Passport for John Adams, John Quincy Adams, and Servant, [7 March 1779]
Passport for John Adams, John Quincy Adams, and Servant6
DS:7 Yale University Library
[March 7, 1779]
Nous Benjamin Franklin Ministre Plenipotentiaire des treize Etats Unis de l’Amerique septentrionale
Prions touts ceux qui sont a prier de vouloir bien laisser surement et librement passer l’honorable John Adams sujet des dits Etats allant a Nantes avec son fils et un Domestique sans leur donner ni permettre qu’il leur soit donné aucun Empechement, mais au contraire de leur donner toute sorte d’Aide et d’Assistance, comme nous ferions en pareil Cas pour ceux qui nous seroient recommandés.8
En foi de quoi nous leur avons delivré le present Passeport, valable pour trois mois, signé de notre Main, contresigné par l’un de nos Secretaires et au Bas duquel est le Cachet de nos Armes.9
Donné a Passy en notre Hotel, ce septieme Jour du Mois de Mars, Mil sept cent soixante dix neuf
Par son Excellence
B Franklin
N M Gellée
Gratis.
Endorsed by John Adams: Passport
6. The wording of this passport follows the French government’s form, which the American commissioners had adopted (and BF now followed) for all their French-language passports. For an earlier example see XXVI, 440–1.
7. In the hand of BF’s secretary Gellée, who also countersigned.
8. BF drew on his banker Ferdinand Grand to provide JA 7,200 l.t. for traveling expenses (Waste Book, entry of March 8). The Adams party left for Nantes on the same date. Arriving there four days later, however, they discovered the Alliance was still at Brest and began a series of journeys which took them to Brest, back to Nantes, and eventually to Lorient before they could embark for home: Butterfield, Adams Correspondence, III, 195; Butterfield, John Adams Diary, II, 356.
9. The seal is that of the Franklin arms (II, 229–30n and facing illustration).