May 5. 1778
addressed to Messieurs Franklin,Lee and Adams, Deputies of the
United States of America at
Passi, and endorsed De Vergennes. I opened it
and found it in French, a litteral translation of
which is as follows.
Versailles May 4.
1778
I have taken the orders of the King, Gentlemen, on the Subject of the
presentation of Mr. Adams, your new Colleague, and his Majesty
will see him on fryday next, the eighth of this
month. I hope you will be so good as to do me the honour, to dine with me, on that day; I shall be ravished to
have that occasion, of passing some hours with you, and of renewing to you the
assurances of the most perfect consideration, with which I have the honour to be Gentlemen your most obedienthumble
and most obedient Servant
De Vergennes.
Mrs. [Messieurs] Franklin,Lee and Adams.
I passed the whole of this day at home. Mr. Lee came in the
Afternoon to my Apartment and We sat down together, to a serious Examination of
the public Papers, that is of all that We could find, and a close Attention to
the public Business. In the Evening Mr. Chaumont came in and
informed me of the destination of a Frigate of thirty two Guns from
Marsailles to
Boston and that I might write by her, if I pleased.
May 6. Wednesday. 1778.
Franklin told Us one of his Characteristic Stories. A
Spanish Writer of certain Vissions of Hell, relates
that a certain evil Spirit he met with who was civil and well bred,shewed him all the Apartments in the place. Among others
that of deceased Kings. The Spaniard was much amused at so illustrious a Sight,
and after viewing them for sometime, said he should be glad to see the rest of
them. The rest? said the Daemon. Here are all the
Kings who ever reigned upon earth from the creation of it to this day, what the
Devil would the Man have?
This Anecdote was in the Spirit of those times for the Philosophers of the
last Age had raised a king killing Spirit in the World. I wrote the Story down
in the Evening with a Note upon it not less Characteristick of myself. It was this. This Fable
is not so charitable as Dr. Watts, who in his view of Heaven
says "here and there I see a King," which seems to imply that Kings are as good
as other men, since it is but here and there that We see a King upon Earth.
Page 2
The Truth is that neither then nor at any former time, since I had attained
any maturity in Age, Reading and reflection had I imbibed any general Prejudice
against Kings, or in favour of them. It appeared to me
then as it has done ever since, that there is a State of Society in which a
Republican Government is the best, and in
America the only one which ought to be adopted or thought of,
because the morals of the People and Circumstances of the Country not only can
bear it, but require it. But in several of the great nations of
Europe, Kings appeared to me to be as necessary as any
Government at all. Nor had I ever seen any reason to believe that Kings were in
general worse than other Men.
After Dinner We went to the field, where the King reviewed his Guards,
French and Swiss, about eight thousands of them. The Show was pompous indeed as
all other Shows are in this Country. The Carriages of the Royal Family were
very magnificent. Returned and drank Coffee with Mr. Lee at
his House in Challiot [Chaillot], about a mile from ours at
Passi, walked home and drank Tea with Mr.
Chaumonts Family, and spent the rest of the Evening in
reading Cardinal Richelieu.
May 8. Fryday,
1778.
Dr. Franklin and Mr. Lee went with me to
Versailles to attend my Presentation to the King. We visited
the Count de Vergennes at his Office, and at the hour of
eleven, the Count conducted Us, into the Kings Bed Chamber, where his Majesty
was dressing. One Officer putting on his Coat, another his Sword &c. The
Count went up to the King and informed him that
Mr.
Adams was present to be presented to his Majesty, the King turned
round and looked upon me and smiled. "Is that Mr. Adams," said
his Majesty? Being answered in the affirmative by the Count, he began to talk
to me, and with
suchrapidity that I could not distinguish one
Syllable nor understand one Word. But it was observed by others as well as by
me that he discovered a great inclination to have a dialogue with me, whether
from mere curiosity, or a desire to impress upon his Courtiers, an unusual
number of whom were collected upon that occasion, an idea of his Attention and
Attachment to the American cause. It was agreed on all hands that the King was
the best friend We had in France. The Count de
Vergennes observing his Majestys Zeal went up to him and very
respectfully, said,Mr. Adams will not
Page 3
answer your
Majesty, for he neither speaks nor understands our Language as yet.... "Pas un
mot" said the King.... In what he had said to me before, I thought he said
among other things Y a-t-il long tems que vous avez ete dans ce pays ci? or Il
n'y a pas long tems que vous avez t dans ce pays ci. But that
was all that I even suspected that I understood .... The Count de
Vergennes then conducted me to the Door of another Room, and desired
me to stand there, which I did
untill the King passed.
