1. Jan (or Jean) de Neufville and son were Dutch bankers, long interested and active in aiding the American cause. In 1778 the elder Neufville had negotiated an unauthorized and abortive treaty with William Lee at Aix-la-Chapelle, the text of which later came into British hands and led to a rift in Anglo-Dutch relations. After JA’s arrival Neufville began a drive, which fell below expectations, to raise a loan for the United States (Diary and Autobiography description begins Diary and Autobiography of John Adams, ed. L. H. Butterfield and others, Cambridge, 1961; 4 vols. description ends , 2:444–445).

2. Alexander Gillon, a Charleston merchant and shipowner, and commodore of the South Carolina navy, was in Amsterdam procuring a ship (which he renamed the South Carolina) and supplies and attempting to negotiate a loan for his state. As JQA’s Diary indicates, Gillon was helpful to JA as he settled into life in Amsterdam, but JA’s opinion of the commodore changed considerably after sending CA back to America on board Gillon’s ship a year later (Diary and Autobiography description begins Diary and Autobiography of John Adams, ed. L. H. Butterfield and others, Cambridge, 1961; 4 vols. description ends , 2:447; Adams Family Correspondence, description begins Adams Family Correspondence, ed. L. H. Butterfield and others, Cambridge, 1963- . description ends 4:55).