Adams Papers
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To John Adams from Thomas Jefferson, 17 July 1787

From Thomas Jefferson

Paris July 17. 17871

Dear Sir

I have been duly honoured with your’s of the 10th. inst. and am happy to hear of the success of your journey to Amsterdam. there can be no doubt of it’s ratification by Congress. would to heaven they would authorize you to take measures for transferring the debt of this country to Holland before you leave Europe. most especially is it necessary to get rid of the debt to the officers. their connections at court are such as to excite very unfavorable feelings there against us, and some very hard things have been said (particularly in the Assemblée des Notables) on the prospects relative to our debts. the paiment of the interest to the officers would have kept them quiet: but there are two years now due to them. I dare not draw for it without instructions, because in the instances in which I have hitherto ventured to act uninstructed, I have never been able to know whether they have been approved in the private sentiments of the members of Congress, much less by any vote. I have pressed on them the expediency of transferring the French debts to Holland, in order to remove every thing which may excite irritations between us & this nation. I wish it may be done before this ministry may receive ill impressions of us. they are at present very well disposed. I send you by mr̃ Appleton some pamphlets2 and have the honour to be with sentiments of very cordial esteem & respect Dear Sir / your affectionate humble servant

Th: Jefferson

RC (Adams Papers); internal address: “H.E. Mr. Adams.”; endorsed: “Mr Jefferson July 17. / ansd. Aug. 25. 1787.”; notation by CFA: “not published.” CFA presumably meant that the letter was not published in Jefferson, Correspondence, ed. Randolph description begins Memoir, Correspondence, and Miscellanies: from the Papers of Thomas Jefferson, ed. Thomas Jefferson Randolph, Charlottesville, Va., 1829; 4 vols. description ends .

1. Jefferson also wrote to AA, on 1, 10, and 16 July, commenting on family news and French political affairs (AFC description begins Adams Family Correspondence, ed. L. H. Butterfield, Marc Friedlaender, Richard Alan Ryerson, Margaret A. Hogan, Sara Martin, and others, Cambridge, 1963– . description ends , 8:106–107, 112, 123–124).

2. The pamphlets were carried by Boston merchant John Appleton (vols. 9:338, 18:348–349; Jefferson, Papers description begins The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, ed. Julian P. Boyd, Charles T. Cullen, John Catanzariti, Barbara B. Oberg, James P. McClure, and others, Princeton, N.J., 1950– . description ends , 21:21).

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    Adams Papers
    Title
    To John Adams from Thomas Jefferson, 17 July 1787
    Author
    Jefferson, Thomas
    Recipient
    Adams, John
    Date
    17 July 1787

    Reference

    Cite as
    “To John Adams from Thomas Jefferson, 17 July 1787,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Adams/06-19-02-0084. [Original source: The Adams Papers, Papers of John Adams, vol. 19, February 1787–May 1789, ed. Sara Georgini, Sara Martin, R. M. Barlow, Amanda M. Norton, Neal E. Millikan, and Hobson Woodward. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2016, pp. 118–119.]

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