Diary of John Quincy Adams, volume 1
Went into Paris early in the morning. Called at the Hôtel d'Orleans, Rue St. Anne. Mr. Wilson, and Mr. Warburton, were going 264for England at Noon. Hotel d'Orleans, Palais Royal: Dr. Ruston found West there, and accompanied him, to the Diligence, Rue Montmartre; at 12 o'clock they all went off. I walk'd with Mr. Jarvis in the Palais Royal, and afterwards went and dined with him, at the hotel d'Orleans, Rue des Petits Augustins. After dinner I called upon Mr. Randall, at the Hotel de l'Union, Rue St. Thomas du Louvre, and bought of him, the Carriage, in which he came from L'Orient. Gave him 20 louis d'or's for it. Called upon the abbés and Mr. Grand, but did not find them.
Mr. Randall, Mr. Short, Mr. Jarvis, Dr. Ruston, Mr. Williamos, and Mr. Bowdoin, dined with us.
The drowth continues, and there is as yet no appearance of Rain.
Walk'd into Paris in the morning, to the Marquis de la Fayette's; to go with him to Mr. Jefferson's upon the subject, of the Importation of our whale oil, into this Country.1 I was told the Marquis was gone out of Town, on horseback. Call'd upon Mr. Williamos and from thence went to Mr. Jefferson's, where I waited till past noon for the Marquis, but, as he did not come then, I walk'd back again to Auteuil: was very much fatigued as it was exceeding warm. All the family, but myself dined at the Marquis's, and did not return till late in the evening.
Lafayette had lent his diplomatic and political skills to help gain for Boston and New England merchants engaged in the whale oil trade an important French market after they had lost their largest customer, Great Britain, as a result of the war. He negotiated an arrangement with M. Tourtille Sangrain, who had a contract to light the streets of Paris, to buy about a thousand tons of oil from American merchants. Returning to America, JQA carried with him Sangrain's proposals, copies of government passports, samples of oil, and letters from Lafayette to Jeremiah Wadsworth of Hartford and Samuel Breck of Boston (Louis Gottschalk, Lafayette,
'4:116–117, 165–167; Lafayette to JQA, 14 May, Adams Papers).
Mr. A: went to Versailles, to take leave, of the Court. Mr. Carnes1 came out. Was all day preparing for my departure, in the evening Mm. de la Fayette, with two of her Children, came out: and Mr. Jarvis and Mr. Randall.
Burrill Carnes, a merchant at Nantes, appointed American agent there in 1786 by Thomas Barclay (Jefferson, Papers
, 9:303).