Born into a prominent and long-standing London family, Adams inherited a baronetcy when young, and went on to have a successful career at sea.

Here he made the acquaintance of Constantine Phipps and the naturalist Joseph Banks, and also met the future explorer James Cook, who was conducting surveys of the Newfoundland coast at the time of Adams' visit.

He had relatively few successes during his time in command, though he did manage to capture the French privateer Brimborion off the Isles of Scilly on 8 August 1761.

[5] Adams was moved from command of Terpsichore shortly after his arrival, and instead appointed to the newly built 32-gun HMS Boston.

[10] Niger was initially employed off the west coast of Scotland, around the Isle of Arran, in 1764, and it was about this time that Adams appears to have married the Hon.

Also on board for the voyage were Constantine Phipps, and the botanist Joseph Banks, while Adams had James Burney with him as his servant.

[11] The purpose of the journey was to transport a party of mariners to Chateau Bay to build a fort, to continue strengthening relations with the native population, and to survey some of the coast of Newfoundland.

[12] During his time in Newfoundland Adams met James Cook, who was engaged in surveying the coast, and introduced him to Banks.

[4] That he died without issue and that his younger brother William had presumably predeceased him, is shown by the fact that the baronetcy became extinct on his death.