11John Quincy Adams to Abigail Adams, 16 January 1780 (Adams Papers)
I am (by the Grace of God) once more safely arrived at Bilbao. I have wrote you an account of my Voyage and why we put into Spain. I have heard Since I left Ferrol that a Child of foar years old might be put into the leak. It was well for us that we arrived as we did, one more Storm would very probably carried us to the bottom of the Sea. We arrived here yesterday at about one o’clock and...
12John Quincy Adams to Abigail Adams, 16 February 1779 (Adams Papers)
I have now the pleasure to acquaint you some news which will be agreable to you. Yesterday morning an extroadinary express from England has brought this news that on Friday 12 i n st. the Populace of London put fire to the hotels of North, Sandwich, Germaine, and Paliseer which was consumed and that at the Moment of the depart of the Letter it went so well that they did not know where it would...
13John Quincy Adams to Abigail Adams, 2 December 1778 (Adams Papers)
I just now recd. your Letter of septr. ye 29th and read it with great pleasure in which you say you think that writing is not a la mode de paris. on the contrary I have wrote very often to you whether they have fail’d, or whether they have been taken by the English I do not know but your Letters have been more lucky than my Pappa’s and mine for to day is the 2d time that I have received a...
14John Quincy Adams to Abigail Adams, 23 October 1781 (Adams Papers)
I am afraid you will think I was negligent in not writing more than I did by so good an opportunity as my brother Charles, but I hope you will excuse me as a journey of two thousand of our miles of which I had not the least thought a week before I set out was the only reason for it, so that I had not time to write before I left Holland, as all my time was employed in getting ready to go. We...
15John Quincy Adams to Abigail Adams, 26 December 1778 (Adams Papers)
it is now with Great Pleasure that I now sit down to write to you & many a time since I came here I have done the same though you say in several Letters that i.e. to My Pappa that you have not rec’d but two or three Letters from My Pappa or me but Pappa rec’d a Letter from Uncle Smith Dated November the 3th in which he says that he had taken a Number of Letters for the family Yours have been...
16John Quincy Adams to Abigail Adams, 27 September 1778 (Adams Papers)
My Pappa enjoins it upon me to keep a journal, or a diary, of the Events that happen to me, and of objects that I See, and of Characters that I converse with from day, to day, and altho I am Convinced of the utility, importance, & necessity, of this Exercise, yet I have not patience, & perseverance, enough to do it so Constantly as I ought. My Pappa who takes a great deal of Pains to put me in...
17John Quincy Adams to Abigail Adams, 20 April 1778 (Adams Papers)
I now Sit down to Write a few Lines To inform you That I am now at a good School which I like very Well. I will now give you an account how We live here at 6 o Clock in the morning We get up and go in to School and Stay till half after 8 When We Breakfast and Play till 9 When We go in & Stay till 12 When We dine after dinner we Play till 2 When We go in and Stay till half after 4 When We Come...
18John Quincy Adams to Abigail Adams, 30 July 1783 (Adams Papers)
Altho’ I have already written you by Mr. Brush who will probably deliver this to you; yet I cannot help writing a few more Lines to justify myself with you, from a reproach; the Idea of which I cannot bear. If the Northern Regions have frozen up that Quick and Lively Imagination, which you are please to say, used to be agreeable to my Friends, they have most certainly not chilled my affection,...
19John Quincy Adams to Abigail Adams, 8 April 1781 (Adams Papers)
I have been wanting to write to you this sometime but there has been nothing worth writing, and even now I know not what to write. We have not long since, heard of the taking of St. Eustatia, it cast a great damp upon the spirits of the dutchmen here; however the latest news from America make up for it for in the English news papers there is paragraph which makes mention that by the latest...
20John Quincy Adams to Abigail Adams, 25 May 1778 (Adams Papers)
Celle ci etant la premiere fois que je ecrire en François ne sera surment pas trop bien Faites mais j’espere que vous le recevére avec le meme plaisir que si elle etoit mieux, si vous considerée le peu de tems que jai eté icí vous ne blamerez pas moi pour ne pas avoir apprit plus de françois. RC ( Adams Papers ); addressed in JA ’s hand: “Mrs. Adams Braintree near Boston.” Text is given here...