Papers of John Adams, volume 17
th.July 1785
We are Sorry we happend to be from home when your Excellency entended us the honour of a visit, and hope we may flatter ourselves with that Satisfaction, on future Opportunities Which may Call your Excellency in our part of the Town,
finding that your Excellency had Received previous information Concerning the detention of An American vessel at Mogadore, we think it needless to trouble your Excellency with a repetion of the particulars, but apprehending the Captain Still Continues under Some difficulties, we Are desirous of Contributing our Mite towards his Relieve, which may be Accomplished by Recommending the matter to Some of our particular friends, residents there tho’ not directly in Situation able to interfere officialy in his behalf, in the intrem beg Leave to trouble your Excellency with the inclosed 3 Letters—from the Said Captain to be forwarded thro’ your Excellency’s means as the Safest Conveyance,—1
Our Brother Samuel of Amsterdam desires to assure your Excellency of his best Respects and Joins in repeating our offers of humble Service to your Excellency on all occasions, we have the honour to Remain with every Sentiment of attachment & high Regard, / Sir / Your Excellencies Most / Devoted Humble Servants
RC (Adams Papers); internal address: “His Excellency John Adams Esqr.”; endorsed: “Jos. & Is. Saportas / 5. July. 1785.”
These letters cannot be identified, but they were written by Capt. James Erwin of the American brig Betsy. The Betsy was captured in Oct. 1784, at the order of Sultan Sidi Muhammad ibn Abdallah, to express his frustration over American delays in concluding a commercial agreement with Morocco. With the aid of Spanish diplomatic intervention, 219the Betsy’s crew was released in March 1785 (Robert J. Allison, The Crescent Obscured: The United States and the Muslim World, 1776–1815, N.Y., 1995, p. 4–5). See also Erwin’s earlier letter to JA, dated 17 Jan. at Mogador (now Essaouira), Morocco, vol. 16:490–491.
Joseph and Isaac Saportas of No. 5, Great Crescent Minories, had called on JA earlier to present a letter of introduction, dated 17 June, from their brother, the Amsterdam broker Samuel Saportas (Adams Papers; JA, D&A
, 3:179). JA had consulted with Samuel, in April 1782, regarding his participation in a Dutch-American loan (vol. 12:446).
The inclosed Letters I Sent to Mr Jay in Cypher, but as the Conversations with the King and Queen have been reported by Lord Carmarthen and the Lord and Ladies in waiting on the Queen, and are become generally known, there is no longer a Necessity of so much mystery, yet you must be Sensible of the Delicacy of the Subject, and therefore communicate them with Discretion and in Confidence.2 if Mr Jay Should not have recd the Originals in Cypher you may communicate deliver these to him when you see him but I make no doubt he will receive them.
The Dispositions of the Ministry, are either very deceitful or very good, but they are watched and embarrassed by oppositions of various Parties, that it will at least be long before they venture on any Thing decisive. They may do Something to the Purpose sooner than I expect, but I see no present hope. I am much afraid there will be a necessity that the People of all the States Should follow the Example at Faneuil Hall But it cannot be too earnestly recommended to them to consider Persons and Property as Sacred. There is no Necessity of violating either. Petitions of the People to their Assemblies and Instructions from them to Congress will be Sufficient for all good Purposes.
With great Esteem, your Friend & Servant
RC (NHi:Gilder Lehrman Coll., on deposit); internal address: “Mr Gerry.” LbC (Adams Papers); APM Reel 107.
JA had last written to Gerry on 26 June (PP:Rare Book Dept., William M. Elkins Coll., Jay Treaty Papers), enclosing a “Pamphlet concerning the Intercourse between North America & the Sugar Colonies,” possibly James Allen, Considerations on the Present State of the Intercourse between His Majesty’s Sugar Colonies & the Dominions of the United States of America, London, 1784. In that letter JA also requested Gerry to encourage Rufus King, about whom “I have heard a great Character of him and what is more a good one,” to correspond with him.
These are JA’s letters to John Jay of 2 and 10 June in which he described his audiences with George III and Queen Charlotte, both above. For the nature of the copies sent to Gerry and JA’s reasons for sending them, 220see the descriptive notes to both letters and note 2 to the letter of 2 June.
This was JA’s first letter sent from the new American legation’s fashionable address in central London, for which see Descriptive List of Illustrations, No. 6, above.