ters of
credence to the President of the week. On Monday, at nine o'clock in
the morning, I went _par etiquette_ to the house of his Excellency,
the French Ambassador, to ask of him the hour when Mr Adams should
come and impart to him officially his admission, and in the meantime
we were to leave our cards at the houses of all the members of the
States-General. The visit to the Ambassador was made in form, and
publicly returned in the same way. That of the Envoy of Spain, not
requiring the same ceremonial as the rank of the Ambassador, we had
given him notice on Sunday evening in a familiar visit, under a
condition previously agreed, that he would return it in like manner
the next day; and he kept his word. Monday, the 22d, I went to ask
audience for Mr Adams, of his Serene Highness, the Stadtholder, who
granted it immediately. We dined on Tuesday, the 23d, with the French
Ambassador, who had invited all the _Corps Diplomatique_, and they all
attended. Wednesday morning we made the tour of the cities of Holland
at their hotels with cards. We left also cards of notification at the
hotels of the Ministers of foreign neutral Courts, who probably have
written to their Courts to know if they should return the visit. There
has been no return of it but from the Minister of Liege. The same
morning I went to ask audience for Mr Adams of her Royal Highness the
Princess of Orange, which immediately took place.

_Monday, 6th of May._ Mr Adams was present at a breakfast with M.
Boreel, Deputy of the States-General, where he had been invited with
all the Court and the _Corps Diplomatique_.

An address having been presented on Monday, the 22d, to Mr Adams, by
six Deputies of the body of merchants of Schiedam, having at their
head the Secretary of the city, who invited him at the same time to a
grand festival, which they wished to give him, I had the happiness
yesterday to excuse him from this festival without dissatisfying these
gentlemen, as you will see by the copy of my verbal message to the
Secretary.

Add to all this, Sir, the confusion of our removal into the Hotel of
the United States of America, which is not yet over, and will not be
for several weeks, and you may well have some indulgence for the
imperfection of my present correspondence.

Sunday last, after dinner, at the request of the French Ambassador and
of our friends here, and with the consent of Mr Adams, I made a
journey by post to Amsterdam, charged with a secr