From John Adams to the President of Congress, 14 September 1783
To the President of Congress
Paris Septr: 14. 1783.
Sir
I beg Leave to introduce to your Civilities Mr: Thaxter, who goes home with the definitive Treaty of Peace, and the original Treaty with Holland.1
Mr: 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.2 These were sent as Presents to me and I have no more, otherwise I should have been glad to have Sent more of them to America.
With great Respect I have the Honour to be your Excellencies / most obedient Servant.
LbC in JQA’s hand (Adams Papers); internal address: “His Excellency the President of Congress.”; APM Reel 106. This is the last letter in Lb/JA/18. For JA and his Letterbooks, see Introduction, Part 4, above.
1. Soon after John Thaxter’s departure from Paris on 14 Sept., JA, who had been unwell for several days, was seized with a fever almost as violent as the one that had afflicted him at Amsterdam two years earlier. Weak and unable to sleep because of the din of traffic outside his lodgings at the Hôtel du Roi, JA was moved on 22 Sept. to new accommodations at the Hôtel de Rouault in Auteuil, where he and JQA resided as guests of Thomas Barclay until they left for London on 20 Oct. (, 3:143–144, 146). For JA’s illness at Amsterdam in 1781, see vol. 11:469–470.
2. JA sent Congress and its president the medal issued by the Société Bourgeoise of Leeuwarden to commemorate Friesland’s recognition of the United States on 26 Feb. 1782. For a description and illustration of the medal, as well as the Société’s 29 April 1783 presentation letter and JA’s later remembrance of sending the medal to Robert Morris, see vol. 14:xiv, 458–462, 463.