Diary of John Quincy Adams, volume 1
1780-08-14
This morning Pappa went out and at about 10 o clock the South Carolina. She is a
ship of forty guns thirty-two 36 pounders on the main deck and 8 12 pounders on the Quarter
deck. I saw Mr. Amiel on board who is first Lieutenant, I saw also Mr. Fitzgerald and Mr.
Mastin, who are midshipmen on board. We stay'd there some time and after that we came back.
Captn. Joyner did not return. She is a new ship and this will be her first cruize. She is a
very fine Ship indeed. When we had got about as far as the statehouse we took leave of Mr.
55StapHouse and when we got home Commodore Gillon
took leave of us. After we got home Commodore Gillon sent Pappa a Letter which came from
some Gentlemen on board the Alliance.2 She was
in Latt 46. D 13.M. Long 36. D 16 M.
Either Jacob or Nicolaas van Staphorst, brothers and partners in a banking firm. After
Dutch recognition of American independence, the firm as part of a syndicate of Amsterdam
bankers floated a succession of loans negotiated by JA (JA, Diary and
Autobiography
, 2:445).
Letter not found, but presumably from Arthur Lee, who, with his two nephews and other
Americans, sailed for Boston from Lorient on the Alliance
([Boston] Continental Journal, 17 Aug.;
Warren-Adams
Letters
, 2:143–144).