31To John Adams from Thomas Jefferson, 11 May 1786 (Adams Papers)
I do myself the honour of inclosing to you letters which came to hand last night from mr̃ Lamb, mr̃ Carmichael and mr̃ Barclay. by these you will perceive that our peace is not to be purchased at Algiers but at a price far beyond our powers. what that would be indeed mr̃ Lamb does not say, nor probably knows. but as he knew our ultimatum; we are to suppose from his letter that it would be a...
32To John Adams from Thomas Jefferson, 30 May 1786 (Adams Papers)
In my letter of the 11 th. instant I had the honour of inclosing you copies of letters relative to the Barbary affairs. others came to hand three days ago, of some of which I now send you copies, & of the others the originals. by these you will perceive that mr̃ Randall and mr̃ Lamb were at Madrid, that the latter means to return to Alicant & send on a courier to us. mr̃ Randall does not...
33To John Adams from Thomas Jefferson, 16 June 1786 (Adams Papers)
I inclose you the copy of a letter received from mr̃ Barclay dated Cadiz May 23. by which you will perceive he was still on this side the Mediterranean. has mr̃ Lamb written to you? I hear nothing from him nor of him, since mr̃ Carmichael’s information of his arrival in Spain. mr̃ Randall gave reason to expect that himself would come on. yet neither himself nor any letters from him arrive....
34To John Adams from Thomas Jefferson, 23 June 1786 (Adams Papers)
I hear of a conveyance which allows me but a moment to write to you. I inclose a copy of a letter from mr̃ Lamb. I have written both to him & mr̃ Randall agreeable to what we had jointly thought best. the Courier de l’Europe gives us strange news of armies marching from the U.S. to take the posts from the English. I have received no public letters & not above one or two private ones from...
35To John Adams from Thomas Jefferson, 9 July 1786 (Adams Papers)
I wrote you last on the 23 d. of May. your favor of that date did not come to hand till the 19 th. of June. in consequence of it I wrote the next day letters to mr̃ Lamb & mr̃ Randall, copies of which I have now the honour to inclose you. in these you will perceive I had desired mr̃ Randall, who was supposed to be at Madrid, to return immediately to Paris & London, & to mr̃ Lambe, supposed at...
36To John Adams from Thomas Jefferson, 11 July 1786 (Adams Papers)
Our instructions relative to the Barbary states having required us to proceed by way of negotiation to obtain their peace, it became our duty to do this to the best of our power. whatever might be our private opinions, they were to be suppressed, and the line marked out to us, was to be followed. it has been so honestly, & zealously. it was therefore never material for us to consult together...
37To John Adams from Thomas Jefferson, 13 August 1786 (Adams Papers)
The inclosed came to hand this morning. mr̃ Carmichael you observe, and mr̃ Barclay suppose something may yet be done at Algiers. it remains for us to consider whether the conduct of the Dey of that country leaves any room to hope that any negotiator can succeed without a great addition to the price to which we are confined? and should we think in the negative, yet whether the expences of mr̃...
38To John Adams from Thomas Jefferson, 27 August 1786 (Adams Papers)
Your favour of July 31. was lately delivered me. the papers inform me you are at the Hague, and, incertain what stay you may make there, I send this by mr̃ Voss who is returning to London by the way of Amsterdam. I inclose you the last letters from mr̃ Barclay & mr̃ Carmichael, by which we may hope our peace with Marocco is signed, thanks to the good offices of a nation which is honest, if it...
39To John Adams from Thomas Jefferson, 26 September 1786 (Adams Papers)
My last letter to you was dated the 27 th. of August, since which I have recieved yours of Sep. 11 th. — The letter to m r. Lamb therein inclosed I immediately signed & forwarded. In mine wherein I had the honor of proposing to you the mission of m r. Barclay to Algiers, I mentioned that my expectations from it were of a subordinate nature only. I very readily therefore recede from it in...
40To John Adams from Thomas Jefferson, 23 October 1786 (Adams Papers)
Your favor of Sept. the 11 th. came to hand in due time & since that I have recieved the copies of the Prussian treaty you were so kind as to send me. I have recieved a short letter from m r. Barclay dated Cadiz Sep t. 25 th. only announcing his arrival there & that he should proceed immediately to Madrid. At this latter place he would meet my letter informing him that we did not propose any...
