Adams Papers Digital Edition

Papers of John Adams, volume 7

To Samuel Adams

To Ferdinand Grand
To Edmé Jacques Genet, 14 February 1779 JA Genet, Edmé Jacques To Edmé Jacques Genet, 14 February 1779 Adams, John Genet, Edmé Jacques
To Edmé Jacques Genet
ca. 14 Feb. 1779 1

I have the Honour to transmit you, three Letters, received by the Marquiss de la Fayette. I send you the Letters from Mr. Adams and Mr. Lee that you may know their Sentiments. All that is said of Mr. me, in both these Letters I hope you will omit. They are only Compliments, and I fancy Mistakes. What is said also, of General Sullivan in 415Mr. Adams's Letter should also be omitted. And what is said in Mr. Lees Letter concerning our Currency, ought to be omitted also. With great Respect,

John Adams

You will be so good as to return these Letters, when you have made your Use of them.2

RC (Justin G. Turner, Los Angeles, 1958). The top edge of the MS, which probably contained the dateline and salutation, is fire damaged.

1.

The date is derived from JA's letter to Samuel Adams of 14 Feb. (above), which mentions the visit by Lafayette to Passy on the previous day.

 2.

The three letters sent by JA were from Samuel Adams, 25 Oct. 1778; Richard Henry Lee, 29 Oct. 1778; and Samuel Cooper, 4 Jan. 1779 (all above). Genet translated and printed them, with the omissions requested by JA, in Affaires de l'Angleterre et de l'Amerique, “Lettres,” vol. 13, cahier 65, p. clxxii–clxxix. The letters were returned with an undated note (Adams Papers; now dated post 14 Feb. 1779, it was filmed under the date of July 1778, Adams Papers, Microfilms, Reel No. 349). In that note Genet mentioned the constitution of New York, which he had apparently received from JA, and informed him that it had already been printed in Affaires. No letter from JA to Genet enclosing that document has been found.