31The American Commissioners to the Duke of Dorset, 28 October 1784 (Adams Papers)
While M. hartley was here as Minister from the Court of Great Britain, we had the honour of mentioning to him that we were instructed by the Congress to treat on Some points distinct from any regulations of Commerce He Communicated this to his Court & the very Satisfactory answer which he received & made to us of its good disposition & willingness to receive & consider any propositions that...
We received the Letter your Excellency did us the honour of writing to us the 8 th Ult o. together with the copy of your full powers to treat with us. M r Adams had as you suppose, preserved a copy of the project of a Treaty that had been concerted between your Excellency & him; but having by instruction from the Congress our Sovereign certain new articles to propose in all our Treaties with...
33VII. To the Baron von Thulemeier, 13 February 1785 (Adams Papers)
Your Favour of the 24 th: of Jan y. did not reach me, untill two Days ago. I communicated the Observations, inclosed in it, immediately to my Colleagues, who will transmit you our Answers, as soon as Health, and other Circumstances will admit. I have communicated to them also, your personal and confidential observations to me. They will have great Weight as they ought to have. I am weary of...
We had the honour of receiving your Letter of Jan ry: 24. covering a translation into French of the Draught of a treaty proposed between His Majesty the King of Prussia & the United States of America, together with answers to the several articles. We have considered them with attention, & with all those dispositions to accomodate them to the wishes of His Majesty which a respect for his...
Having assembled together at this place about the latter end of August we proceeded in obedience to the commands of Congress to notify our appointment and its objects to such Powers as we thought it adviseable at that time to address. We wrote a circular letter in the form N o. 1. to the Ambassadors or other Ministers residing here from the courts of Saxony; the two Sicilies, Sardinia, Venice,...
36Benjamin Franklin to John Adams, 15 November 1784 (Adams Papers)
M r Franklin presents his respectful Compliments to M r Adams, and enclosos a Paper left with him by the Secretary of the Portuguese Ambassador last Night, being an Extract of a Letter from the First Minister of that Court. No Notice is taken in it of the preceding Plan of a Treaty, and M r. F. mentions for Consideration, whether it would not be right to send a Copy of the new Plan immediately...
We have received the Extract of the letter from Monsieur de Sa of the 24 th Oct r 1784 which your Excellency was pleased to send us by the hand of the Secretary of your legation. “That in consequence of our letter your Excellency might assure us that Her Most faithful Majesty will be very glad to have the best correspondence with the United States, and that we may explain to your Excellency...
38The American Commissioners to the Duke of Dorset, 9 December 1784 (Adams Papers)
We have received the Letter which your grace did us the honour of writing us on the 24 th. day of Last month, and we received with much Satisfaction the assurances on the part of his Britannic Majesty’s Ministers of their readiness to take into consideration any proposals coming from the United States of america that Can tend to the establishing a System of mutual & permanent advantage, to the...
39The American Commissioners to Francesco Favi, 9 December 1784 (Adams Papers)
We have received your letter of the 16 th. of Nov r. wherein you are pleased to inform us that you had communicated to His Royal Highness the Grand Duke of Tuscany the overtures we had the honour of making for the establishment of a treaty of Amity & Commerce between the Subjects of His Royal Highness & the Citizens of the United States of America; that these were agreeable to him, and that...
In our letter of Nov r 11 th. we had the honour of laying before Congress a state of our proceedings till that date. As from that it would appear that the last communications had in every instance passed from us to the other parties we can now only add the answers of such of them as have yet answered, & our replies; these are the courts of Portugal, Tuscany & Great Britain. N o. 1. is a copy...
We have received the letter you did us the honour to write us on the 10 th day of December last. We supposed that the principles contained in the project of a Treaty, which we had the honour to transmit you, were a virtual answer to the requisition in the last lines of your letter of the eighteenth of October. By the second & third Articles, the citizens & subjects of each power may frequent...