41To John Adams from Thomas Jefferson, 27 October 1786 (Adams Papers)
I formerly had the honour of mentioning to you the measures I had taken to have our commerce with this country put on a better footing; & you know the circumstances which had occasioned the articles of whale oil & tobacco to be first brought forward. latterly we got the committee, which had been established for this purpose, to take up the other articles, & on their report the king & council...
42To John Adams from Thomas Jefferson, 20 December 1786 (Adams Papers)
Col o. Franks will have the honor of delivering you the treaty with the emperor of Marocco, & all it’s appendages. you will perceive by mr̃ Barclay’s letters that it is not necessary that any body should go back to Marocco to exchange ratifications. he sais however that it will be necessary that Fennish receive some testimony that we approve the treaty: and as, by the acts of Congress, our...
43To John Adams from Thomas Jefferson, 11 January 1787 (Adams Papers)
M r. Jay, in his last letter to me, observes that they hear nothing further of the treaty with Portugal. I have taken the liberty of telling him that I will write to you on the subject, & that he may expect to hear from you on it by the present conveyance. the Chevalier del Pinto being at London, I presume he has, or can inform you why it is delayed on their part. I will thank you also for the...
44To John Adams from Thomas Jefferson, 6 February 1787 (Adams Papers)
Your favors by Col o. Franks have come safely to hand. he will set out from hence the 8 th. inst. the packet being to sail from Havre the 10 th. I inclose you the copy of a letter lately received from mr̃ Barclay, & of the paper it inclosed. in a letter from mr̃ Carmichael is a postscript dated Dec. 25. in the following words “since writing the preceding, the Portuguese Ambassador has pressed...
45To John Adams from Thomas Jefferson, 20 February 1787 (Adams Papers)
I am now to acknoledge the receipt of your favor of Jan. 25. Col o. Franks sailed in the packet of this month from Havre for New York. this arrangement of the packets opens a direct communication between Paris & America, and if we succeed as I expect we shall in getting Honfleur made a freeport, I hope to see that place become the deposit for our Whale oil, rice, tobacco & furs, & that from...
46To John Adams from Thomas Jefferson, 23 February 1787 (Adams Papers)
The Notables met yesterday. the king opened the assembly with a short speech, wherein he expressed his inclination to consult with them on the affairs of his kingdom, to receive their opinions on the plans he had digested, and to endeavor to imitate the head of his family Henry IV. whose name is so dear to the nation. the speech was affectionate. the Guarde des sceaux spoke about 20 minutes,...
47To John Adams from Thomas Jefferson, 1 July 1787 (Adams Papers)
I returned about three weeks ago from a very useless voiage, useless, I mean, as to the object which first suggested it, that of trying the effect of the mineral waters of Aix en Provence on my hand. I tried these because recommended among six or eight others as equally beneficial, & because they would place me at the beginning of a tour to the seaports of Marseilles, Bourdeaux, Nantes &...
48To John Adams from Thomas Jefferson, 17 July 1787 (Adams Papers)
I have been duly honoured with your’s of the 10 th. inst. and am happy to hear of the success of your journey to Amsterdam. there can be no doubt of it’s ratification by Congress. would to heaven they would authorize you to take measures for transferring the debt of this country to Holland before you leave Europe. most especially is it necessary to get rid of the debt to the officers. their...
49To John Adams from Thomas Jefferson, 23 July 1787 (Adams Papers)
Frouillé, the bookseller here who is engaged in having your book translated and printed, understanding that you were about publishing a sequel to it, has engaged me to be the channel of his prayers to you to favor his operation by transmitting hither the sheets of the sequel as they shall be printed; & he will have them translated by the same hand, which is a good one. It is necessary for me...
50To John Adams from Thomas Jefferson, 30 August 1787 (Adams Papers)
Since your favor of July 10. mine have been of July 17. 23. & 28. the last inclosed a bill of exchange from mr̃ Grand on Tessier for £46–17–10 sterl. to answer Gen l. Sullivan’s bill for that sum. I hope it got safe to hand, tho’ I have been anxious about it as it went by post and my letters thro’ that channel sometimes miscarry. From the separation of the Notables to the present moment has...
