From Thomas Jefferson to John Adams, 4 September 1785
To John Adams
Paris Sep. 4. 1785.
Dear Sir
Since writing my letter of this morning I have seen Mr. Grand and had a conversation with him on the subject of the interest due here. He is pressed on that subject. By a letter he received not long since from the Commissioners of the treasury it seems their intention that he should pay this interest out of the money in Holland, yet they omitted to give him any authority to ask for any of that money. I thought it possible they might have written to you on the subject and told him I would take the liberty of asking whether you had been desired to do any thing. It is a little unfortunate that our credit should be losing ground for default of paiment while money is understood to be lying dead, and sufficient for that purpose. The Commissioners themselves make this reflection in their letter. If you can give us any information on this subject I will thank you. I am with much esteem Dr. Sir Your friend & servt.,
TH: Jefferson
RC (MHi: AMT); endorsed in part: “ansd. 11. [Sep.] 1785.”
On the subject of the interest due here, Samuel Osgood and Walter Livingston, commissioners of the treasury, wrote to Ferdinand Grand on 30 Aug. 1785 enclosing Robert Morris’ draft payable to them for “four hundred thousand Livres Tournois, dated 30th June 1785, and payable on the first day of November next.” The commissioners directed Grand to pay this “amount into the Royal Treasury of France, on account of the Interest due on the Ten Million Loan” from Holland that was guaranteed by France (Tr in DLC: TJ Papers, 14: 2243–4). In this letter the commissioners also referred to theirs to Grand of 18 May 1785, which was the one doubtless that Grand had received not long since and which notified Grand of their having made effectual arrangements for the interest that would become due on the Holland loan on 5 Nov. 1785.