To John Adams from Jeremiah Allen, 3 June 1785
From Jeremiah Allen
Boston June 3d 1785
Sir
I have bought a Bill Drawn by the Honble Mr Dana, on your Excellency for Three Hundred fifty seven pounds sixteen shillings & Nine pence Sterg which no doubt will be duly Honord,1 I have endorsed & enclosed it, to my friends Messrs Cazalet & sons of London, presuming from information you must be in London, to which Court, I understand you are appointed, also that you and His Excellency Mr Jefferson are appointed joint Commissioners for Negociating a Commercial Treaty with Her Imperial Majesty of all the Russias—2 when last I had the Honor of paying my Respects to you, I was on my way to that Country3 and at that time formed a small Commercial connection with my friends Messrs Cramp & Cazalet of St Petersburg and have Obtain’d considerable Bussiness from hence to that Capital Viz seven Ships last year and as many this, many more would have engaged, if a Treaty had been made, or that if remittances could be devised, to go direct to that Country, as it is apparent all the Europeans Wish to put a Stop to the Trade therefore I am as an individual shall Embark for Russia in three Days, to endeavour to find remittances that will Answer both Countrys, and if your Excellency will condecend to Write me, if a Treaty is made, or likely to be made, and can aid me in any way I shall Esteem it a very particular favor, please to direct for me at Cramp & Cazalet St Petersburg I flatter myself, I shall be there by the time any letters may arrive for me— The Honble Mr Dana shew me, a part of your letter of the 8th of March requestg some account of the fishery & foreign Trade—4 I do myself the Honor to Enclose some account, relative to that matter, I rely upon your former friendship to Excuse the before mentioned requests—5
I am with great / Esteem & Respect your / Excellency Humble servant
Jeremiah Allen
RC (Adams Papers); internal address: “His Excellency J. Adams”; endorsed: “Jere Allen June 3 / 1785.” Dupl (Adams Papers). The duplicate formed the first portion of Allen’s letter of 10 July, below.
1. For Francis Dana’s explanation of this bill, see his letter of 4 June, below. In an account entered in his Letterbook (LbC, APM Reel 107) JA wrote, “July 21 accepted Mr Danas Bill for £357:16:9 dated Cambridge June 4. 1785, 30 days Sight. 1st. of the sett. to be paid at the House of Charles & Richard Puller in Broadstreet Buildings. This was for my Sons Expences in his Journey with Mr Dana to Petersbourg and ought to be allowed by the United States, as to Mr Danas private Secretary.” For Congress’ decision to reimburse Dana for JQA’s expenses, see Dana’s letter of 10 April, and note 2, above; and vol. 16:505.
2. For Congress’ 1784 commission to JA, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson to negotiate a treaty with Russia and their efforts to do so, see vol. 16:193, 208, 320, 420, 551, 591.
3. Allen, a Boston merchant and friend of JA’s, went to Russia in early 1783 and, with Dana, sailed from Kronstadt for Boston on 8 Sept. 1783. Allen was at Paris during the 1782 negotiation of the Anglo-American preliminary peace treaty and may have informed JA then of his intention to go to Russia, but there are no extant letters from Allen to JA on the subject (vols. 14:149, 188, 225; 15:307).
4. Vol. 16:549–551.
5. The enclosure has not been found.