be coming to us with instructions respecting Morocco, had not
appeared, nor had we heard anything of him; so nothing had been done
by us in that treaty.
I left the Court of France in the same friendly disposition towards
the United States, that we have all along experienced, though
concerned to find that our credit is not better supported in the
payment of the interest money due on our loans, which, in case of
another war, must be, they think, extremely prejudicial to us, and
indeed may contribute to draw on a war the sooner, by affording our
enemies the encouraging confidence, that those who take so little care
to pay, will not again find it easy to borrow. I received from the
King, at my departure, the present of his picture set round with
diamonds, usually given to Ministers Plenipotentiary, who have signed
any treaties with that Court; and it is at the disposition of
Congress, to whom be pleased to present my dutiful respects.
I am, with great esteem and regard, &c.
B FRANKLIN.
_P. S._ Not caring to trust them to a common conveyance, I send by my
late Secretary, who will have the honor of delivering them to you, all
the original treaties I have been concerned in negotiating, that were
completed. Those with Portugal and Denmark continue in suspense.
B. F.
FOOTNOTE:
[31] See this Treaty at large in the public _Journals of Congress_,
Vol. IV. p. 639.
* * * * *
TO MR GRAND, BANKER AT PARIS.
Philadelphia, July 11th, 1786.
Sir,
I send you enclosed some letters, that have passed between the
Secretary of Congress and me, respecting three millions of livres,
acknowledged to have been received, before the treaty of February,
1778, as _don gratuit_ from the King, of which only two millions are
found in your accounts; unless the million from the Farmers-General be
one of the three. I have been assured, that all the money received
from the King, whether as loan or gift, went through your hands; and
as I always looked on the million we had of the Farmers-General to be
distinct from what we had of the Crown, I wonder how I came to sign
the contract, acknowledging three millions of gift, when, in reality,
there was only two, exclusive of that from the Farmers; and, as both
you and I examined the project of the contract before I signed it, I
am surprised, that neither of us took notice of the error.
It is possible, that the million furnished ostensibly by the Farmers,
was in fact a gift of the Crown, in which case, as Mr Thompson
observes, they owe us for the two ship loads of tobacco, which they
received on account of it. I must earnestly request of you to get this
matter explained, that it may stand clear before I die, lest some
enemy should afterwards accuse me of having received a million not
accounted for.
I am, &c.
B. FRANKLIN.
* * * * *
M. DURIVAL TO MR GRAND.
Translation.
Versailles, August 30th, 1786.
Sir,
I have received the letter, which you did me the honor to write on the
28th of this month, touching the advance of a million, which you say
was made by the Farmers-General to the United States of America, the
3d of June, 1777. I have no knowledge of that advance. What I have
verified is, that the King, by the contract of the 25th of February,
1783, has confirmed the gratuitous gift, which his Majesty had
previously made, of the three millions hereafter mentioned, viz. one
million delivered by the Royal Treasury, the 10th of June, 1776, and
two other millions advanced also by the Royal Treasury, in 1777, on
four receipts of the Deputies of Congress, of the 17th of January, 3d
of April, 10th of June, and 15th of October, of the same year. This
explanation will, Sir, I hope, resolve your doubt, touching the
advance of the 3d of June, 1777. I further recommend to you, Sir, to
confer on this subject with M. Gojard, who ought to be better informed
than we, who had no knowledge of any advances, but those made by the
Royal Treasury.
I have the honor to be, &c.
DURIVAL.
* * * * *
M. DURIVAL TO MR GRAND.
Translation.
Versailles, September 5th, 1786.
Sir,
I laid before the Count de Vergennes the two letters, which you did me
the honor to write, touching the three millions, the free gift of
which the King has confirmed in favor of the United States of America.
The Minister, Sir, observed that this gift has nothing to do with the
million, which the Congress may have received from the Farmers-General
in 1777; consequently he thinks, that the receipt, which you desire
may be communicated to you, cannot satisfy the object of your view,
and that it would be useless to give you the copy which you desire.
I have the honor to be, with perfect attachment, &c.
DURIVAL.
* * * * *
MR GRAND TO B. FRANKLIN.
Paris, September 9th, 1786.