In our last of Dec r. 15 we had the honour of communicating to Congress our letter to the Ambassador of Portugal which accompanied the draught of the treaty of Amity & Commerce proposed on our part. Since that date he addressed to us the letter N o. 1. acknowledging the receipt of ours & informing us that he had forwarded it to his court. The Baron de Thulemeier also, the Prussian Minister at...
43The American Commissioners to John Jay, 18 March 1785 (Adams Papers)
We received by the last Packet the favor of your letter of Jan ry. 14. in which we have the agreeable information of your having accepted the appointment of Secretary for foreign Affairs. Besides the general interest we feel in this event as members of the Union which is to availed of your services, we are particularly happy that a channel of communication is opened for us with Congress in...
44John Adams to Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, 20 March 1785 (Adams Papers)
According to your desire, I went early this Morning to Versailles, and finding the Count de Vergennes unembarassed with Company, and only attended by his private Secretaries, I soon obtained the Honour of a Conference, in which I told him that my Colleagues were very sorry, that Indisposition necessarily prevented their paying their respects to him in Person, & obliged them to request me alone...
45The American Commissioners to the Comte de Vergennes, 28 March 1785 (Adams Papers)
We have the honour to enclose an extract of a letter from the Commissioners of the United States of America to Your Excellency dated Aug st. 28 th. 1778. Copy of Your Excellency’s ans r dated 27. Sept r. 1778. & Copy of M. de Sartine’s letter to Your Excellency of the 21 st of Sept r. 1778 all relative to a proposed negotiation with the States of Barbary. Not having any particular authority or...
46To John Adams from Benjamin Franklin, 2 May 1785 (Adams Papers)
M r Franklin presents his Respects to M r Adams, & acquaints him, that a New York Gentleman, Paul Randal Esq r. is just arriv’d at Paris, and has Letters for M r Adams. He lodges at the Hotel d’Orleans, Rue S t. Anne. He has been with M r Franklin, but not knowing that M r Adams liv’d so near, did not bring his Letters out with him. He intends waiting on M r Adams, but perhaps the Letters may...
Our Secretary of State for foreign Affairs, in a Letter of 13. Ap. informs me, that he wrote Us a Letter by Capt. Lamb dated 11. March, inclosing a Variety of Papers respecting the Treaties We are directed to negotiate and conclude with the Barbary Powers. inclosed is a Copy of a Resolution of Congress of 14. Feb. 1785, inclosed to me, in the Secretary’s Letter.— I know nothing of Capt Lambs...
I have now the honour to inform you that having shewn my Commission to the Right Honourable the Marquis of Carmarthen, and left an Authenticated Copy together with a Copy of my Letter of Credence to the King according to the usage. I had the Honour on the first of this month to be introduced by his Lordship to His Majesty, in his Closet with all the Ceremonies, and formalities, practised on...
Among the instructions given to the Ministers of the United states for treating with foreign powers, was one of the 11 th. of May 1784. relative to an individual of the name of John Baptist Pecquet. it contains an acknowlegement on the part of Congress of his merits and sufferings by friendly services rendered to great numbers of American seamen carried prisoners into Lisbon, and refers to us...
50To John Adams from Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson with a Draft Anglo-American Treaty of Amity and Commerce, 8 … (Adams Papers)
We duly received your letter of the 20 th of June, and now in consequence thereof send you a draught of a treaty which we should be willing to have proposed to the court of London. We have taken for our groundwork the original draught proposed to Denmark, making such alterations & additions only as had occurred in the course of our negociations with Prussia & Tûscany and which we thought were...
51From John Adams to Benjamin Franklin, 27 January 1787 (Adams Papers)
D r White has been So obliging to me, as to take with him to America, two Volumes, one for your Excellency and one for the Philosophical Society of Philadelphia, of a Production of mine, Suggested by the late popular Phrensy in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. It contains my Confession of political Faith, and if it is Heresy, I shall I Suppose be cast out of Communion. But it is the only...
