Papers of John Adams, volume 17
th.1785
I have a Letter from the Baron De Thulemeier of the 19th. and a Copy of his Letter to you of the same date. I hope now in a few Day’s to take Mr. Short by the hand in Grosvenor Square, and to put my hand to the [Tr]eaty. I think no time should be lost. We will join Mr. Dumas with Mr. Short in the Exchange if you please.
I applyed as you desired, and obtained the interposition of the Lords Commissioners of the treasury, and the Commissioners of the Customs for the transhipping of Dr. Franklin’s Baggage. We have heared of the Doctors arrival at Rouen, but no further.1
{The Britons alliens Duty is a very burthensome Thing, and they may carry it hereafter as far upon Tobacco, Rice Indigo and twenty other Things, as they do now upon oil. to obviate this, I think of Substituting, the Words “natural born Citizens of the United States,” and “natural born Subjects of Great Britain,” instead of “the most favoured Nation.” You remember We first proposed to offer this to all Nations, but upon my Objecting that the English 267would make their ships French or Sweedish or Dutch &c to avail themselves of it, without agreeing to it, on their Part, We altered it to the footing of “Gentis Amicissimæ.[”]2 But if the English will now agree to it, We shall Secure ourselves against many odious Duties, and no ill Consequence can arise. it is true the French Dutch Sweeds and Prussians will of Course claim the Advantage, but as they must in return allow Us the Same Advantage, So much the better.— let me know if any Objection occurs to you.}3
There is a Bill before Parliament to prevent smuggling Tobacco, in which restrictions are very rigorous, but cannot be effected.4 two thirds of the Tobacco consumed in this Kingdom I am told is smuggled— how can it be otherwise when the impost is five times the original Value of the Commodity. If [one] pound in five escapes nothing is lost. if two in five, a great profit is [made.—]
the Duty is 16d. pr. pound and tobacco sells for three pence.— Yet all applications for lowering the Duty are rejected—5
Yours most affectionately
RC in WSS’s hand (DLC:Jefferson Papers); internal address: “His Excellency / Thomas Jefferson—” LbC (Adams Papers); APM Reel 111. Encoded text has been supplied from the LbC. Text lost due to a torn manuscript and a tight binding has been supplied from the LbC.
In the LbC, JA inserted here the phrase “in Cypher,” and he again used Jefferson’s Code No. 8 for the following paragraph. A copy of Jefferson’s decoding is with his papers at DLC and accurately replicates JA’s text.
Most favored nations.
JA refers to the Prussian request to revise Arts. 2 and 3 of the draft Prussian-American Treaty of Amity and Commerce, for which see vol. 16:373–375, 377–378, 409–410, 414.
25 Geo. 3, ch. 81. On 2 Aug., in an effort to counter smuggling, Parliament passed “An act for the better securing the Duties payable on Tobacco” (Journals of the House of Lords, repr. edn., London, 1767–, 37:380). See also JA’s letter to John Jay of 28 Aug., below, for his comments on recent statutes meant to protect British trade.
In the LbC, JA wrote, “resisted.”
In JA’s hand.
I have recd, the Letter, you did me, the Honour to write me on the 19 of this month and the Copy of your Letter to my Colleague Mr Jefferson. it is with great Pleasure I learn, that the Articles of the Treaty between his Prussian Majesty and the United States, are all agreed on to mutual Satisfaction, and I hope in a very few days to have the Honour of putting my Hand to it here. Mr Short, will bring it from Paris Signed and Sealed by Mr Jefferson, and will carry 268it, from hence to you, Signed and Sealed by me. Mr Dumas will be joined with Mr short in making the Exchange with you. Mr Short is a very respectable Gentleman of Virginia, a late Member of their Council, and an intimate Friend of Mr Jefferson.
Will you give me Leave, Sir to enquire, what are the Imposts upon our Tobacco in the Prussian Ports, and whether there is or may be any large Consumption of that Commodity in Prussia.— The Principal Difficulty We have in Trade is to make Remittances, and We cannot trade to any large Amount with any Nation that cannot or will not receive the Produce of our Lands or Seas.— Indigo is another Article, which I wish to know, if it finds a Market in Prussia. and Oil, especially Sperma Cæti Oil and Candles. With what kind of Oil are your Cities illuminated in the Night? The Sperma Cæti Oil gives the purest Flame and the clearest Light, that is known. a Lamp in a City, lighted up with this Oil, at Six o Clock in the Evening will burn bright, untill Nine the next Morning, whereas the Oil that is now used in the Lamps of London, do not feed a flame longer than Eleven or twelve o Clock. the Consequence of which is that innumerable the Rogues take Advantage of the Darkness after Midnight to commit Robberies and Burglaries without Number and even many Murthers. and many People had rather Suffer all these Crimes, or even introduce a military Police, than inlighten their Streets with American Sperma Cæti Oil. If Prussia and Germany would have more Wisdom it would greatly promote Trade between them and America.
With great Respect &c
LbC (Adams Papers); internal address: “The Baron De Thulemeier, Envoy Extraordinary / of his Prussian Majesty at the Hague.”; APM Reel 111.
JA last wrote to Thulemeier on 16 July, saying that he awaited a “fair Draught” of the Prussian-American Treaty of Amity and Commerce for American signature, and consenting to Thulemeier’s plan for C. W. F. Dumas to execute the exchange (LbC, APM Reel 111).