About 9. O’Clock this Morning we spoke a fishing Schooner from the Grand Bank, belonging and bound to Plymouth—We were in the midst of a thick fog, as we have indeed been most of the time since you left us, and still are. The Schooner was within g speaking distance when we first spied her, and our Captain had barely time to ask them on their arrival to give notice of their having seen us. So I...
The original of which the within is a duplicate, was dispatched to you on the 16th: of August, by the Dove, a fishing vessel belonging to Plymouth, which we spoke on that day—As she had been laying only one week on the Grand Bank, and expected to continue there four or five weeks longer, it is doubtful whether you have yet received our letters forwarded by her; but not having had an...
3From John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 28 October 1809 (Adams Papers)
At length, after eighty days of tedious and dangerous navigation, we are all safely landed at the place of our destination—I have written to you twice upon our passage—first, from the Grand Bank of Newfoundland, and once in the Cattegat, the night before we expected to arrive at Elseneur—From that time, I shall now continue the narrative of our voyage, which though address’d to you, is for all...
4From John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 16 November 1809 to 28 November 1809 (Adams Papers)
My last Letter brought our good Ship Horace to anchor safe in the Road of Elseneur—on the 28th: of September.—At that place we were detained a full week, by adverse winds—Having been informed upon my landing there, that the king of Denmark, and his principal Minister, Count Bernstorff, were both absent from Copenhagen, I gave up, in the first instance the intention of going thither—But having...
The messages from the Governor of the island of Bornholm, which I mentioned in my last were sent and received, in the midst of a brisk gale of wind, while we were stretching to and from the shore of the island, under close reefed top-sails—Close under the high lands of the Coast, the boats were able to come out to the ship, but she could not lay to there without drifting beyond the length of...
6From John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 8 January 1810 (Adams Papers)
The cypher consists of two parts—a Lock and a Key. The Lock is a sheet of paper, with four columns of letters at the left, and three columns of words at the right side of the page.—The Key is a strip of paper, adapted to the Lock, in the middle of the page, between the columns of letters at the left, and the columns of words at the right.—On the left border of the key, is an alphabet of Small...
Received Quincy 9th Feby 1810 of T. B Adams Twenty-five Dolls and fifty Cents in full for One quarter’s interest due upon J Q. Adams’s Note due the first instant. $25.50 MHi : Adams Papers.
I sent you by an American Gentleman who went from this place a few days ago to London, a cypher, with an explanatory sheet to enable you to use and understand it.—He will forward it by the first convenient opportunity; but I know not from whence—I hope it will reach you some time or other, but as it was not dated, and was not acompanied by any letter, you will perhaps be disappointed at...
9From John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 21 April 1810 (Adams Papers)
I have already drawn for three hundred pounds Sterling, of the credit, for which Mr: Gray gave me a letter upon his correspondents here. He will call upon you for the money; which does not quite amount to the balance I left in your hands for the purpose—I have written to you that I shall in all probability be compelled to draw upon you for more, but as by the course of exchange I draw at great...
10From Abigail Smith Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 7 May 1810 (Adams Papers)
Received Quincy 7th. May 1810 of Thomas B. Adams the sum of Twenty-five Dollars: fifty Cents in full for one quarter’s interest due on John Q Adams’s Note— $25:50 MHi : Adams Papers.
11From John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 30 June 1810 (Adams Papers)
There have been within the last Month a large number of arrivals at Cronstadt from the United States, and a sufficient proportion of them from Boston and Salem; but we have had the pleasure of receiving letters from Quincy, only by one—The Express-Captain Thomas—Who brought me your letter of 12. January, and a packet of sundries for my wife—We are apt to repine a little when we hear of a...
12From James Madison to Thomas Boylston Adams, 5 July 1810 (Adams Papers)
I have recd. the two Volumes of Lectures on Rhetoric & Oratory by your brother J. Q. Adams Esqr. Having not had an opportunity of perusing them, I can only return my thanks through you, and anticipate the pleasure promised by the application of his talents & taste to those interesting subjects. Accept my friendly respects MHi : Adams Papers.
13From Abigail Smith Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 7 August 1810 (Adams Papers)
Received Quincy August 7th: 1810 of Thomas B Adams the sum of twenty-five Dollars and fifty Cents in full for one Quarter’s interest in J Q Adams’s Note of hand. $25:50 MHi : Adams Papers.
14From John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 8 September 1810 (Adams Papers)
Just one month ago, arrived here Captain Haskell, in the Ship Lucia, belonging to Mr. Gray, who sailed from Boston about the 15th: of June.—He brought me letters of the 13th. of that month, from him and your favour of the 20th: of Febuary—I was indeed almost as much rejoiced as if your letter had been dated four months later; but I could hardly keep the thoughts out of my mind how agreable it...
15From John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 23 October 1810 (Adams Papers)
It was a fortunate circumstance for us, that Mr. Jones had so prosperous and so expeditious a voyage and Journey—In sixty days after he went out to Quincy, to take my Mothers and your wifes letters for us, he delivered them into our hands—As they brought us the gratifying intelligence that all our friends were then well, it gave us not only the pleasure which such tidings must always bring...
