From John Adams to Wilhem & Jan Willink and Nicolaas & Jacob van Staphorst, 10 November 1785
To Wilhem & Jan Willink and Nicolaas & Jacob van Staphorst
Grosvenor Square Novr 10th 1785—
Gentlemen
I have received your Favour of the 4th of this Month and am surprised to hear of the bad Condition of the Hotel, after all the great Expences which have been laid out upon it to put it in tenantable repair.—1 the House is so vast and requires so much Expence to furnish it.— it stands upon so vile a Gragt and has so miserable a Prospect in Front, that I know not whether another Minister from the United states will ever be willing to live in it. be this as it may I shall certainly leave it to another Minister to judge for himself, what to do with it. My advice to Congress would rather be to sell it for what it would fetch, than to be thus continually at expence for repairs.— you will be so good then as to have the opening in the roof repaired so as to keep out the weather, but no other repairs or Expences about it but what are absolulety necessary to prevent the House from receiving further Damage—
The inclosed Letter to Messrs Willinks, I am desired to forward by Mr Arthur Lee.2 I should be obliged to those Gentlemen if they would inform me of the receipt of it—
your most obedient servt—
LbC in AA2’s hand (Adams Papers); internal address: “Messrs Wilhem and Jan Willink / & Messrs Vanstaphorsts—”; APM Reel 111.
1. For the consortium’s 4 Nov. letter, see its letter of 8 Nov., note 1, above.
2. The enclosure had been sent under cover of the Board of Treasury’s 5 Oct. letter, signed on its behalf by Arthur Lee (Adams Papers), wherein JA was requested to forward to the Willinks “the Enclosed Dispatches by the first Mail.”