52To John Adams from Benjamin Franklin, 18 May 1787 (Adams Papers)
I received by D r White the Letter you did me the honour of writing to me the 27th of January, together with two Copies of your Defence of the American Constitutions, one for myself for which I beg you would accept my Thanks, the other for the Philosophical Society, whose Secretary will of course officially acknowledge the Obligation. That Work is in such Request here, that it is already put...
53Constitutional Convention. Second of Benjamin Franklin’s Motion that Proposed Executive Serve Without Pay, 2 June 1787 (Hamilton Papers)
Philadelphia, June 2, 1787. On this date Benjamin Franklin moved that the expenses of the proposed Executive should be paid but that he should receive “no salary, stipend fee or reward whatsoever” for his service. “The motion was seconded by Col. HAMILTON with the view he said merely of bringing so respectable a proposition before the Committee, and which was besides enforced by arguments that...
54David Hartley to the American Peace Commissioners, 4 September 1783 (Franklin Papers)
Copy and press copy of copy: National Archives; copies: William L. Clements Library, Library of Congress, Massachusetts Historical Society, Public Record Office It is with the sincerest Pleasure that I congratulate you on the happy Event which took Place Yesterday, viz., the Signature of the Definitive Treaty between our two Countries. I consider it as the auspicious Presage of returning...
55The American Peace Commissioners to David Hartley, 5 September 1783 (Franklin Papers)
Copies: Public Record Office, William L. Clements Library, Library of Congress, Massachusetts Historical Society, National Archives; press copy of copy: National Archives; copies of draft: Library of Congress, Massachusetts Historical Society We have received the Letter which you did us the Honour to write yesterday. Your friendly Congratulations on the signature of the definitive Treaty, meet...
56From Benjamin Franklin to Charles James Fox, 5 September 1783 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Public Record Office; copies: Library of Congress (two), Massachusetts Historical Society I received in its time the Letter you did me the honour of writing to me by Mr. Hartley: And I cannot let him depart without expressing my Satisfaction in his Conduct towards us, and applauding the Prudence of that Choice which sent us a Man possess’d of such a Spirit of Conciliation, and of all...
57From Benjamin Franklin to David Hartley, 6 September 1783 (Franklin Papers)
Copies: Massachusetts Historical Society, William L. Clements Library (two), Library of Congress (two) Inclosed is my Letter to Mr. Fox. I beg you would assure him, that my Expressions of Esteem for him are not mere Professions. I really think him a Great Man; & I could not think so, if I did not believe he was at Bottom, and would prove himself, a good One. Guard him against Mistaken Notions...
58To Benjamin Franklin from the Chevalier Du Ponceau, 6 September 1783 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : American Philosophical Society Depuis que je suis arrivé D’amerique avec L’armée de Rochambeau, Je n’ai point reçu de nouvelles de mon frere qui est employé à philadelphie dans les affaires étrangeres. Tout m’engage à croire que mes lettres ne lui sont pas parvenues Sans doute parceque j’ai employé de mauvais moyens. Jose prendre la liberté Monsieur de lui en addresser une sous votre...
59To Benjamin Franklin from the Comtesse d’Houdetot, 6 September 1783 (Franklin Papers)
LS : American Philosophical Society J’implore Mon Cher Docteur Votre protection pour un Malheureux Matelot attaché au Service D’un Batiment americain Et que des Circonstances Malheureuses Et la Difficulté De s’Expliquer font Detenir injustement Dans une prison Cruelle je Gemis pour mon paÿs qu’il Soit possible qu’il y ait Des Malheureux de Ce Genre mais Enfin sauvons Celuy Cy Si nous Le...
60To Benjamin Franklin from David Hartley, 7 September 1783 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : William L. Clements Library I beg of you not to forget your letter to Mr Fox:— The purpose of my journey to England will be to do the best in my power for things & persons & particularly for my friends.— If you have any other private letters, send them to me. I will deliver them. I hope likewise be personally charged with the answers. I am better this morning and shall certainly set off...