1From John Adams to the President of Congress, 5 September 1783 (Adams Papers)
On Wednesday the third day of this Month, the American Ministers met the British Minister at his Lodgings at the Hôtel de York, and signed, sealed and delivered the Definitive Treaty of Peace between the United States of America and the King of Great Britain. Altho’ it is but a Confirmation or Repetition of the Provisional Articles, I have the honor to congratulate Congress upon it, as it is a...
2From John Adams to the President of Congress, 8 September 1783 (Adams Papers)
Yesterday morning, M r. Jay informed me, that D r. Franklin had recieved, & soon afterwards the D r. put into my hands the Resolution of Congress of the first of May, ordering Commission and Instructions to be prepared to those Gentlemen and myself, for making a Treaty of Commerce with Great Britain. This Resolution, with your Excellency’s Letter, arrived very seasonably, as M r. Hartley was...
3From John Adams to the President of Congress, 8 September 1783 (Adams Papers)
As the Resolution of Congress of the first of May, has determined it to be my Duty to remain in Europe at least another Winter I shall be obliged to say many things to your Excellency by Letter, which I hoped to have had the honour of saying upon the Floor of your house. Some of these Things may be Thought at first of little Consequence; but Time and Inquiry and Consideration will Shew them to...
4From John Adams to the President of Congress, 10 September 1783 (Adams Papers)
As I am to remain in Europe for sometime longer, I beg Leave to take a cursory view of what appears necessary or expedient to be further done in Europe, for I conceive it to be not only the Right but the Duty of a foreign Minister to advise his Sovereign according to his Lights and Judgment, although the more [extensive Information], and Superior Wisdom of the Sovereign may frequently [see]...
5From John Adams to the President of Congress, 14 September 1783 (Adams Papers)
I beg Leave to introduce to your Civilities M r: Thaxter, who goes home with the definitive Treaty of Peace, and the original Treaty with Holland. M r: Thaxter will present you a Medal, a Present to Congress, from the Province of Friesland, he will also present another to your Excellency of which I beg your acceptance. These were sent as Presents to me and I have no more, otherwise I should...
6From John Adams to the President of Congress, 9 November 1783 (Adams Papers)
About the fourteenth of September I was seized at Paris with a Fever, which proved to be a dangerous one, and brought me, very low, so that I was unable to attend to any business for some time.— on the twentieth of October, in Pursuance of the Advice of my Friends, I sett out from Auteuil a Village in the Neighbourhood of Passy for London, which City I reach’d by slow Journeys, the twenty...
7From John Adams to the President of Congress, 13 November 1783 (Adams Papers)
If any one should ask me what is the System of the present administration? I should answer, “to keep their places”— Every Thing they say or do appears evidently calculated to that End, and no Ideas of public Good no national Object is suffered to interfere with it. In order to drive out Shelburne, they condemned his Peace which all the Whig Part of them, would have been very glad to have made,...
8From John Adams to the President of Congress, 14 December 1783 (Adams Papers)
Permit me to congratulate you, on your Election to the Chair, and to wish you and the Members of Congress in general much Satisfaction at Anapolis. on the Fifth of this Month, Cap tn Jones arrived at my Lodgings in Piccadilly, with Dispatches from the late President M r Boudinot.— The Letters addressed to “the Ministers Plenipotentiary of the United States” I opened, And found a Set of...
9John Adams to the president of Congress, 10 February 1784 (Adams Papers)
I had Scarcely finished my Dispatches, to go by M r Thaxter with the definitive Treaty, when I was taken down with a Fever at Paris, and reduced so low as to be totally unable to attend to any Business for a long time. When I grew so much better, as to be able to ride, I was advised to go to England.— As I had nothing to do at Paris, and an Attempt to reside in Holland, would probably have...
10John Adams to the president of Congress, 9 March 1784 (Adams Papers)
On the Eighteenth of February the Baron de Thulemeyer, Envoy Extraordinary to their High Mightinesses from the King of Prussia, did me the Honour of a Visit, but as he found I had Company, he soon took his Leave, and as I accompanied him to the Head of the Stairs, he told me, he had Something to propose to me from the King and desired to know, when he might call again. I offered to return his...
11John Adams to the president of Congress, 27 March 1784 (Adams Papers)
I have the Honour to inclose Copies of three Notes which I have receiv’d from the Prussian Minister, the Baron de Thulemeier, by which Congress will see, that the King has agreed to take our Treaty with Sweeden for a Model, reserving to each Party the right of suggesting such alterations as shall appear to him convenient— My Request to Congress is, that they would be pleased to send...