My Dear Sir,
The letter you honored me with, covered the copies of three letters,
which Mr Thompson wrote you to obtain an explanation of a million,
which is not to be found in my accounts. I should have been very much
embarrassed in satisfying and proving to him, that I had not put that
million in my pocket, had I not applied to M. Durival, who, as you
will see by the answer enclosed, informs me, that there was a million
paid by the Royal Treasury, on the 10th of June, 1776. This is the
very million about which Mr Thompson inquires, as I have kept an
account of the other two millions, which were also furnished by the
Royal Treasury, viz. the one million in January and April, 1777, the
other in July and October of the same year, as well as that furnished
by the Farmers-General in June, 1777.
Here then are the three millions exactly, which were given by the King
before the treaty of 1778, and that furnished by the Farmers-General.
Nothing then remains to be known, but who received the first million
in June, 1776. It could not be myself, as I was not charged with the
business of Congress until January, 1777. I therefore requested of M.
Durival a copy of the receipt for the one million. You have the
answer, which he returned to me. I wrote to him again, renewing my
request, but as the courier is just setting off, I cannot wait to give
you his answer, but you will receive it in my next, if I obtain one.
In the meanwhile, I beg you will receive the assurances of the
sentiments of respect, with which I have the honor to be, my dear Sir,
&c.
GRAND.
* * * * *
M. DURIVAL, TO MR. GRAND.
Translation.
Versailles, September 10th, 1786.
Sir,
I have laid before the Count de Vergennes, as you seemed to desire,
the letter which you did me the honor to write yesterday. The Minister
persists in the opinion, that the receipt, the copy of which you
request, has no relation to the business with which you were intrusted
on behalf of Congress, and that this piece would be useless in the new
point of view in which you have placed it. Indeed, Sir, it is easy
for you to prove, that the money in question was not delivered by the
Royal Treasury into your hands, as you did not begin to be charged
with the business of Congress until January, 1777, and the receipt for
that money is of the 10th of June, 1776.
I have the honor to be, with perfect attachment, Sir, &c.
DURIVAL.
* * * * *
MR GRAND TO B. FRANKLIN.
Translation.
Paris, September 12th, 1786.
Sir,
I hazard a letter in hopes it may be able to join that of the 9th at
L'Orient, in order to forward to you the answer I have just received
from M. Durival. You will there see, that notwithstanding my entreaty,
the Minister himself refuses to give me a copy of the receipt which I
asked for. I cannot conceive the reason for this reserve, more
especially since, if there has been a million paid, he who has
received it has kept the account, and it must in time be known. I
shall hear with pleasure, that you have been more fortunate in this
respect in America than I have been in France; and I repeat to you the
assurance of the sentiments of regard, with which I have the honor to
be, &c.
GRAND.
* * * * *
TO CHARLES THOMPSON.
Philadelphia, January 27th, 1787.
Dear Friend,
You may remember, that in the correspondence between us in June last,
on the subject of a million _free gift_ of the King of France,
acknowledged in our contract to have been received, but which did not
appear to be accounted for in our banker's accounts, unless it should
be the same with the million said to be received from the
Farmers-General, I mentioned, that an explanation might doubtless be
easily obtained by writing to Mr Grand, or Mr Jefferson. I know not
whether you have accordingly written to either of them, but being
desirous that the matter should speedily be cleared up, I wrote myself
to Mr Grand a letter upon it, of which I now enclose a copy, with his
answers, and several letters from M. Durival,[32] who is _Chef du
Bureau des Fonds_ (and has under his care the finance) _des Affaires
Etrangeres_.
You will see by these letters, that the million in question was
delivered to somebody, on the 10th of June, 1776, but it does not
appear to whom. It is clear, however, that it could not be to Mr
Grand, nor to the Commissioners from Congress, for we did not meet in
France till the end of December, 1776, or beginning of January, 1777,
and that banker was not charged before with our affairs.
By the Minister's reserve in refusing him a copy of the receipt, I
conjecture it must be money advanced for our use, to M. de
Beaumarchais, and that it is a _Mystère du Cabinet_, which perhaps
should not be further inquired into, unless necessary to guard against
more demands than may be just from that agent; for it may well be
supposed, that if the Court furnished him with the means of supplying
us, they may not be willing to furnish authentic proofs of such a
transaction, so early in our dispute with Britain. Pray tell me, has
he dropped his demands, or does he still continue to worry you with
them?
