From John Jay to John Adams, 24 November 1794
From John Jay
London 24 nov. 1794—
Dear Sir
I wrote you a few Lines last Week—1 This Morning I was favored with two Letters from your Son of the 14 & 20th. of this Month—2 Parents are gratified by hearing of or from their children— the former Letter was Dated at The Hague—the latter at amsterdam— He had been recd. and acknowledged by the States General, and on the 14th had “a gracious audience of the Stadtholder.”—3 In his last Letter there is this Paragraph— “It is here said that on the Meeting of Parliamt. the King of Great Britain is to mention in the Speech from the Throne, the Signature of a Convention for the Settlemt. of The Differences with america. This Intelligence is extremely grateful to the Merchants engaged in the american Commerce here, who are anxiously sollicitous for the Event of your Negociation; and whose Curiosity is proportionable to their anxiety”— Before your Son left us I submitted to his Consideration the Draft of the Treaty, as it then stood—4
with real Esteem and Regard I am / Dear Sir / Your Friend & Servt
John Jay—
RC (Adams Papers); internal address: “His Excellency / John Adams Esqr.—”
2. JQA wrote to Jay on 14 Nov. to recommend Rodolph Vall-Travers, who carried JQA’s official dispatches. He reported on the French Army’s continued success in the Netherlands and added that the news of the Whiskey Rebellion was damaging U.S. credit in Europe. No 20 Nov. letter has been found, but JQA wrote next on 21 Nov., informing Jay that he had found another method to send his dispatches and that Dutch merchants favored the Jay Treaty’s terms (, 6:204–205, 240–241).
3. JQA presented his credentials to William V, Prince of Orange and Stadholder of the Netherlands, at The Hague on 14 Nov. (D/JQA/22, APM Reel 25). Writing to JA on 17 Nov., JQA reported that William V “enquired after you, mentioned the time of your arrival here and that of your acknowledgment and reception asked me if I was not here with you, and whether I did not study at Leyden” (Adams Papers).
4. When Parliament opened on 30 Dec., George III announced his “great pleasure” at negotiating an Anglo-American treaty intended to end “all grounds of jealousy an misunderstanding, and to improve an intercourse beneficial to both countries.” He told Parliament that once ratifications were exchanged, M.P.’s could determine how to implement the new agreement. British newspapers reported closely on those next steps, which stretched into Jan. 1796, but the European war dominated public attention. JQA agreed with Jay that the treaty was flawed but found it to be “preferable to a War” (London Courier, 31 Dec. 1794; London Whitehall Evening Post, 28–30 Jan. 1796; London Oracle, 30 Jan.; , 6:245; D/JQA/22, 22 Oct. 1794, APM Reel 25).