Friday June the 15th 1781.
This morning Mr. Dana, Mr. Thaxter, brother Charles and myself went to Kaa’s, to see Mr. Jennings and Mr. Bordly. We found Mr. Searle1 there; he has just arriv’d from the Texel; where he has been since saturday.
We stay’d sometime there and then went to take a ride; we went out of the Haerlem Port, and rid round by the side of the outer Cingel2 and came in again into the Leyden Port.
After dinner I wrote a letter to Dr. Waterhouse;3 and then went to Madam Chabanel’s where I found Mr. Brailsford; he went away soon after, and I went to take a walk, with the young ladies; when we got back we found Mr. Le Roi, and young Mr. Chabanel at home; I return’d home soon after.
The English papers are arriv’d. There is an account of an action between Commodore Johnstone and the french Squadron which was going to the East India’s, but we have not got the paper in which an account of it is given; and therefore, do not yet know the details.
From Guthrie’s Grammar. Chap 4th § 6th (Continuation from yesterday).4
1. James Searle, member of the Continental Congress, 1778–1780, was in Europe from 1780 to 1782 as a commissioner for Pennsylvania to negotiate a loan with France and Holland, but his efforts were unsuccessful (; Mildred E. Lombard, “James Searle: Radical Businessman of the Revolution,” 59:284–294 [July 1935]).
2. The outer Singel canal, one of two by that name in Amsterdam: this one formed the outer boundary of the old city.
3. Letter not found.
4. On the following two and one-half pages in the Diary JQA continued his transcription of the second paragraph from the same subsection of Guthrie which he began the day before (p. 401–402).