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Browsing: Papers of John Adams, Volume 9
Docno: ADMS-06-09-02-0167
Recipient: Genet, Edmé Jacques
Date: 1780-05-07
To Edmé Jacques Genet
[dateline] Paris May <6> 7. 1780
[salute] Dear Sir
I thank you for the Loan of the inclosed Paper.1 I think there is room to hope that Clinton will meet with a Reception that will not
be agreable to him, even to hope that he will not succeed. But there is great danger.
The Loss of the Frigates will give an Additional Sting to that of the Town.
It is truely deplorable that these Devils should be allowed to commit such Ravages
and do Such intollerable Mischiefs, with so few ships of Small size, when should Multitudes
of French and Spanish Men of War, lie idle, in European Harbours, Spending more money
and loosing more lives, than if they were in Action. So much for Franchise,2 entre nous.
[salute] Yours sincerely
[signed] John Adams
LbC (Adams Papers).
1. In a letter of 5 May (Adams Papers), Genet sent JA a fragment from a newspaper containing a letter from Sir Henry Clinton of 9 March.
For Clinton's letter, see Thomas Digges' letter of 2 May, and note 2 (above).
2. That is, so much for candor.
Cite web page as: Founding Families: Digital Editions of the Papers of the Winthrops and the Adamses, ed.C. James Taylor. Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society, 2017.
http://www.masshist.org/apde2/
http://www.masshist.org/apde2/