16From John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 27 October 1810 (Adams Papers)
On the principle of returning a separate answer or reply to every letter that I receive from you, I remain yet one in arrears to you, since in my last I acknowledged the receipt of two—dated 27. March and 7. May. With the last dated but first received of these came the number of the Anthology containing the most learned Critique upon my Lectures—It reminded me of a famous Speech of which I...
17From John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 2 February 1811 (Adams Papers)
By turning to my files I perceive, that the last Letter I have received from you, is dated the 7th: of May last, and that it was answered by me, on the 27th: October—I have since then written several times to my mother, and should have written as frequently to you, had the opportunities of writing occurred, or had a different subject for writing presented itself by the same opportunities.—But...
18From John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 17 March 1811 (Adams Papers)
You will recollect that some time in the year 1799—or 1800, while I was at Berlin, a Mr: Charles Engel sent you a power of Attorney, and a large claim upon a house of Mark and Company, which I believe some time before that, had failed at New-York. Very soon after my arrival here, I received from this Mr. Engel two letters, one of which had been written in January 1809, and sent to America,...
19From John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 29 March 1811 (Adams Papers)
At length after an interval of five months and seven days, since that when your last preceding letter came to hand, I have this morning enjoyed the pleasure of receiving your’s of 24. September—It is more than six months old; but as it is dated two months later than any letter that I had yet received from Quincy, it was as welcome and almost as grateful as if it had come with the speed of a...
20From John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 10 April 1811 (Adams Papers)
You observe in your letter of 24 September last, that my Son George was losing much of his french conversation idiom, that is, precisely one of the things upon which I had most earnestly set my heart, in his education. Walter Shandy Esqr was of opinion that there was a great, and mysterious virtue in the name given to a child—He intended to call his son Trismegistus, and the name which above...
21From John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 29 April 1811 (Adams Papers)
I am informed that a vessel belong to Mr: W. R. Gray, called the Washington, which sailed from Boston the 20th. or 28th: of February last has arrived at Baltic-Port, not more than two hundred miles distant from this place, and is expected at Cronstadt as soon as the Navigation of the gulph will be entirely clear—We had heard a week or ten days since the arrival of this vessel at Elseneur, and...
22From John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 13 May 1811 (Adams Papers)
The Austrian Minister, Count H. Julian, some time since, jokingly asked me if I had received any very late advices of the year before last from home—When I turn to the last letter that I have received from you, and find it dated 7. May 1810. the Count’s wit seems to have lost all its exaggeration. The longer we remain absent from our Country and our friends the more uneasy we feel under the...
23From John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 13 May 1811 (Adams Papers)
There was one of the small English Poets, I think it was Dodsley, who on the reformation of the Calendar in England published a Poem upon the Tears of Old May-Day—As this is the only Country of Europe where Old May-Day is yet held in honour, it would not be expected that here too is precisely the spot where she sheds the most tears—If she sheds none upon the present visit which she is making...
24From John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 27 May 1811 (Adams Papers)
The Washington, Capt. Brown, has at length arrived at cronstadt, and we have received the letters by her, which we had so earnestly expected, and for some time had abandoned the hope of receiving. Among them is your letter of 9. Feby.—numbered 13/4 which if accurate, leaves five still outstanding.—Three sets of my lectures came at the same time, and all in good condition. I have a letter from...
25From John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 20 June 1811 (Adams Papers)
The letters by Mr. Ewing have arrived—And among them I have to acknowledge the receipt of your numbers 1. 2. and 3. of the new series, dated 20. 22. and 31. Jany. together with your account to the close of last year—I have already acknowledged the receipt of your number 4/13 and I have within a very few days recd: your 5/14 dated 3. March. In one of my late letters I sent you an exact list of...
26From John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 10 July 1811 (Adams Papers)
We are in the midst of the bustle of a removal—I wrote you some time since that we were in the predicament of having the house in which we live sold over our heads—afterwards I told you, as I was told by my land l ord that the bargain was broken off, and we should remain in the house—About ten days ago my Landlord came and informed me that it was sold, and that if I could go out on the first...
27From John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 31 July 1811 (Adams Papers)
No more scolding about your accounts—No more petty complaints about trifles instead of hearty thanks for the faithful care, and trouble which you have taken in the management of my affairs—The hints about the state of your health, given in your letter of 7. April No 16/6 which I received the 22. of this month, have not only given me the heart-ache in themselves, but have brought me under my...
28From John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 27 August 1811 (Adams Papers)
Four days after I closed my last Letter to you, which was sent by the Iris, Captain Woodberry, I received your’s of 2. June, with all the tokens of the Doctor’s stuff upon it—I disliked the looks of this, I dare say as much as you did its taste—But as your letter was evidently written in so much better Spirits than the preceding number, as it assured me that you had recovered your health upon...
29From John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 25 September 1811 (Adams Papers)
The flood of our letters from America, as well as of vessels arriving from the United States has almost entirely subsided. From the last week in May to the first in August we received nearly thirty letters from Quincy, so that I began to think I had entered rather rashly into the engagement, among others of answering separately every individual letter—Nor have I yet since that time completely...
30From John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 21 October 1811 (Adams Papers)
The original of the enclosed did not go, as I had expected by the Cordelia; for she sailed on the very day that it was written, and before I could send it down to Cronstadt. But it was dispatched by the Hector, Captain Hetherington, which sailed, only three days later, for Providence—All the vessels which had arrived here during the regular season, are now gone—The last, or last but one that...