John Adams to States General of the Netherlands, 2 July 1784
Memorial to the States General
Fait a la Haye le 2 Juillet 17841
Hauts et Puissants Seigneurs
Le Sousigné Ministre Plenipotentiaire des Etats Unis de L’Amerique, a l’honneur de prier Vos Hauts Puissances, de vouloir faire depêcher, ou de lui accorder Un Passeport pour L’Entree libre, ou bien un Ordre a L’Amirauté de laisser passer librement, et Sans payer des Droits, deux malles ou Coffres et une Caisse marquèes I. A. contenans des Livres appartenans au Sousigné, et venus de Londres à Rotterdam par le navire Prince William Henry, Capitaine Woodward.2
Signè John Adams.
TRANSLATION
Done at The Hague, 2 July 17841
High and Mighty Lords
The undersigned Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States of America has the honor of entreating Your High Mightinesses to be so kind as to have dispatched or to grant to him a passport for free entry or an order to the admiralty allowing free passage, without payment of duties, of two trunks or chests and one case marked I. A. containing books belonging to the undersigned and come from London to Rotterdam aboard the ship Prince William Henry, Captain Woodward.2
Signed John Adams.
RC (Nationaal Archief:Staten-Generaal, 1.01.02, inv. nr. 7461). LbC (Adams Papers); APM Reel 107. The LbC is dated 3 July.
1. The RC’s of this and the memorial immediately below are among the few instances of French language documents in JA’s hand, but the fact that the LbC’s of both memorials are in JQA’s hand may indicate that JQA drafted the original French texts, which JA then copied for transmission to the States General.
2. For the passport, issued by the States General on 2 July (Adams Papers), see Descriptive List of Illustrations, No. 5, above.