Papers of John Adams, volume 17
I have received your letter of the 30 of March as I did another Sometime ago. I congratulate you on the Increase of your family and wish the New born as well as his Parrents Health Long Life and Happiness1
My son is to embark in May for his native Country, where he is to finish his education for a Profession in which I hope he will be a usefull Man, you will be so good as to pack up for him whatever he writes for
you may have the Arms of the United States put up as soon as you will and have E pluribus Unum painted over again in another colour if it is thought proper. I never gave any particular directions about it.— the Parcell containing a Book you may keep untill you can send it by a Private Hand.—
I beleive I shall not continue the subscription to the Accademy
I am sir your humble servt—
LbC in AA2’s hand (Adams Papers); internal address: “Mr C Lotter.—”; APM Reel 107.
For Lotter’s letter of 30 March, see vol. 16:582–583. The other letter, wherein Lotter presumably informed JA of the birth of a child, has not been found.
I take this Opportunity by Mr Bingham whom you once Saw at my House at the Hague1 to congratulate you on your agreable Situation in England as I entertain a pleasing Remembrance of those Social Hours We have heretofore passed together in Paris and the 2Hague, I cannot but cherrish a Hope of meeting you again in some Part of the World. Two months ago I thought it possible it might be in London and it is by no means certain that it will not be. Whether it is to be or not, I Should be very much obliged to you, if you would inform me, what are the Ceremonies of introducing a Minister to the King and Royal Family at St. James, and by whom he is introduced, and in what manner he is introduced to the Corps Diplomatique.2
with great Respect & sincere Esteem &c
LbC (Adams Papers); internal address: “The Baron De Linden / Envoy from Holland to / his Britannic Majesty.”; APM Reel 107.
William Bingham and his wife, Anne Willing Bingham, visited JA at The Hague in June 1784 (vol. 16:251).
In 1782 JA described Baron Dirk Wolter Lynden van Blitterswyck, the current Dutch minister to Britain, as “a sensible and worthy man” with whom he had “had the pleasure of a great deal of Conversation” (vol. 13:417, 424). JA resumed his relationship with Lynden van Blitterswyck in late May 1785 when he arrived at London as the U.S. minister and consulted the Dutch diplomat almost immediately about diplomatic protocol at the Court of St. James, for which see JA’s second letter to Thomas Jefferson of 27 May, below. JA’s request for such information in this letter was the product of hope rather than certainty, for he did not learn until 26 April that Congress had appointed him minister on 24 Feb. (to Samuel Mather, 26 April, and note 3, below).