Papers of John Adams, volume 16
Je crois, qu’il ÿ a ún droit, qu’on paÿe a l’entree des livres, qúi viennent des païs etrangers, mais les Ministres públics en Sont exempts. Si Voús aviés presenté ún Memoire, poúr avoir un passeport, poúr les Caisses qúe voús attendés de l’Angleterre, il n’ÿ aúroit eú aúcúne difficulté; Aú defaút de ce Passeport, je suppose, qúe les Commis de la Douane ont exigé le payement des droits. Poúr y remedier, Monsieur, voús pourriés, presenter demain ún Memoire a leúrs Hautes Púissances, (qúe voús remettres a Monsr le President) dans leqúel voús designés les Caisses, qúe voús attendés avec des livres, et voús demandes ún Passeport, oú bien ún ordre a l’admirauté, de laisser passer librement ces effets, qúi voús appartiennent, sans payers des droits, ce qúi Sera accordé immediatement.1 Je Súis faché, de ceqúe ceci Voús a donné quelqúe embaras, mais quand on est dans ún païs etranger, on ne Scait pas toujours les formes úsitées. J’ai l’honneúr d’etre avec beaucoúp de respect / Monsieúr / Votre tres humble / et tres obeissant / Serviteúr.
I believe that there is a duty one must pay on the importation of books, but public ministers are exempt. If you had presented a memorandum to obtain a passport for the boxes that you await from England, there would have been no difficulty; in the absence of this passport, I suppose that the customs officer demanded payment of the duties. To remedy this situation, sir, you may tomorrow present to Their High Mightinesses a memorandum (which you will deliver to the president) in which you identify the boxes with books that you await and request a passport, or alternatively an order to the admiralty, allowing free passage of those items that belong to you without payment of duties, which will be granted immediately.1 I am vexed that this has caused you any inconvenience, but when one is in a foreign country, one does not always know the customary practices. I have the honor of being with much respect, sir, your very humble and very obedient servant
RC (Adams Papers); endorsed: “M. Fagel. 1. July. 1784.”
See JA’s first letter of 2 July to the States General, below.
We are favoured with your esteemed letter of 30th: June, we had wrote upon the same Subject to our Mr. Van Berckel, and he has been so obliging as to send us directly a letter for our minister in Bruxelles,1 to whom we Send the same, with your letter, in order to make the required use of the Same, so we hope may Soon be released and return hither, the advice we receive we shall not fail to communicate to your Excellency. in the meanwhile we have the honour to remain most Respectfully. / Sir / Your most Humb Servants
RC (Adams Papers); internal address: “To his Excellency John Adams / Esqr L’ Hage.”
Presumably the Willinks had written to Engelbert François van Berckel, pensionary of Amsterdam, who in turn had written to Hendrik van Hop, Dutch minister to the Austrian Netherlands (
Repertorium
, 3:266).
Le Sousigné Ministre Plenipotentiaire des Etats Unis de L’Amerique, a l’honneur de prier Vos Hauts Puissances, de vouloir faire depêcher, ou de lui accorder Un Passeport pour L’Entree libre, ou bien un Ordre a L’Amirauté de laisser passer librement, et Sans payer des Droits, deux malles ou Coffres et une Caisse marquèes I. A. contenans des Livres appartenans au Sousigné, et venus de Londres à Rotterdam par le navire Prince William Henry, Capitaine Woodward.2
The undersigned Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States of America has the honor of entreating Your High Mightinesses to be so kind as to have dispatched or to grant to him a passport for free entry or an order to the admiralty allowing free passage, without payment of duties, of two trunks or chests and one case marked I. A. containing books belonging to
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the undersigned and come from London to Rotterdam aboard the ship Prince William Henry, Captain Woodward.2
RC (Nationaal Archief:Staten-Generaal, 1.01.02, inv. nr. 7461). LbC (Adams Papers); APM Reel 107. The LbC is dated 3 July.
The RC’s of this and the memorial immediately below are among the few instances of French language documents in JA’s hand, but the fact that the LbC’s of both memorials are in JQA’s hand may indicate that JQA drafted the original French texts, which JA then copied for transmission to the States General.
For the passport, issued by the States General on 2 July (Adams Papers), see Descriptive List of Illustrations, No. 5, above.