After the usual Compliments of the King to the Ambassadors, his Majesty was
preparing to retire when the Count de Vergennes again repeated
to the King that I did not take upon me to speak french and the King repeated
his question does he not speak it
att all? and passing by
all the others in the Row made a full Stop before me, and evidently intended to
observe and remember my Countenance and Person as I certainly meant to remark
those of his Majesty. I was deeply impressed with a Character of Mildness,
Goodness and Innocence in his face. It seemed to me impossible that an ill
design could be harboured in that breast.... This Monarch was then in the
twenty fourth year of his Age, having been born the 23d of August 1754. He had
the Appearance of a strong constitution capable of enduring to a great Age. His
Reign had already been distinguished by two great Events. The first was the
restoration of Harmony in his dominions, by the extinction of those Parties
which had rent the Nation under his Predecessor, and the other was the Treaty
with the
United States of America an Epocha in the History of
France which would have reflected Glory upon that Country in all
future Ages, if she had known how to improve it. But for Want of Wisdom, it has
proved fatal to the Monarch and many of his Family, torn France in Pieces by
factions, and swelled her to an enormous and unnatural Power, dangerous to
herself, destructive to
Europe, and precarious in its duration.
The Ceremonies at this Court were very simple. On a certain day of every
Week was called Ambassadors day, when all the public Ministers whether
Ambassadors, Ministers Plenipotentiary, Envoys or Residents, who all passed
under the General Title of Ambassadors, went to
Versailles, were presented to the King, Queen, Monsieur the
Kings oldest Brother, the Count D'Artois the Kings youngest
Brother, to Madam Elizabeth the Kings Sister and to the Kings
Page 4
two Aunts, who had Apartments in the Castle, though they lived
at Bellvue. Neither the King or any of the Royal Family, commonly
spoke to any of the Corps Diplomatique, except the first order, the
Ambassadors. To them they said but a few Words. The Count de
Mercy Ambassador from the Emperor said He had made his Court weekly in
that Character to Monsieur for thirty Years, and had always been asked the same
question "Have you come from
Paris this morning?" Seven or Eight Years afterwards in
England I found the Custom very different. The King and Queen
must speak to every body. This has made the King the greatest Talker in
Christendom, but it is a Slavery to which no human Being ought to be subjected.
It is but justice, to say that it was
agreable and
instructive to hear him, for let the insolent
Peter
Pindar say what he will, His Majesty said as many things which
deserved to be remembered as any Sage I ever heard.
We afterwards made Visits to Count Maurepas, Mr. De
Sartine, to the Chancellor Miromenil, and
to Mr. Bertin &c. The Chancellor had the Countenance of a
Man, worn with severe Studies. When I was presented to him, he turned
to Dr. Franklin and said, Monsieur Adams est
un Personne celebre en Amerique et en
Europe. We went afterwards to dinner, with the Count de
Vergennes. There was a very long and a very full Table: No Ladies but
the Countess. The Count's Brother who had lately signed the Treaty with
Switzerland as Ambassador of
France, and a Crowd of others, Dukes, Bishops and
Counts.Mr. Garnier, the late Secretary to the Embassy in
England was also there. Mr. Garnier and a
Mr. asked me, with some Appearance of concern, whether there was any
foundation for the Reports which the Ministry had spread in
England of a dispute between Congress and General
Washington? A Letter they said had been printed, from an Officer in
Philadelphia to that purpose. My Answer was that no such dispute
existed when I left Congress in November, that I heard of no such Thing after I
left it, before my Embarkation in February, that I had no information of it,
since my Arrival in
France, and that so far from giving any Credit to the report, I
believed it to be impossible. Mr. Garnier was the first French
Gentleman, who began a serious political conversation with me, of any great
length. I found him a sensible, well informed Man.
May 9. Saturday. 1778.
This morning Mr. Joy, Mr. Johonnot,
and Mr. Green Son of Mr. Rufus Green came to
visit me. The American Ministers dined with Madam Bertin, at
Passi.
