81The Commissioners to Gabriel de Sartine, 5 November 1778 (Adams Papers)
We have the Honour of your Excellencys Letter of the 5th. of this Month, but as the Memoire, of the French surgion, which your Excellency proposed to transmit to Us, was, by some Accident omitted to be inclosed in your Letter, We are ignorant of his Case, and consequently unable to inform your Excellency whether it is in our Power to afford him any Relief. If your Excellency, will have the...
82The Commissioners to the President of the Congress, 7 November 1778 (Adams Papers)
We have the Honour to inclose a Copy of the Declaration concerning the 11 and 12 Articles of the Treaty of Commerce, which we have received from his Excellency the Secretary of State for foreign Affairs, in exchange for a similar one signed by us, in Pursuance of the Instructions of Congress. We have also the Honour to inclose Copies of a Correspondence with his Excellency Mr. de Sartine, the...
83The Commissioners to John Gilbank, 10 November 1778 (Adams Papers)
We have received your Letter of October the sixth, and wish it was in our Power to do more for officers in your situation than We do, altho that amounts in the whole to a large sum. But as We have al ready lent you as much Money as We have lent been able to lend to other officers of your Rank and in your Circumstances, it is not in our Power we cannot without a blameable Partiality to lend...
84The Commissioners to Gabriel de Sartine, 12 November 1778 (Adams Papers)
Last Night, We had a Letter from Nantes a Copy of which we have the honour to inclose to your Excellency. The Subject of it appears to us, of great Importance to the United States, as well as to the Individuals, Frenchmen and Americans, who are interested in the Vessels destined to America, to a considerable Number of Gentlemen and others who are going Passengers in this Fleet, and ultimately...
85The Commissioners to the Comte de Vergennes, 12 November 1778 (Adams Papers)
The Alliance between this Kingdom, and the United States of America, is an Event of such Magnitude in their History, that We conceive it would be highly pleasing to our Constituents, to have the Picture of their his Majesty their illustrious Friend and Ally, to be kept in some Public Place where the Congress sits. We would carefully avoid every Thing which would be disagreable to the King and...
86The Commissioners to J. D. Schweighauser, 25 November 1778 (Adams Papers)
In Answer to your Letter of the seventeenth Instant, We desire you would ship to America, all the Goods belonging to the United States, of every sort. And consequently to write for no more Workmen, but dismiss, immediately, all that remain if any. We can give you no Directions about the Articles “entreposed” for the Coast of Guinea: because We understand nothing about the Matter. We neither...
87The Commissioners to the Comte de Vergennes, 7 December 1778 (Adams Papers)
To His Excellency Count de Vergennes, Minister & Secretary of State for foreign Affairs: At the time the American War began there was very little real Money in that Country, the same having been constantly drawn out as fast as it came in to pay for British Manufactures and Importations of foreign Goods by the British Merchants, with the Duties and other Expences occasioned by their Monopoly....
88The Commissioners to the Comte de Vergennes, 29 December 1778 (Adams Papers)
We have been favoured with a Letter signed by many Gentlemen of Nantes and dated the fifteenth of this Month, informing us that most of their Vessels were ready to sail to America, and that others were expected to be ready immediately, so that the Convoy need not wait at all, but might be ordered as soon as Convenience will permit. These Gentlemen are very desirous of a Convoy through the...
89The Commissioners to Gabriel de Sartine, 2 January 1779 (Adams Papers)
We had the Honour of receiving your Excellency’s Letter of the 22d, and are much obliged to you for the Interest you take in what concerns the unhappy Prisoners who may escape from England. We have not been inattentive to that Subject. There are Persons who Supply them at Bourdeaux, Brest, l’Orient, Nantes and Dunkirk. A Gentleman at Calais has voluntarily done this service for which We have...
90The Commissioners to J. D. Schweighauser, 4 January 1779 (Adams Papers)
We are honoured with yours of without a date. We wrote you on the Second of this Month to which We refer. We have written to Mr. Gilbank several Times that We could furnish him with no more Money, and that We should protest his Bills. If he will not believe Us, When the Bills arrive if they ever do, which We hope they will not, our Protest Refusal and the consequent Protest Will Convince him....
91The Commissioners to Gabriel de Sartine, 7 January 1779 (Adams Papers)
We have the Honour to inclose to your Excellency two Memorials concerning a French Vessell retaken from an English Privateer by An American Privateer the Hampden commanded by Captain Pickering. As there is nothing in either of the Treaties between his Majesty and the united States, respecting such Rescues and Recaptures the Laws of each State must govern the Cases of the Vessells carried into...
92The Commissioners to Gabriel de Sartine, 7 January 1779 (Adams Papers)
Your Excellency did Us the Honour to inform Us, sometime ago, that in order to obtain the Liberty of Americans, taken on board of English Vessells by his Majestys ships it was necessary, that We should inform your Excellency, that they had been made Prisoners by the English and forced into their service. We accordingly request the Liberty of William Berry, William Keating, John Williams,...
93II. The Commissioners to the Comte de Vergennes, 9 January 1779 (Adams Papers)
Some late Proceedings of the Enemy, have induced us, to submit a few Observations to your Excellency’s superior Lights and Judgement. His Britannic Majesty’s Commissioners, in their Manifesto of the 3d of October, have denounced “a Change in the whole Nature and future Conduct of the War,” they have declared “that the Policy as well as Benevolence of Great Britain, have thus far checked the...
94The Commissioners to John Lloyd and Others, 13 January 1779 (Adams Papers)
We had Yesterday the Honour of your Letter of the seventh of this Month, and at the same Time that of a Letter from his Excellency the Comte De Sartine Vergennes, Copy of which We inclose. We have this Day written to his Excellency, requesting, that the Convoy may be sent without delay to Nantes, where the Vessells are waiting for it. We are very sorry, that the Kings service will not Admit,...
95The Commissioners to John Lloyd and Others, 26 January 1779 (Adams Papers)
We had Yesterday the Honour of your Letter of the Twenty first of this Month. You desire to know what Port or Ports, is or are made free, pursuant to the Treaty? We believe that none have as yet been determined on. At present all the Ports of France, are open, to American Vessells of all Denominations, and we are at present rather doubtful whether it would be politick in Us to apply to have...
96The Commissioners to the Comte de Vergennes, 9 February 1779 (Adams Papers)
It is now near six Months that Capt. McNeil, of the Mifflin Privateer from America, has been embarras’d with a Process on Account of a French Ship, which he retook from the English after she had been three Days in their Possession. The Laws of France are clear with regard to the Validity of this Prize, and our Captains have Orders, contained in their Commissions, to submit their Prizes to the...
97The Commissioners to Jonathan Williams, 9 February 1779 (Adams Papers)
We have received your Letters of the 12 Decr. and 23 of January. In the first You propose that We should write to Messrs. Horneca and Fitzeaux to pass the Amount of the Goods you mention to our Debit. In that of 23 of January, you propose that one of the Cases Still remaining in Mr. Schweighausers Hands should be delivered to you, and that We should give orders to Mess. Horneca &c. to replace...