I should like to have these original letters returned to me, but you
may if you please keep copies of them. It is true the million in
question makes no difference in your accounts with the King of France,
it not being mentioned or charged, as so much lent and to be repaid,
but stated as freely given. Yet, if it was put into the hands of any
of your agents, or ministers, they ought certainly to account for it.
I do not recollect whether Mr Deane had arrived in France before the
10th of June, 1776;[33] but from his great want of money, when I
joined him a few months after, I hardly think it could have been paid
to him. Possibly Mr Jefferson may obtain the information, though Mr
Grand could not, and I wish he may be directed to make the inquiry, as
I know he would do it directly; I mean if, by Hortalez and Co's
further demands, or for any other reason, such an inquiry should be
thought necessary.[34]
I am, &c.
B. FRANKLIN.
FOOTNOTES:
[32] See these letters, pp. 223, 224, 225.
[33] Deane did not arrive in Paris till the first week in July.
[34] This matter was not cleared up till 1794, when Gouverneur Morris
was American Minister in Paris. By application to the government he
procured a copy of the receipt of the person, who received the million
of francs on the tenth of June, 1776. It proved to be Beaumarchais, as
Dr Franklin had conjectured. See _Pitkin's History of the United
States_, Vol. I. p. 422.
* * * * *
TO THE PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS.
Philadelphia, November 29th, 1788.
Sir,
When I had the honor of being the Minister of the United States at the
Court of France, Mr Barclay arriving there, brought me the following
resolution of Congress.
"Resolved, that a commissioner be appointed by Congress, with full
power and authority to liquidate, and _finally to settle_, the
accounts of all the servants of the United States, who have been
intrusted with the expenditure of public money in Europe, and to
commence and prosecute such suits, causes, and actions, as may be
necessary for that purpose, or for the recovery of any property of the
said United States in the hands of any person, or persons, whatsoever.
"That the said commissioner be authorised to appoint one or more
clerks, with such allowance as he may think reasonable.
"That the said commissioner and clerks, respectively, take an oath
before some person duly authorised to administer an oath, faithfully
to execute the trust reposed in them respectively.
"Congress proceeded to the election of a commissioner, and ballots
being taken, Mr T. Barclay was elected."
In pursuance of this resolution, and as soon as Mr Barclay was at
leisure from more pressing business, I rendered to him all my
accounts, which he examined, and stated methodically. By his statement
he found a balance due me on the 4th of May, 1785, of 7,533 livres, 19
sols, 3 den. which I accordingly received of the Congress banker; the
difference between my statement and his being only seven sols, which
by mistake I had overcharged; about three pence halfpenny sterling.
At my request, however, the accounts were left open for the
consideration of Congress, and not finally settled, there being some
articles on which I desired their judgment, and having some equitable
demands, as I thought them, for extra services, which he had not
conceived himself empowered to allow, and therefore I did not put them
in my account. He transmitted the accounts to Congress, and had advice
of their being received. On my arrival at Philadelphia, one of the
first things I did was to despatch my grandson, William T. Franklin,
to New York, to obtain a final settlement of those accounts; he having
long acted as my secretary, and being well acquainted with the
transactions, was able to give an explanation of the articles, that
might seem to require explaining, if any such there were. He returned
without effecting the settlement, being told that it could not be made
till the arrival of some documents expected from France. What those
documents were, I have not been informed, nor can I readily conceive,
as all the vouchers existing there had been examined by Mr Barclay.
And I, having been immediately after my arrival engaged in the public
business of this State, waited in expectation of hearing from
Congress, in case any part of my accounts had been objected to.
