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Thomas Boylston Adams to Joseph Pitcairn, 9 July 1798

Thomas Boylston Adams to Joseph Pitcairn

Berlin 9 July 1798

Dear Sir.

Your favor of the 6th: currt. is at hand. It is true, that I mistook the statement in your preceding, respecting the exchange, but now comprehend it better.1 I agree with you also in opinion as to the propriety of drawing now rather than at a future day. Money in Holland will probably find less opportunity of improvement than hitherto. As it respects myself however, security is all I want for my property.

By all the accounts which reach us from home; there seems to prevail a wonderful spirit of independence, & a resolution to assert it, by all the means within the reach of the people. The dispatches from our Envoys really seemed to operate a sort of divine revelation; but I had no conception that the mist before the eyes of our Countrymen had been previously so thick. To me I confess it is astonishing, that for two years past there should have been two opinions respecting the french Government & their manner of conducting towards us. The spirit that is roused, I well knew to exist among us, but so little of it had appeared, when, in my mind, there had been so much to provoke it, that I began to despair of any powerful display of it in the present crisis. It will do infinite good if properly & judiciously directed.

We have just got through with the ceremonies & rejoicings upon the occasion of the homage, which took place on friday last. The spectacle was novel to me, but excited no great degree of interest, because there seemed to be none of that enthusiastic ardor, which, like the electric spark communicates & spreads from man to man, upon occasions to which I have been a witness in my own Country.2 Such as prevails, I hope, at this day, among us, and which will not suddenly be allayed or extinguished. There was here a wonderful decorum observed by the people, actors & spectators, and the faintness of the shouts which burst forth on the occasion was doubtless owing to the rigid regard to decency, which so abundantly prevails here on all public solemnities. The Sieyes was a spectator of the scene.

On Saturday evening there was a brilliant & splendid ball at the palace, which I found more to my taste than the first ceremony; & yesterday there was a grand Concert of sacred music, intended for a Te deum. This I found tedious beyond measure, as indeed to me are all Concerts. Here, I believe, the shew is over—3

With esteem I am, dear sir / your friend & servt

Thomas B Adams

RC (OCHP: Joseph Pitcairn Letters); internal address: “Mr: Pitcairn.”

1Not found.

2The traditional ceremony of homage paid to a new Prussian king was held for Frederick William III on 6 July. In his Diary JQA described the event: “Between 9 and 10 this morning, went to the royal Palace, into the Hall called the white Hall on the third story. … A secretary read the oath of allegiance, which was afterwards repeated word by word by all the deputies, and closed with three cheers of ’Long live Frederick William III.’ Then one of the Ministers read the act signed by the king declaring on his part that he will maintain all the rights and privileges of the respective States.” The ceremony, which TBA found “a vapid & insipid spectacle, at least to an American,” was then repeated before an audience of thousands (D/JQA/24, 6 July, APM Reel 27; TBA, Journal, 1798 description begins Berlin and the Prussian Court in 1798: Journal of Thomas Boylston Adams, Secretary to the United States Legation at Berlin, ed. Victor Hugo Paltsits, New York, 1916. description ends , p. 21).

3In his Diary TBA recorded having “passed a tolerable pleasant time” at the ball, prior to which JQA had a private audience with Queen Louise. TBA further noted that he attended the concert “for the sake of seeing the building,” which he found “handsome,” but that he had “no relish for the music,” which JQA described as “very indifferent” (TBA, Journal, 1798 description begins Berlin and the Prussian Court in 1798: Journal of Thomas Boylston Adams, Secretary to the United States Legation at Berlin, ed. Victor Hugo Paltsits, New York, 1916. description ends , p. 21; D/JQA/24, 7, 8 July, APM Reel 27).

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