Papers of John Adams, volume 17
I am now to inform you, that I am ordered by Congress to this Country, and you will please to address your future Letters to me 130as Minister Plenipotentiary from the United States of America, at the Court of Great Britain. The Relation nevertheless between you and me, is not yet dissolved, because Congress have not yet sent me a Letter of Recall, nor appointed another Minister to succeed me at the Hague, although they have resolved it will be expedient to do it.
I must now request you Gentlemen to send me all my Effects from Amsterdam, and the Hague. To this End you will please to employ proper Persons to pack up every thing which belongs to me in the “Hotel des Etats Unis” at the Hague. and make exact Inventories of every thing, House furniture of every kind, Kitchen furniture, Books Wine in the Cellar, Porcelane, Linnen, Bureaus Trunks Desks, Secretaries Cloath’s Glasses &c &c &c &c1 it will be necessary to hire a suitable Vessell at Rotterdam unless you have or know of a proper Vessell coming, to receive them all on board and bring them up the River of Thames to London. Address them all to me, as Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States of America at the Court of His Britanic Majesty, and send them to the Care of Messrs. Pullers, or any other of your Correspondents, whom you know to be worthy of Trust. I dont suppose, that any special Permission from the States General will he necessary for the Exportation of these Effects but if it should you will please to apply to their High Mightinesses, or if the application must be made by me. I will on the first notice send a Memorial my little Trunk of plate, which is with you, I should be glad, if you could send me by some private Hand, as also the larger Trunk if this is possible; I should be willing to pay a reasonable recompence, for the Trouble but should be unwilling to be at the Expence of an Express.2
Let me beg of you to answer me by return of post if possible, and let me know how long time it will be before I may expect the arrival of the Vessell with all my effects in London. I am in great haste to receive them as I must suffer great Inconveniences of all kinds, untill they arrive. Let me pray you to keep a distinct and seperete account of every Article of Expence attending this Removal and let me have it all together, that I may be able to give you the necessary Orders to charge it to the United States whose Intention I suppose is to pay it, as they have always born the Expences of their Ministers to the Places of their destinations—
With great esteem I have the Honour / to be Gentlemen— / Your most Obed. / & most Humble serv.
LbC in WSS’s hand (Adams Papers); internal address: “Messrs: Wilhem and Jan Willink / Nicholas and Jacob Van / Staphorst & De la Land and / Frynje—Bankers of the / United States of America / at / Amsterdam”; APM Reel 111.
For household inventories of the legation done by John Thaxter in 1782 and Marie Dumas in 1784, all of which were also signed by Christian Lotter, see vol. 13:25–48.
On the 29th JA also wrote to C. W. F. Dumas (NN) and Lotter (LbC, APM Reel 111). He indicated in both letters that he had written earlier that day to the consortium to request that his property at the legation be sent to him at London. He requested Dumas to oversee the packing of his books, and to send his bookshelves and ladder. JA also noted his meeting with the Marquis of Carmarthen and upcoming audience with the king. JA requested Lotter to assist in packing his effects and indicated that he would be paid for his efforts, and that he could continue to live in and serve as caretaker for the legation. The letters to Dumas and Lotter were likely enclosed with this letter, for on 3 June Nicolaas van Staphorst wrote to Du mas, enclosing JA’s letter of the 29th (from Dumas, 17 June, note 1, below).
With his letters of 29 May to the consortium, Dumas, and Lotter, JA sought to expedite the transfer of his belongings from the legation at The Hague to the new legation in London. He clearly expected the consortium to assume the overall control of the packing and transport of his effects. Dumas was to take responsibility for packing JA’s library, while Lotter would prepare everything else for the transfer and accompany the shipment to London. Unfortunately JA’s good intentions went awry, resulting in unwanted personnel issues for the consortium and bruised feelings for Dumas, his wife, Marie, and Lotter. For the unraveling of what seemed to be a straightforward plan as well as its ultimate resolution, see the letters from Lotter of 7 June, from Dumas of 17 June, note 1, and from the consortium of 17 June, all below.
