From John Adams to Thomas Jefferson, 10 July 1787
To Thomas Jefferson
Grosvenor Square July 10, 17871
Dear Sir
I received with great Pleasure your favour of the first.— Your Excursion I dare answer for it, will be advantageous in many respects to our Country.— The Object of mine to Holland was to procure Money, and I had the good fortune to obtain as much as was necessary for the then present Purpose: but it was not in Consequence of any orders from Congress, and therefore I am under Some Apprehension for fear my Loan should not be ratified with so much Promptitude as I wish. If Congress ratify my Loan they will be able to pay the 2000 Guineas to the officers you mention, and to pay the Principal Sum too, if they please.— I have no doubt that Congress might borrow Money in Holland to pay off the Debt to France, if the States would lay on a Duty, to pay the Interest.— If you will venture to draw upon Willinks and Vanstaphorsts, I Suppose you may have the Money to pay the French officers their Interest.— But perhaps you would choose to have a previous Order of Congress or the Board of Treasury.
I am extreamly Sorry, that you could not come for your Daughter in Person, and that We are obliged to part with her so soon. In my Life I never Saw a more charming Child.— accept of my Thanks, for the Pamphlets and arrets.— Tell Mazzei, he cannot conceive what an Italian I am become—I read nothing else, and if he writes to me it must be in that Language: but he must remember to make his Letters, So plain, that I can see them. in Writing English he is obliged to write So slow that his Characters are visible: but in Italian Such is the Rapidity of his Eloquence, that I must get a solar Microscope, if he is not upon his guard. You too, write Italian, and if you like it, you will oblige me: but I am not yet presumptuous enough to write a Line in any Thing but rugged American. I am, my dear Sir / with perfect Friendship yours
John Adams.2
RC (DLC:Jefferson Papers); internal address: “His E. Mr Jefferson.” LbC (Adams Papers); APM Reel 113.
1. AA also wrote to Jefferson, on 26 and 27 June and on 6 and 10 July. She described meeting Mary (Polly) Jefferson and Sally Hemings, and she enclosed a detailed memorandum of travel-related expenses and fabric purchases for Jefferson to reimburse ( , 8:92–93, 93–94, 107–109, 109–111).
2. Busy working on the second volume of the and traveling, JA briefly suspended his official correspondence and did not resume it until his letter to Jefferson of 25 Aug., below.