Papers of John Adams, volume 19
The multiplied Cares attending the Removal of a Family, from one Country to another; and beginning a new Course of Life or resuming an old one, after an interruption of fourteen years; must be my apology, if any apology is neccessary, for having omitted, till this time, to Solicit the final Settlement of my Accounts, with the United States.—1 As Mr Barclay has, for many years, had the examination of the Accounts, of all the Ministers abroad, and of mine in particular, untill my removal to England; I wish to be informed, whether it is the Intention of Congress that I Should transmit the remainder of my Accounts to that Gentleman or any other for a Similar examination, or to the Board of Treasury, or to Congress immediately.— Let me request of you Sir, to lay this Letter before that Honourable assembly, and to transmit me, their Commands, which shall be obeyed as soon as possible.2
With great respect I have [the] / Honour to be, Sir, your most / obedient and most humble / Servant
RC (PCC, No. 84, VI, f. 635–638); addressed: “His Excellency / John Jay Esqr / Secretary of State, for the / Department of foreign Affairs / New York”; internal address: “His Excellency John Jay Esqr / Secretary of State for the / Department of foreign Affairs.”; endorsed: “Recd. 25 Octr. 1788.” LbC (Adams Papers); APM Reel 124. Text lost where the seal was removed has been supplied from the LbC.
See John Adams’ Accounts in Europe: 1785–1788 in the appendix to this volume.
Since JA’s salary and expenses were covered by funds from the Dutch loans and dispensed by the loan consortium, there was little need for JA to press for any kind of compensation from an inattentive Congress. On 7 Nov., Jay informed JA that it was unlikely “that a sufficient number will be convened during the Winter, unless some circumstance of Importance should occur to induce their Attendance. If however a House should be formed, I will take the earliest opportunity of laying your Letter before them, & of transmitting to You whatever orders they may think proper to give on the Subject of it.” From 3 Nov. until 2 March 1789, Congress did not transact any business (Adams Papers;
JCC
, 34:604).
th.Oct
r.1788
The following was the return of the Greenland Fishery on the 17th of June last. made here1
| London ships | Number of Fish | Whitby Ships | Number of Fish |
| Broderick | 5 | Ann & Elizabeth | 2 |
| John and Margaret | 7 | El Falconberg | 2 |
| Butterworth | 3 | Resolution | 2 |
| Leviathan | 3 | Nautilus | 3 |
| Branthall | 4 | Freelove | 1 |
| Mellish | 4 | Friendship | 1 |
| Hannah | 1 | ||
| London | 2 | Sunderland Ships | |
| Supply | 2 | Blacket | 1 |
| Two Friends | 1 | Queen | 2 |
| Elipse | 1 | ||
| New Castle Ships | Hull Ships | ||
| Disco Bay | 3 | Gainsborough | 2 |
| Kitty | 3 | Palliser | 1 |
| Kingston | 3 | ||
| Mars | 3 | Ipswich Ships | |
| Sarah | 3 | Simon | 1 |
| Mathew & Thomas | 2 | ||
| Sarda | 2 | Scotch Ships } | 13 |
| Spencer | 2 |
At no period previous to the last war were there more than one hundred ships employed in this trade; in the year before last 151 ships were employed; and last year 248 the value of whose cargoes amounted to the fourth part of a million. Now let us attend to the account of the southern whale fishery as stated accurately on the 1st of June last. Viz
| London | 36 ships | 34 Fish |
| Whitby | 9 | 19 |
| Hull | 9 | 6 |
| Liverpool | 5 | 4 |
| Leith | 3 | 3 ½ |
| Montrose | 3 | 8 |
| Borrostoness | 2 | 3 |
| Lynn | 2 | 1 |
In the year 1785 there were but 18 ships employed in the southern whale fishery, and the amount of their cargoes was estimated at £30,000. Last year 38 ships were employed the cargoes of which are estimated at more than £100.000 So that in two years the number of ships employed have been more than doubled, and the value of the trade more than trebled. And this year the number of ships employed is upwards of 50, and their cargoes expected to exceed £200.000. On these facts I make no comment.
I have the honor to be (with an unavoidable brevity and abruptness), / Your Affectionate Respectful / And Most Obedt. Servt.
RC (Adams Papers); internal address: “His Excellency John Adams Esquire.”
Cutting sent a similar set of statistics to Thomas Jefferson on 17 Oct., having compiled them from separate reports printed in the London Whitehall Evening Post, 17–19 July and the London World, 18 July. In the version sent to JA, under the 17 June heading Cutting added in figures for the ship London and itemized an extra fish for the ship Queen. Under the 1 June list, Cutting noted 36 total ships for London, five more than he listed in his letter to Jefferson. In his report to Jefferson, Cutting added information under the 17 June list regarding two ships lost at sea, the Trial and the Mary. There, Cutting also commented on prohibitions on American wheat, compared the whale fishermen of the United States and Britain, and mentioned his plans to visit Charleston, S.C. (Jefferson, Papers
, 14:12–16).