Papers of John Adams, volume 17

From Christian Lotter, 30 August 1785 Lotter, Christian Adams, John
From Christian Lotter
May it please Your Excellency! Hague, September [August] the 30st: 1785.1

A Surprize, nourished from the contents of the inclosed from Messrs: Willink & Comp:, obliges me to an immediate address to Your Excellency, as those contents are quite the contrary to Your Excellency’s written and verbal promisses, to Stay in the Service, and that Your Excely: would graciously condescend to favour me with a recommendation to Your Successor.

Your Excellency will graciously be pleased to consider an impossibility to leave the hotel at Such Short a notice having by Your own advice brought my Effects and Family into it, and by a candid prospect and reliance upon Such firm promisses as Yours have fairly given up my lodgings, and to look for new once, at this time when all decent lodgings are occupied, and too far remote from the place of my employment, to Seek for Shelter in an obscure corner, I am Sure, is not Your Excelys: desire, nor can they, be consistent with Your Principles, for they are too well Known to me, and upon those in return I have Serv’d You, equally responsable to God and Men; another impediment equally unpleasing to me is the removal of my effects back and forwards, and the expences occurring upon it.

Messrs: Willink & Comp: are pleased to instruct me with the reason of this change, first, that the hotel conveniently can be Shut, is no doubt, but I assert that it will be more profitable to the hotel, when occupied, by which means it gets cleaned and aired at proper times, especially in rainy and Snowy Seasons, when, if no immediate assistance is at hand, the whole house would Stand under water; the Second is, that expences be Saved for Congress of which I have the honor to assure Your Excely: that I never intended to bring Congress any Single unnecessary, much less fraudulent expences in account, and in case this Should be the only reason for my quitting the hotel, I willingly Shall drop my Salary nor troubling the United 380States with any other expences; As for mentioning of the Turf, I have put up a provision in expectation of Your return to the Hague, otherwise for my own Consumption; and ready to Keep it to my own charge.

Undeservedly as I have incurred Your Excellencys displeasure upon me, I most humbly beg of Suspention of the orders of Messrs: Willink, at least till I am properly provided with convenient lodgings.

I most humbly request my obedient and dutiful Service to the Ladies, and remain with all possible respect / Your Excellencys / most devoted and humble Servant

C: Lotter.

RC (Adams Papers); endorsed: “Mr Lotter / Aug. 30. 1785.”

1.

In his reply of 4 Sept. (LbC, APM Reel 111), JA reminded Lotter that “the whole power of the hotel” and the question of his compensation now rested with the loan consortium, for which see JA’s letter to the consortium, also of 4 Sept., below.

From Wilhem & Jan Willink and Nicolaas & Jacob van Staphorst, 30 August 1785 Willink, Wilhem & Jan (business) Staphorst, Nicolaas & Jacob van (business) Adams, John
From Wilhem & Jan Willink and Nicolaas & Jacob van Staphorst
Sir Amsterdam 30 Augt. 1785

We have received in due Time your Favor of the 19th. and observe what you say relative to Mr. Parkers proposals. We would not venture to act in a Business of so much importance in opposition to your advice, and less so, because we have properly no Power for the Purpose. Notwithstanding this your Excellency will be so kind to excuse us, that we dare differ from your Ideas, and that it is our opinion that if we can conclude the Transaction with Mr. Parker on reasonable Terms, and he fulfills his Engagements, it will be much more the Intrest of Congress to Subscribe to it, than that of any other Men of the Creditors of De la Lande & fynje. We have Stated our Arguments in favor of this Idea in the inclosed Letter to the Commissioners of the Board of Treasury, which we have left unseal’d for your Perusal, and which we beg to forward by the September Packet, in order that we may receive their orders as soon as shall be possible.1 In the Interim we will be glad to receive your observations on our arguments.

Observing that you approve our Sending the Accounts to Mr. Barclay, they will be sent to him.

We remain most respectfull / Sir / Your most humb. & Obedt.

Servts.

Wilhem & Jan Willink Nics. & Jacob van Staphorst.
381

RC (Adams Papers); internal address: “His Excellency John Adams Esqr.

1.

Congress’ dispatch books indicate that this letter was received on 1 Dec. as an enclosure in the Board of Treasury’s letter of 30 Nov., but neither letter has been found (PCC, No. 185, III, f. 146).