From John Adams to the President of Congress, No. 71, 23 May 1780

To the President of Congress, No. 71

Paris, 23 May 1780. RC in John Thaxter’s hand with postscript by JA (PCC, No. 84, II, f. 71–73). printed: Wharton, ed., Dipl. Corr. Amer. Rev. description begins Francis Wharton, ed., The Revolutionary Diplomatic Correspondence of the United States, Washington, 1889; 6 vols. description ends , 3:698–699.

In this letter, read in Congress on 21 Aug., John Adams sent extracts from newspaper accounts originating in Stockholm, Copenhagen, Paris, Hamburg, and London between 2 and 12 May. Sweden and Denmark were reported to have acceded to the armed neutrality and to be in the process of fitting out warships to protect their trade, while it was speculated that Portugal might soon follow their example. There were conflicting reports as to whether the Netherlands had joined with the other neutral states or was about to reach an amicable settlement with Britain over the seizure of ships from van Bylandt’s convoy by Como. Fielding. In a postscript Adams noted rumors that additional French forces were preparing to sail from Brest.

RC in John Thaxter’s hand with postscript by JA (PCC, No. 84, II, f. 71–73). printed: (Wharton, ed., Dipl. Corr. Amer. Rev. description begins Francis Wharton, ed., The Revolutionary Diplomatic Correspondence of the United States, Washington, 1889; 6 vols. description ends , 3:698–699.)

Index Entries

You Are Looking At

Source Project: Adams Papers
Title: From John Adams to the President of Congress, No. 71, 23 May 1780
Author: Adams, John
Recipients: Huntington, Samuel
President of Congress
Date: 23 May 1780

Reference

Cite as: “From John Adams to the President of Congress, No. 71, 23 May 1780,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Adams/06-09-02-0212. [Original source: The Adams Papers, Papers of John Adams, vol. 9, March 1780 – July 1780, ed. Gregg L. Lint and Richard Alan Ryerson. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1996, p. 334.]