13 August 1796
adams-john10 Neal Millikan Recreation
131

13. Continue busily employed in writing, so that I have almost abandoned all reading for the present. Find a difficulty of application even to that which I still continue.— The eye or the voice reads, but the mind receives nothing. This is one of the infirmities which I often find it impossible to remove. The dull relaxing weather of the dog-days contributes towards it; and for some days past I have almost found a physical impossibility to rise at my hour prescribed. Hitherto the effort of the will has so far overpowered the weakness of the flesh, that I have not broken my rule of rising. But I have not yet obtained the complete controul of my application. I fear I never shall.— Walk before dinner. At the french play this Evening. “Othello, ou le More de Venise.” A wretched travestie by Ducis from Shakespeare’s Othello, with most of his defects, and innumerable others with scarce one of his beauties. It has the merit however of containing sarcasms upon aristocracy, and abuse upon the Government of Venice.— Othello, was tawny but not black.— The performance was worse than the play. Bielfeld and I did not stay to hear the famille indigente a second time, but closed the Evening with a walk together in the Voorhout.— Visit this morning from the french Minister Noël. He says the french Consuls at Amsterdam and Rotterdam both write him that they have violent suspicions that some Captains of American vessels, engage on board of them, french soldiers belonging to the army of the North. He desired me therefore to request of the Agents of the United States in those places to prevent any practice of that kind in future, and further wished me to authorise the french officers to visit the vessels, to discover whether any french soldiers were concealed in them. I told him that I had no power to authorise any person to visit or examine American vessels, and if I should pretend to assume it the American Captains would certainly not recognize it, but that I would readily write to the Consul at Amsterdam and request him to discourage as much as possible every such practice, and to recommend the discharge of any persons who may have been thus engaged.— Wrote to Mr: Bourne accordingly.

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