John Adams to Jeremy Belknap, July 24, 1789

New York July 24. 1789

Dear Sir

I have, this morning received your Letter of the 18 th. , George Chalmers, I have Seen in London. He is a Scot, who
adventured to Maryland and practised Law,. When Hostilities commenced, he fled to the
British Army in N. York. He has much of the Scornful, fastidious Temper of his nation;
has been a very bitter Tory: but is a laborious writer. There is no Second Volume of his
Annals, and as he has had the Art of obtaining Some Employment under the present
Ministry, I Suppose it probable, that he will neither find Profit nor Pleasure to tempt
him, to labour longer at Annals.

M r Fenno asked my Leave to publish the
Letters to Kalkoen, and I consented.— There was never any other Reason for printing
them, more than a dozen Volumes of others, but this, that the originals of them, were on loose Papers, instead of proper Letter Books; and consequently in
continual danger of being lost.— 1 M r Jay has Surprized me, Since I came here, by Shewing me, Six
folio Volumes of my dispatches to Congress, recorded in a beautiful hand. He has taken
the Same prudent Care of the Dispatches of all the other American Ministers abroad—so
that this branch of our History is well Secured.— Private Letters however, are often
wanted as Commentaries on publick ones.— and many I fear will be lost, which would be
necessary to shew the Secret Springs. 2

There are Several Circumstances, which I wish were preserved
Somewhere, of much Importance, to this End, which are in danger of being lost—respecting
the opposition to Bernard and Hutchinson and British
Ministers and Measures in the Massachusetts—to the formation of
the Union of the Colonies in 1774—to the organization of
our Army in 1775 —To the Negotiations in France, and
Holland —and to many other Events.

some of these ought not to be public, but they ought not to be
lost.— My Experience, has very much diminished my Faith in the Veracity of History.— it
has convinced me, that many of the most important facts are concealed.— some of the most
important Characters, but imperfectly known—many false facts imposed on Historians and
the World—and many empty Characters displayed in great Pomp.— All this I am Sure will
happen in our American History.

The Idea, that a Party or Faction should demolish thirteen,
established Governments, and erect as many new ones, in opposition to the Sense of the
People, and in opposition to large Armies and powerful Fleets, is ridiculous.—

The Anecdote of Baron De Kalb, that you enquire after, never came
to my Knowledge.— De Kalb was in America, before the War, and not long after the Peace
of 1763, but it was accidental; owing to shipwreck as I have heard—very probably he
might make Such a Report that the Americans were indissolubly attached to England to the
French Ministry: but I dont believe he ever was sent by them.

After the Loss of Canada, the vast Addition to the naval Power and
commercial Advantages of England, allarmed the French very much and there is no doubt,
that the thought of assisting the British Colonies to throw off the yoke, occurred to
them—as the Loss of America now rankling in the hearts and tingling in the Veigns of the
English nation, is every day suggesting to them, Projects of Assisting the Spaniards of
South America to Seperate from Spain. Monsieur Le Roi, a french Accademician, who had
been acquainted with D r Franklin in England, upon introducing him at Paris
to some Members of the Accademy of Sciences, Said Voila Monsieur
Frankland, qui est de ce Pays la en Amerique, qui nous debarrassera, un jour de ces
Angloises. 3 This Le Roi told me in
Presence of Franklin who Said he remembered it very well.— This sentiment I doubt not
had its Influence in procuring Franklin to be elected a Member of that Accademy.— But it
was a vague tho general Presentiment—and no explicit Advances were ever made to him or
any one else by the French Court, till 1775.—

I Shall have more occasion for Apology than you have, if I proceed.
The oftener you write me, and the more you enquire of me the more you will oblige, sir
your / most obedient

John Adams