It is now more than three years that those accounts have been before
that honorable body, and, to this day, no notice of any such objection
has been communicated to me. But reports have, for some time past,
been circulated here, and propagated in the newspapers, that I am
greatly indebted to the United States for large sums, that had been
put into my hands, and that I avoid a settlement. This, together with
the little time one of my age may expect to live, makes it necessary
for me to request earnestly, which I hereby do, that the Congress
would be pleased, without further delay, to examine those accounts,
and if they find therein any article or articles, which they do not
understand or approve, that they would cause me to be acquainted with
the same, that I may have an opportunity of offering such explanations
or reasons in support of them as may be in my power, and then that the
accounts may be finally closed.
I hope the Congress will soon be able to attend to this business for
the satisfaction of the public, as well as in condescension to my
request. In the meantime, if there be no impropriety in it, I would
desire that this letter, together with another[35] relating to the
same subject, the copy of which is hereto annexed, may be put upon
their minutes.
With every sentiment of respect and duty to Congress, I am, Sir, &c.
B. FRANKLIN.
FOOTNOTE:
[35] A letter to Mr Barclay, written in France, see p. 218.
* * * * *
THE
CORRESPONDENCE
OF
JOHN ADAMS,
ONE OF THE COMMISSIONERS TO FRANCE, MINISTER
PLENIPOTENTIARY TO HOLLAND, AND ONE OF THE
COMMISSIONERS FOR NEGOTIATING THE
TREATY OF PEACE.
John Adams was a delegate in the first Continental Congress, and one
of the most active, zealous, and efficient members of that body. For
three years his labors in Congress were incessant, and of the most
valuable kind. It is said of him, that he belonged to more committees
than any other individual, and he discharged the duties of each with
remarkable promptness and energy.
The foreign affairs of the United States having assumed an important
aspect, Mr Adams was appointed a Commissioner to France in the place
of Silas Deane, who had been recalled. This appointment took place on
the 28th of November, 1777, and in the following February he embarked
from Boston. After a long and disagreeable passage of fortyfive days
he arrived in France. Here he devoted himself to the duties of his
mission, in conjunction with his colleagues, till Dr Franklin was
appointed Minister Plenipotentiary to the Court of France, and the
commission was dissolved. Having no longer any charge to execute in
Europe, Mr Adams left Paris on the 8th of March, 1779, for Nantes,
where he proposed to embark for his own country. Various accidents and
unexpected causes of delay kept him there till the 14th of June, when
he sailed in the French frigate, the Sensible, in company with M. de
la Luzerne, who was coming to the United States in the character of
Minister Plenipotentiary, as successor to M. Gerard. The French
government had voluntarily proffered to Mr Adams a passage in this
vessel, after his disappointment in not sailing in the American
frigate Alliance, as he at first expected. The Sensible arrived in
Boston on the 3d of August.
But he was not long allowed to remain a spectator only of public
events. On the 27th of September he was again chosen by Congress to
represent his country abroad, as Minister Plenipotentiary for
negotiating a treaty of peace and a treaty of commerce with Great
Britain, when that nation should be found in a humor to recognise the
independence of the United States, and enter into bonds of friendship.
A task more honorable, momentous, and difficult could not have awaited
him, nor one bearing more emphatical testimony of the confidence of
his countrymen in his wisdom, abilities, integrity, and patriotism. On
this second mission he sailed in the same frigate, which had brought
him from France; accommodations for this purpose having been offered
to Congress by the French Minister in Philadelphia. The vessel sprang
a leak on the passage, and the captain was obliged to put into Ferrol,
in Spain, where he arrived on the 8th of December. From this place,
that he might avoid further hazards and uncertainty of a sea voyage in
the depth of winter, Mr Adams resolved to proceed by land to the point
of his destination. He reached Paris on the 9th of February, 1780. The
extreme badness of the travelling at this season had detained him
nearly two months on the road.
By the terms of his commission, the place of his residence was not
prescribed, but for the present he chose to fix himself in Paris, as
amicable relations already subsisted between the French Court and
Congress, and he was instructed to consult the French Ministry in
regard to any movements, that might be made in effecting a treaty with
England. He held a correspondence with Count de Vergennes, respecting
the time and manner of carrying his instructions into execution, and
on other topics; in all of which, however, his opinions and those of
the French Minister were somewhat at variance. There seeming no
prospect that Great Britain would soon be inclined to peace, and Mr
Adams having no special reasons for remaining at the French Court, he
made a tour to Holland in the beginning of August, leaving his
Secretary, Mr Dana, in Paris.
