Page:Memoir, correspondence, and miscellanies, from the papers of Thomas Jefferson - Volume 1.djvu/84

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of which a third only was filled, had now ceased to get forward, and rendered desperate that hope of resource. I saw that there was not a moment to lose, and set out for the Hague on the 2nd morning after receiving the information of Mr. Adams s journey. I went the direct road by Louvres, Senlis, Roye, Pont St. Max- ence, Bois le due, Gournay, Peronne, Cambray, Bouchain, Va lenciennes, Mons, Bruxelles, Malines, Antwerp, Mordick, and Rotterdam, to the Hague, where I happily found Mr. Adams. He concurred with me at once in opinion, that something must be done, and that we ought to risk ourselves on doing it without in structions, to save the credit of the United States. We foresaw, that before the new government could be adopted, assembled, es tablish its financial system, get the money into the Treasury, and place it in Europe, considerable time would elapse ; that, therefore, we had better provide at once, for the years 88, 89, and 90, in order to place our government at its ease, and our credit in secu rity, during that trying interval. We set out therefore, by the way of Leyden, for Amsterdam, where we arrived on the 10th. I had prepared an estimate, shewing that

Florins.

There would be necessary for the year 88531,937-10

89538,540 90473,540

Total, 1,544,017-10

Florins. To meet this, the bankers had in hand, 79,268-2-8

and the unsold bonds would yield, 542,800 622,068-2-8

Leaving a deficit of . . . 921,949-7-4

We proposed then to borrow a million, yielding 920,000

Which would leave a small deficiency of . 1,949-7-4 Mr. Adams accordingly executed 1000 bonds, for 1000 florins each, and deposited them in the hands of our bankers, with in structions, however, not to issue them until Congress should ratify the measure. This done, he returned to London, and I set out for Paris ; and, as nothing urgent forbade .it, I determined to re turn along the banks of the Rhine, to Strasburg, and thence strike off to Paris. I accordingly left Amsterdam on the 30th of March, and proceeded by Utrecht, Nimeguen, Cleves, Duysberg, Dus- seldorf, Cologne, Bonne, Coblentz, Nassau, Hocheira, Frankfort, and made an excursion to Hanau, then to Mayence, and another excursion to Rudesheim, and Johansberg ; then by Oppenheim, Worms, and Manheim, making an excursion to Heidelberg, then by Spire, Carlsruh, Rastadt and Kelh, to Strasburg, where 1 ar rived April the 16th, and proceeded again on the 18th, by Phals-