I have redeemed a Moment, from a Multitude of Avocations, at this critical Time, to acknowledge the Receipt by Coll Smith of your Letters of 31 of March, with the Resolution of Congress inclosed of the 21. of March.1 As Mr De St. Saphorin is many Months ago, recalled from the Hague I Shall make Enquiry after him, and if I cannot find where he is, I Shall communicate a Copy of the Resolution, to the Danish Minister here by whom it will be transmitted to his Court which I Suppose will be an Execution of my Instructions as near the Spirit of them as is now practicable. The liberal Decision of his Danish Majesty respecting the ordination of American Candidates for holy orders in the Episcopal Church, called the Church of England, as soon as it was known in England, produced a more liberal Spirit and decision here, than had prevailed before, So that I hope that respectable Body of our Fellow Citizens who are interested in it, have derived a Benefit from, it. I am much obliged to Congress for this Instance of their Approbation, and for the Honour they have done me, in transmitting an Account of it, to the Executives of the States.
I have recd too, your Letter of 13 of April 1785 with the Resolve of Congress of 14. Feb. 1785, impowering your Ministers to apply a Sum not exceeding Eighty Thousand Dollars, to the Use of treating with Morocco &c But I have heard nothing of Capt Lamb or the Papers by him. What my Colleagues will judge proper, to do I cant Say, but the Advice of the French Court was conformable to the opinion of Us all, that it will be indispensible for Congress to Send a Consull with Full Powers.
I recd at Auteuil my Commission, Instructions and Letter of Credence to the Court of Great Britain and have now recd by Coll Smith the Papers Sent by him. I recd at Auteuil, the Ratification of the last Loan in Holland, which I transmitted immediately to Amsterdam, where it has been recd registered and communicated to the Lenders of the Money, and has given them Satisfaction. Since which I have recd from you, sir, Duplicate and Triplicate of the Same Ratification. The Cypher is recd, and Shall be attended to.
Your Ministers, have written, Monthly, an Account of their Proceedings. not one Packett has been missed, but when I left Auteuil, We had no certain Evidence that any one of our Letters had been recd. We Supposed that this was because Congress had not compleated their Instructions upon any of them. But I must beg the Favour of you sir, barely to mention the Receipts of my Letters & their Dates, altho you may not be prepared to Answer them. Without this one looses the Chain of Correspondence.
I have been visited by Some Gentlemen who I Suppose, had Seen Ministers, and learned from them what to Say to me.— They Said, that the Ministry and the King considered the Appointment of a Minister as a Proof of a conciliating Disposition, that it was a Relief to them from an Anxiety &c and that they were fully determined, to receive me in all respects like all the other foreign Ministers. This, I believe is true. But We must be cautious what Consequences We draw from it. it by no means follows, that they are determined to do, what their Honour and their Publick Faith, obliges them to do according to our Ideas of their Obligations. it by no means follows that they will Surrender the Posts, restore the Negroes, relieve the Debtors, or make an equitable Treaty of Commerce.— I hope they will do all these Things, but I can ascertain nothing untill my Character is acknowledged by a public Reception and Audience of his Majesty, made my Visits to his Ministers and had Time to enter into a candid discussion of these Questions. You shall be punctually 133informed, from Step to step. With great Esteem / and Respect your most humble servant
P.S. This Morning Sir Clement Cottrell Dormer, Master of the Ceremonies called upon me to inform me, that he was ordered to attend me to Court on Wednesday, as he did on all foreign Ministers, at their first Presentation, to Shew them the Way through the appartements &c.2
RC (PCC, No. 84, V, f. 461–464); internal address: “Mr Secretary Jay.” LbC (Adams Papers); APM Reel 111.
Vol. 16:583–584. The resolution concerned JA’s intercession with the Danish minister to the Netherlands with regard to Mason Locke Weems’ effort to obtain ordination, for which see vol. 16:index.
Sir Clement Cottrell Dormer had served as master of ceremonies at St. James’ Palace since 1779, a post held by members of his family from 1641 to 1808 (
AFC
, 6:193). See his 22 June 1785 letter to JA
regarding the presentation of AA and AA2 to Queen Charlotte, below. The postscript was written vertically in the left margin.