Meantime Congress had assigned to him another duty. Mr Henry Laurens
had been appointed, as early as November, 1779, to negotiate a loan of
ten millions abroad, but having been prevented by various causes from
departing on this service, Congress, on the 20th of June following,
authorised Mr Adams to engage in the undertaking, and prosecute it
till Mr Laurens, or some other person in his stead, should arrive in
Europe. This commission reached Paris four weeks after he had left
that city, and Mr Dana proceeded with it to Holland. Efforts were
immediately made to procure a loan in that country, which were for a
long time ineffectual, but which at last succeeded.
Mr Laurens sailed for Holland in August, 1780, but was captured a few
days afterwards by a British frigate, which conveyed him to
Newfoundland, whence he was sent to England and imprisoned in the
Tower. When this intelligence reached Congress, it was resolved to
transfer his appointment to another person, and on the 29th of
December Mr Adams was commissioned to negotiate a treaty of amity and
commerce with the United Provinces, and he was furnished with separate
letters of credence as Minister Plenipotentiary to the States-General
and to the Prince of Orange. The state of parties in Holland, and
particularly the influence of England there, rendered unavailing all
advances of the American Minister towards a treaty.
It having been intimated to Mr Adams, by the Duc de la Vauguyon,
French Ambassador in Holland, that a treaty of peace was in prospect
through the mediation of Russia and Austria, and that Count de
Vergennes would be glad to see him on the subject at Versailles, he
set off for Paris on the 6th of July, 1781. He had several interviews
with the Count de Vergennes, and a correspondence of some length.
After remaining three weeks at Paris and Versailles, without
perceiving any apparent indications, that this project for a
negotiation would come to maturity, he returned again to Holland.
On the 14th of June Congress appointed four other Commissioners, in
conjunction with Mr Adams, to negotiate a treaty of peace, namely,
Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, Henry Laurens, and Thomas Jefferson, and
the first commission of Mr Adams for this purpose was annulled.
A misunderstanding having grown up between England and the United
Provinces, chiefly on account of the part taken by the latter in
joining the northern powers to carry into operation the plan of the
armed neutrality, the French Court thought it a good opportunity for
the United States to seek a treaty of alliance with Holland. This step
was accordingly recommended to Congress through the French Minister at
Philadelphia, and, in consequence of this suggestion, new powers were
conferred on Mr Adams, dated August the 16th, by which he was
commissioned to negotiate a treaty of alliance with Holland, limited
in duration to the continuance of the war with England, and
conformable to the treaties then subsisting with France.
The political relations between the several Provinces of Holland were
such, however, that the process of negotiation went on heavily and
slowly. The English interest still continued strong, even after the
war had begun, and embarrassments of various kinds were thrown in the
way, which required no common share of sagacity, firmness, and
perseverance to overcome. All these at length yielded, and on the 8th
of October, 1782, a treaty of commerce between the United States and
Holland, and a convention concerning recaptures, were signed at the
Hague.
Dr Franklin and Mr Jay had now been for three or four months actively
engaged in the negotiation of peace at Paris. Having thus brought
affairs to a happy issue in Holland, Mr Adams hastened to join the
Commissioners, and arrived in Paris before the end of October. From
that time till the Preliminary Articles were signed, November the
30th, he applied himself unremittingly with his colleagues to the
details of the negotiation. He also took part in the discussions
respecting the Definitive Treaty, which followed from time to time,
and was one of the signers of that instrument.
In the winter of 1784 he was in Holland. In January, 1785, he was
appointed the first American Minister Plenipotentiary to the Court of
St James's. While in England, he wrote his Defence of the American
Constitutions. In the year 1788 permission was granted him to return
home, where he arrived after an absence of almost nine years, during
the whole of which period he had been employed in services of the
highest responsibility and importance. He was shortly afterwards
elected Vice President of the United States, under the first
Presidency of Washington.
THE
CORRESPONDENCE
OF
JOHN ADAMS.
* * * * *
COMMITTEE OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS TO JOHN ADAMS.
York, in Pennsylvania, December 3d, 1777.
Dear Sir,