the point of sailing and I can only Inclose two papers received from Mr. Lovel, and the Boston Papers of the day. I shall write you soon and if you have not forgot that there is such a Man in the world perhaps...
28To John Adams from Edmund Jenings, 1 January 1781 (Adams Papers)
Give me leave to congratulate your Excellency on the Commencement of the New Year and to assure your Excellency of my sincere Wishes, that it may be productive of all Happiness and the most perfect Liberty to You and Yours and our Country in General. I think your Excellencys Mind must be much occupied at present. The late desperate Step, which England has taken has I believe astonished Most....
29To John Adams from Edmund Jenings, 3 January 1781 (Adams Papers)
I had this Day the Honor of receiving your Excellencys Letter of the 31 Ultimo; which gives me the greatest Satisfaction. I think with your Excellency, that the Emperor cannot engage in this Contest without being abundantly paid by England, whose Resources will thereby be diverted from Acting directly Against Us, but it is worth her while to pay Him the Utmost in order to Embroil France. In...
30Jean Luzac to John Adams: A Translation, 6 September 1781 (Adams Papers)
It was with the greatest satisfaction and gratitude that I received, some time ago from your Excellency, the collection of constitutions and other fundamental acts of the federative Republic formed in the New World. I expressed my gratitude for this to Mr. Thaxter, but it is my duty to express my great and sincere thanks to your Excellency. If this collection is by itself a testament worthy of...