51To John Adams from Thomas Jefferson, 28 September 1787 (Adams Papers)
I received your favors by M r. Cutting, and thank you sincerely for the copy of your book. the departure of a packet-boat, which always gives me full emploiment for some time before, has only permitted me to look into it a little. I judge of it from the first volume which I thought formed to do a great deal of good. the first principle of a good government is certainly a distribution of it’s...
52To John Adams from Thomas Jefferson, 13 November 1787 (Adams Papers)
This will be delivered you by young mr̃ Rutledge. your knowledge of his father will introduce him to your notice. he merits it moreover on his own account. I am now to acknolege your favors of Oct. 8. & 26. that of August 25. was duly received, nor can I recollect by what accident I was prevented from acknoleging it in mine of Sep. 28. it has been the source of my subsistance hitherto, & must...
53To John Adams from Thomas Jefferson, 12 December 1787 (Adams Papers)
In the month of July I received from Fiseaux & Co. of Amsterdam a letter notifying me that the principal of their loan to the United states would become due the first day of January. I answered them that I had neither powers nor information on the subject, but would transmit their letter to the Board of treasury. I did so by the packet which sailed from Havre Aug. 10. the earliest answer...
54To John Adams from Thomas Jefferson, 16 December 1787 (Adams Papers)
I wrote you on the 12 th instant, that is to say, by the last post. but as that channel of conveiance is sometimes unfaithful I now inclose you a copy of my letter of that date, and of the one of Fiseaux & co. inclosed in that. I have since received my letters by the packet, but, among them, nothing from the Board of Treasury. still their orders may be among the dispatches with which Paul...
55To John Adams from Thomas Jefferson, 31 December 1787 (Adams Papers)
M r. Parker furnishes me an opportunity of acknoleging the receipt of your favors of Nov. 10. Dec. 6. 10. 18. & 25. which I avoid doing thro post. the orders on the subject of our captives at Algiers have come to me by the last packet. they are to be kept secret even from the captives themselves, lest a knolege of the interference of government should excite too extravagant demands. the...
56To John Adams from Thomas Jefferson, 13 January 1788 (Adams Papers)
I informed you in my letter of the 31 st. of December of the measures I had taken relative to the reimbursement of the 51,000 gelders to Fizeaux & co. to wit, that I had asked the Willincks and Van Staphorsts to pay the interest, & written to the board of treasury for their orders as to the principal. I inclose you a letter just received from Fizeaux & co. now Hugguer, Grand & co. by which you...
57To John Adams from Thomas Jefferson, 6 February 1788 (Adams Papers)
The Commissioners of the treasury have given notice to Willincks & Van Staphorsts that they shall not be able to remit them one shilling till the new government gets into action; and that therefore the sole resource for the paiment of the Dutch interest till that period is in the progress of the last loan. Willincks & V.S. reply that there is not the least probability of raising as much on...
58To John Adams from Thomas Jefferson, 20 February 1788 (Adams Papers)
I am in hopes daily of receiving a letter from you in answer to my last. the delay of the letters which contained the proposition to the board of treasury takes away all probability of their answering in time, and I foresee that I shall be closely pressed by circumstances on that point. I have settled your matter with de la Blancherie, at the sum you fixed. (8 Louis) he demanded 12, but...
59To John Adams from Thomas Jefferson, 2 March 1788 (Adams Papers)
I received this day a letter from mr̃s Adams of the 26 th. ult. informing me you would set out on the 29 th. for the Hague. our affairs at Amsterdam press on my mind like a mountain. I have no information to go on but that of the Willincks & VanStaphorsts, & according to that something seems necessary to be done. I am so anxious to confer with you on this, & to see you & them together, & get...
60To John Adams from Thomas Jefferson, 2 August 1788 (Adams Papers)
I have received with a great deal of pleasure the account of your safe arrival and joyful reception at Boston. mr̃ Cutting was so kind as to send me a copy of the address of the assembly to you & your answer, which with the other circumstances I have sent to have published in the gazette of Leyden, and in a gazette here. it will serve to shew the people of Europe that those of America are...