From John Jay to John Adams, 4 May 1786 (second letter)
To John Adams (Second Letter)
Office for foreign Affairs 4th. May 1786
Dr Sir
Since the 22d. February which was the Date of my last Letter to You,1 I have been honored with yours of the 4. 5. and 11 Novemr. and 2. 6. 9. 12. and 15 and one of Decemr. last and also of 4th. 21. and 26. January 1786.2 All of them have been laid before Congress, from whom I have no Instructions to say any thing more on the Subjects of them than what you will find in my Letter to you of the 1st. Inst.—3 This is to be imputed to there not being so many States convened in Congress as are necessary to decide on Matters of that kind, for since last Autumn when the new Election took place they have not had nine States on the floor for more than three or four Days, until this Week—There are nine at present and more are expected, so that I hope more Attention will now be paid to our foreign Affairs than has been the Case for many Months past.—
Your and Mr. Jeffersons joint Letter ^dated^ 2d. & 11th. October last4 with the Prussian Treaty has been recieved and I have reported a Ratification of it, which when agreed to shall without Delay be transmitted. The printed Papers herewith transmitted will give you some Ideas of our Affairs. The proposed Impost gains Friends and the Legislature of this State has passed an Act in its Favor rather in Compliance with the popular Opinion, than that of a Majority in the House—it departs however from some material Parts in the Recommendation of Congress, and it is not certain that in its present State it will be accepted. As this Letter will go by the Packet I avoid minute Details—I hope by the next private Ship to write more circumstantially especially as it is probable that Congress will by that Time have concluded on several Matters respecting foreign Affairs, which have long been and now are under their Consideration.—
Mr. Anstey is here,5 and I think has Reason to be satisfied with the Attention shewn him. The English Papers do us Injustice, and are calculated to create a much greater Degree of Asperity in this Country than really exists in it.—
Mr. Hancock is still at Boston, and it is not certain when he may be expected—this is not a pleasant Circumstance, for though the Chair is well filled by a Chairman, yet the President of Congress should be absent as little and seldom as possible. With great & sincere Regard I am Dr Sir Your most obt. & hble. Servt.—
LS, MHi: Adams, reel 368. Endorsed: “… ansd. 16. June. / 1786”. Dft, NNC (EJ: 5804). LbkC, , 179–81 (EJ: 2456).
2. JA to JJ, 4 Nov. 1785, ALS, DNA: PCC, item 84, 5: 713–16, and LbkC, DNA: PCC, item 104, 5: 426–29; 5 Nov. 1785, ALS, DNA: PCC, item 84, 5: 717–26, and LbkC, DNA: PCC, item 104, 5: 429–39; 11 Nov. 1785, above; December 1785, above; 2 Dec. 1785, DNA: PCC, item 84, 6: 1–2, and LbkC, DNA: PCC, item 104, 6: 1–2; 6 Dec. 1785, above; 9 Dec. 1785, DNA: PCC, item 84, 6: 13–16, and LbkC, DNA: PCC, item 104, 6: 8–10; 12 Dec. 1785, ALS, DNA: PCC, item 84, 6: 17–18, and LbkC, DNA: PCC, item 104, 6: 11–12; 15 Dec. 1785, above; 4 Jan. 1786, LS, NNC (EJ: 5425), and MHi: Adams; 21 Jan. 1786, ALS, DNA: PCC, item 84, 6: 75–78, and LbkC, DNA: PCC, item 104, 6: 46–48; and 26 Jan. 1786, ALS, DNA: PCC, item 84, 6: 79–82, and LbkC, DNA: PCC, item 104, 6: 48–50.
3. JJ to JA, 1 May 1786, LS, MHi: Adams, reel 368, Dft, NNC (EJ: 5798), and LbkC, , 173–74 (EJ: 2452).
4. The American commissioners notified JJ in their dispatch of 11 May, received on 25 July 1785, that they intended to sign the treaty with Prussia. Signing the treaty took place over several months, as it had to be sent from Paris to Baron de Thulemeier, Frederick II’s representative at The Hague, and to JA in London. The commissioners enclosed the signed treaty under cover of letters of 2 and 11 Oct., which JJ submitted to Congress on 9 Feb. 1786. See American Commissioners to JJ, 11 May 1785, C, DNA: PCC, item 116, 368–71 (EJ: 3572); 8: 140; 2 Oct. 1785, LS, DNA: PCC, item 86, 321–24; and LbkC, DNA: PCC, item 116, 468; and 11 Oct. 1785, 8: 606; 16: 44, 45, 132–62, 373–420; and 22: 529, 631, 680.
The treaty was the first to contain certain humanitarian features advocated by BF: the immunity of noncombatants in wartime, decent treatment of prisoners of war, and a provision that contraband goods on neutral ships could not be confiscated in wartime, but merely detained, with reasonable compensation for resulting loss to the proprietors. For JJ’s comments on it, see his report of 9 Mar. 1786, DS, DNA: PCC, item 81, 2: 57–60 (EJ: 3889), in which he observed that it contained many of the problems that he had noted in his report of 17 May 1785, above. Nevertheless, Congress ratified the treaty on 17 May 1786. See , 20 May 1784 (EJ: 3763); and 30: 268–85.
5. The investigator into American Loyalist claims.