Description:

John Adams
Paris, France, ca. May 8, 1780
John Adams Comments on Proposed Peace Forwarded to Congress "for the sake of making the Members, Smile." He Also Quotes John Milton!
ANS

JOHN ADAMS, Autograph Note Initialed, to Edmé Jacques Genêt, ca. May 8, 1780, Paris, France. Signed twice with initials. 1 p., 4.5" x 6.75". Burned along top edge with some loss, perhaps of salutation; affixed to backing sheet; some water damage and toning.

With this brief note, twice signed "J.A.", American diplomat and future President John Adams thanks French Ministry of Foreign Affairs translator Edmé Jacques Genêt, the father of future controversial diplomat to the United States Edmond Charles Genêt, for some British newspapers he had forwarded. He also comments on the proposals of the Dean of Gloucester for a negotiated peace. Considering them ridiculous, Adams forwarded them to the Confederation Congress "for the sake of making the Members, Smile."

Complete Transcript
"I return you a Paper, with my best Thanks.
The Propositions of the Dean of Gloucester, by your Leave, I will inclose to Congress, for the sake of making the Members, Smile.
in the Papers inclosed, Some one has put J. A. to a few jingling Periods - but I assure you it was not
J. A.
Mr Genet."

Historical Background
John Adams first went to France in February 1778 to negotiate a treaty, though he could not speak French. When he arrived in April, he learned that the two nations had already signed an agreement in February. Congress then decided to dissolve the American commission, since the alliance with France had been finalized, but word did not reach France until February 1779. Congress appointed Benjamin Franklin as minister plenipotentiary to the Court of King Louis XVI, sent Arthur Lee to Madrid, but gave no further instructions to Adams. He returned to Massachusetts in October 1779, vowing never to return to France.

However, Congress appointed him as minister plenipotentiary to negotiate peace with Great Britain. He left for Europe again in November 1779, arriving in Paris in early February 1780 after a challenging journey across Spain. Soon after he arrived, Adams began a frequent correspondence with French interpreter Edmé Jacques Genêt at Versailles regarding French and American affairs. Initially, Genêt was interested in obtaining from Adams copies of all the new state constitutions that the Americans were creating, and Adams appreciated receiving the latest copies of British newspapers through Genêt.

On May 9, 1780, Adams wrote to Genêt, thanking him for newspapers and noted, "The Proposals for a general Pacification, by the Dean of Gloucester, whether they were written by him, or another, were probably intended to feel the pulse, of France, or Spain, or America, nay it is not impossible that they might be intended to Sound, So inconsiderable a Portion of Existence as Mr. John Adams: but it must be Something rather more plausibly written: Something a little more consonant to Reason, and to common Sense, which will draw out of Mr. Adams, his sentiments on the great Work of Pacification, if ever he should enter into any detail upon this subject, before general Conferences take place, which he at present believes he shall not do."

The proposals by Josiah Tucker (1712-1799), who served as the Dean of Gloucester from 1758 to 1799, were published in the London General Advertiser and Morning Intelligencer and in the May issue of the Gentleman's Magazine. They included the partition of America, with Great Britain retaining all the Canadian provinces, the territory between the Connecticut and Delaware Rivers, and the land below North Carolina. The proposals also suggested ceding West Florida and Gibraltar to Spain, in exchange for Puerto Rico, and the restoration of all French and English colonies in the West Indies to their owners before the war. Adams forwarded these proposals to the President of Congress, Samuel Huntington, on May 9.

Adams also informs Genêt that he was not the "J.A." to whom some "jingling periods" in the British newspapers had been attributed. The phrase "jingling periods" likely comes from John Milton's 1641 pamphlet, Of Reformation Touching Church-Discipline in England, in which Milton characterizes the work of many of the Church Fathers as filled with "the crosse-jingling periods which cannot but disturb" devotion to the Bible.

Edmé-Jacques Genêt (1726-1781) was born in Paris. He became a prominent French interpreter of the English language under King Louis XVIII and later became the bureau chief of translators at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His son Edmond Charles Genêt (1763-1834) was the French envoy to the United States during the French Revolution (1793-1794). His actions in the United States led to controversy in the Citizen Genêt Affair.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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