Adams Papers
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Abigail Adams to William Smith, 3 March 1800

Abigail Adams to William Smith

March 3d 1800—

Dear sir

I received on saturday Your kind favour of Feb’ry accept My thanks for the orations.1 I send you in return Major Jacksons, which was very handsomely deliverd, and is as highly spoken of as any amongst the Multitude. I think it will not lose by a comparison with any which I have read, and I already have enough for a vol’m. Messengers is the Wildest Raphosody of any I do not esteem the whole; more than I did a part. Some of the orators have been unjust to their Country, no one of them which I have read, more than mr Paine— misirable would our Country have been and scarcly worth Saving, if its fate had rested upon the Breath of one individual. we have no reason to think that we should have lost our Liberties, or our Independance, if Washington had fallen in Battle that he was a Great a Good a Brave Man, that in him were concentered qualities which were peculiarly suited to the important Stations in which he was call’d to act, every tongue must acknowledge, and that he discharged every trust committed to him for the best interest of his Country: and would have laid down his Life for it—We all believe and his Mourning gratefull country now bear full testimony to his Services—a Testimony which in Many instances will do them immortal honour—

I thank mrs smith for the ornament sent me, which I shall place round My Arm the next drawing Room. they are pretty devices— I saw the Death of our venerable Aunt in the News paper— she is the last of the Ancient stock of Worthies, whose memories, we can rise up and call blessed, and this is a sweet and cheering reflection—not a single stain upon all their Characters

Blessed are the dead, who dye in the Lord—2 She had out lived all her Mental faculties, and her removal may be considerd as a blessing to herself and Relatives. it used to be a petition of My Fatherss that he might not out live his usefullness— his Prayers were answerd— and I think it would be the wish and desire of every good Christian—

You inquire my dear sir if I want any thing from Boston: the season is so far advanced that I believe it will not be worth while to import any thing unless it be Some cheese which I have regreeted not sending round. I do not mean English but good American— I shall write to Dr Tufts and request him to send me a Barrel— I will thank you to engage of mr Hall a dozen of his best Hams & a cask of Tongues against I return3 Mr Otis’s Motion will not make Congress rise, but I wish it would expidite them.4 they are now troubled with the Ghost of Nash, and how long he is to be allowd to haunt them I cannot determine. the Antis who brought the subject forward, merely for Electionering purposes—now want it postponed So as to leave an implied censure upon the President, but they will not be let off so—5

adieu my dear Sir. I hope the federilist will not split with respect to their Govenour. Mr Ames mr Cabot and Many others would make good Govenours, but mr strong I think has equal pretentisions, and greater if the people will think So—

Mr shaw says the post is going / Yours &c

A A6

RC (MHi:Smith-Townsend Family Papers); endorsed: “Philaa. 3 March 1800 / Mrs. Adams—”

1Smith wrote to AA on 23 Feb. (Adams Papers), commenting on Boston’s 22 Feb. commemorations of George Washington and sending her Fisher Ames’ address to the Mass. General Court. He also reported on electioneering for the Massachusetts gubernatorial election (Fisher Ames, An Oration on the Sublime Virtues of General George Washington, Boston, 1800, Evans, description begins Charles Evans and others, American Bibliography: A Chronological Dictionary of All Books, Pamphlets and Periodical Publications Printed in the United States of America [1639–1800], Chicago and Worcester, Mass., 1903–1959; 14 vols.; rev. edn., www.readex.com. description ends No. 36829).

2Revelation, 14:13.

3Prime Pork” was among the food products offered by William Hall at his store at No. 10 Codman’s Wharf in Boston (Massachusetts Mercury, 4 Oct. 1799).

4For Harrison Gray Otis’ compromise motion during the debate over the proposal to disband the provisional army, see AA to Smith, 16 Jan. 1800, note 3, above.

5On 20 Feb. Edward Livingston of New York introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives to censure JA for approving Jonathan Robbins’ extradition, for which see AA to Smith, 19 Nov. 1799, and note 3, above, arguing that the case should have been tried in the United States and characterizing JA’s actions as “a dangerous interference of the Executive with Judicial decisions.” James Asheton Bayard had offered an earlier resolution calling JA’s actions “conformable to the duty of the Government, and to the obligations of good faith.” John Marshall also defended JA, arguing that “the President is the sole organ of the nation in its external relations” and the courts had no role to play in foreign relations. After “a lengthy speech” by John Nicholas in favor of Livingston’s resolution, it was defeated on 8 March 1800 by a vote of 61 to 35. Bayard’s resolution and Marshall’s speech were published as Mr. Bayard’s Motion, 17th February, 1800, [Phila., 1800], Evans, description begins Charles Evans and others, American Bibliography: A Chronological Dictionary of All Books, Pamphlets and Periodical Publications Printed in the United States of America [1639–1800], Chicago and Worcester, Mass., 1903–1959; 14 vols.; rev. edn., www.readex.com. description ends No. 38787, and Speech of the Hon. John Marshall … on the Resolutions of the Hon. Edward Livingston, Phila., 1800, Evans, description begins Charles Evans and others, American Bibliography: A Chronological Dictionary of All Books, Pamphlets and Periodical Publications Printed in the United States of America [1639–1800], Chicago and Worcester, Mass., 1903–1959; 14 vols.; rev. edn., www.readex.com. description ends No. 37887 (Annals of Congress description begins The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States [1789–1824], Washington, D.C., 1834–1856; 42 vols. description ends , 6th Cong., 1st sess., p. 526, 532–533, 613, 619; Philadelphia American Daily Advertiser, 10 March).

6AA wrote to Hannah Carter Smith on 20 March, describing Philadelphia’s social entertainments, expressing hope that the Smiths would summer in Quincy, and enclosing a sewing pattern for a boy’s outfit (MHi:Smith-Townsend Family Papers).

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