12John Adams to the president of Congress, 10 April 1784 (Adams Papers)
I have the Honour to inclose to Congress a Copy of a Letter from the Baron De Thulemeier, and a Copy of a Project of a Treaty transmitted to me, by the order of the King of Prussia. I Should hope it might be examined in Congress or by a Committee and that Instructions may be sent, concerning any Changes to be made in the Articles, together with a Commission to treat and conclude to Such...
13John Adams to the president of Congress, 22 April 1784 (Adams Papers)
I received Sometime Since a Letter from an American Gentleman now in London, a Candidate for Orders, desiring to know, if American Candidates might have Orders from Prostestant Bishops on the Continent, and complaining that he had been refused by the Bishop of London and the Archbishop of Canturbury, unless he would take the Oaths of Allegiance &c. Meeting Soon afterwards, the Danish Minister...
14John Adams to the president of Congress, 13 May 1784 (Adams Papers)
Since my last Arrival in Holland, I have not transmitted to Congress, the Details of the Politicks of this Court and Nation, nor of those neighbouring Courts which are exciting disputes with it. M r Dumas has been in the Habit and Train of that History and I have not thought fit to interrupt him: But if I Should reside here regularly, the whole Business of the Mission will of Course go through...
15John Adams to the president of Congress, 13 May 1784 (Adams Papers)
The Measures taken by the Neighbouring Powers are likely to produce an intimate Friendship and Connection between this Republick and France. England, has mistaken her Policy So much as to delay the Signature of the definitive Treaty, and to keep up a Coldness and Distance, which instead of exciting the Populace, in favour of England as She expected has only accellerated the Union with France,...
16John Adams to the president of Congress, 14 May 1784 (Adams Papers)
As I had the Honour to observe in a former Letter there is a Fermentation in the Courts of the two Empires and those of Bourbon, which appears in Several Particulars which may be explained hereafter. A Question of Etiquette, which amounts to no more, than which of two Persons Shall enter or leave a Room the first may Set all Europe in a Flame. The Prince de Gallitzin, the Russian Ambassador,...
17John Adams to the president of Congress, 7 June 1784 (Adams Papers)
Some Weeks ago the Baron de Thulemeier called upon me and delivered me the Paper, copy of which is inclosed marked 1. It is a Letter written by the Envoy to the King. Last Evening the Baron called upon me again and delivered me the Answer of the King contained in the Paper Copy of which is inclosed, marked 2 I have heretofore transmitted to Congress, by different opportunities, Copies of the...
18John Adams to the president of Congress, 22 June 1784 (Adams Papers)
If my Memory does not deceive me, I have heretofore transmitted to Congress, the Advice of some of the foreign Ministers here, that the United States in Congress assembled, Should write a Letter to each of the Sovereigns of Europe, informing them of the compleat Establishment of their Independance. Lately in seperate Conversations, with the Ministers of the two Empires, and the King of...
19John Adams to the president of Congress, 3 July 1784 (Adams Papers)
Soon after the Signature of the Preliminary Articles of Peace, I requested, of Congress, their Permission to return to America. This Request they did not at that time judge proper to grant, me, but on the contrary resolved that a Commission should be sent to me, M r: Franklin & M r: Jay, to make a Treaty of Commerce with Great Britain. But as no such Commission has arrived in Europe, the...
20John Adams to the president of Congress, 5 July 1784 (Adams Papers)
Having been obliged to come to Holland, the Beginning of this Year to obtain Money, to prevent M r Morriss Bills from being protested, I have remained here untill this Time, in Expectation of receiving the further Commands of Congress. From the Resolution of the 1. of May 1783 and from many private Letters, I expected that a Commission would have arrived to the late Ministers at the Peace, to...
21John Adams to the president of Congress, 20 October 1784 (Adams Papers)
The inclosed Letters from M r Dumas will communicate to Congress, the present State of affairs, between their High Mightinesses and the Government general of the Austrian Low Countries. Those, who have negotiated for the Emperor, appear to have presumed too much upon the Fears and Divisions of the Dutch, and to have compromised too hastely his Authority and Dignity. The Dutch, neither...
22John Adams to the president of Congress, 3 November 1784 (Adams Papers)
D r Franklin has lately communicated to M r Jefferson and me a Letter he has received from the Comte de Vergennes and another from M r Grand. The first informs that M r Marbois had informed him, that upon his application to the Superintendant of Finances, he had received an Answer by M r Governieur Morris, that Letters Should be written both to Amsterdam and Paris to provide for the Payment of...
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,...
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...
25John Adams to the president of Congress, 10 January 1785 (Adams Papers)
I have the Satisfaction, to inform Congress that by Letters from our Bankers, in Amsterdam, I am informed, they have in Hand, near a Million of Gilders, and consequently, that the two Loans I have opened, amounting in the whole to Seven Millions of Guilders are almost full. This is full proof of the amelioration of our Credit, since January 1784, when I was obliged in a very tender State of...
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...