National Intelligencer Newspaper, May 19, 1809 (John Adams)

Samuel Harrison Smith, Washington, DC, 1809; Folio (12 1/2 " x 19"), two pages (single leaf printed front and back). Samuel Harrison Smith’s National Intelligencer newspaper for Friday, May 19, 1809, with a lengthy front page letter over three full columns in length by John Adams addressed to the publishers of the Boston Patriot News in response to a recently published criticism. In it Adams recounts in minute detail his reasoning and corresponding actions with respect to the 1799 diplomatic mission to France undertaken by his team of representatives, which eventually resulted in the Convention of 1800 or "Treaty Of Montefontaine," ending America’s Quasi-War with France, which was initiated by Talleyrand’s 1796 order allowing for the seizure of American merchant ships. In the letter Adams reveals that his original choices for the diplomatic team were Chief Justice Oliver Ellsworth, Patrick Henry, and Williams Vans Murray, Minister to the Netherlands at the time. Justice Ellsworth’s and Patrick Henry’s nominations were approved by Congress, however Henry declined on account of age, and Governor William R. Davie of North Carolina was appointed in his place. Vans Murray was rejected by the Senate. Chagrined by what appeared to be a political double-cross by his own cabinet, Adams relates how, in spite of having met at length with them and having agreed upon every article to be demanded in the proposed treaty by the diplomatic envoy, the drawing up of the documents was delayed many days while he, Adams, waited impatiently for their arrival for his signature at Quincy, where he had been forced to flee because of the advance of Yellow Fever in Washington, while the Cabinet fled to Trenton. Adams mentions his shock at finally receiving a letter signed by all five department heads earnestly entreating him to postpone the mission, whereupon he immediately set out for Trenton to take them head on, however he was taken seriously ill and detained in Hartford for six weeks. Arriving at last, Adams found that the Cabinet believed that Napoleon was soon to be deposed and the monarchy returned to the French throne, and it was thus their opinion that the mission was no longer needed. Adams recounts, point-by-point, his refutation of their assumption and his frustration at his inability to dissuade them. Devastating for Adams, Justice Ellsworth himself joined with the Cabinet. Adams appears to have felt the hand of Alexander Hamilton in all this, and derisively describes Hamilton’s excitableness and naivete, remarking on the "total ignorance he (Hamilton) had betrayed of everything in Europe, in France, England, and elsewhere." Adams was eventually proved right, and the diplomatic envoy departed for France, successfully resulting in the treaty of 1800. Apparently still smarting from the 1799 rejection of his nomination of Williams Vans Murray, he ends the letter stating that had Vans Murray been approved, "he would probably have finished the business long before, and obtained compensation for all spoliations (sic)." Of added interest is a 2 1/2 column report on page two of the recent May 12th grand meeting of the Tammany Society Of Washington, with a verbatim account of the Long Talk given by Sachem Bernard Smith. Very Good condition, tanned ghost upper right (front only), old quill pen signature in blank margin at upper right, folded twice, no seam splits, no holes, no tears, paper supple, not brittle. There is a small chip in the blank margin at the upper left corner, unaffecting text on either side. Although not marked, this paper is from the library of James S. Copley (1917-1973), pre-eminent collector of Americana and owner and C.E.O. of Copley News Service.