I hope the enclosed letter from my dear Louisa, will be more fortunate in its passage than those which she wrote you from Hamburg, and upon her recovery from illness after her arrival here. Several of our Letters have failed and it gives us much pain to find that those which we wrote to you, were particularly among the unsuccessful number.— I hope however that even before this you have the...
2Thomas Boylston Adams to John Quincy Adams, 11 May 1800 (Adams Papers)
A long interval has gone by since the date of my last to you, but I have received nothing from you in the course of it. Not a vessel has arrived here from Hamburg for several months and none of your letters later than the beginning of December have reached this Country. We know that in consequence of the severity of the past winter, the navigation of the Elbe was obstructed for many weeks,...
3Thomas Boylston Adams to John Adams, 1 March 1799 (Adams Papers)
My time has been so occupied between going to Boston to get my dinner and coming back to Quincy again, that I have written to you but once since my arrival. I should have considered these frequent visits as time lost to improvement, but that they have enabled me to attend the Session of the Supreme Court, which commenced on the 19 th: ult o. . Having now complied with all the necessary forms...
4Thomas Boylston Adams to Joseph Pitcairn, 9 July 1798 (Adams Papers)
Your favor of the 6 th: curr t. is at hand. It is true, that I mistook the statement in your preceding, respecting the exchange, but now comprehend it better. I agree with you also in opinion as to the propriety of drawing now rather than at a future day. Money in Holland will probably find less opportunity of improvement than hitherto. As it respects myself however, security is all I want for...
5Thomas Boylston Adams to Joseph Pitcairn, 13 July 1799 (Adams Papers)
I address you again after a short interval from the date of my last, having little more to say than that hitherto we are all in health, which I doubt not you will be glad to learn. We have had several attempts to conjure up the yellow fever among us, and I have no doubt that cases of it have already occurred, for towards the close of the last & beginning of the current month the weather was...
6Thomas Boylston Adams to John Adams, 20 January 1801 (Adams Papers)
I have your favor of the 15 th: inst t: and am pleased to find in it an interpretation of the 6 th: Article of the Convention with France, which had escaped my reflection— Viewing it as a provision only to operate after the expiration of our treaty with G Britain, it may be both natural & proper, but as the time when it was to operate was not specified, many others, like myself, have supposed...
7Thomas Boylston Adams to Joseph Pitcairn, 2 March 1799 (Adams Papers)
That I have hitherto given you no account of my voyage since my arrival, is imputable to the unsettled state in which I have been from the time it took place to the present moment. I have made a visit to Philadelphia to see my father, have passed nearly 10 days at New York and for this last fortnight have been here with my Mother, whose state of health, though far better than it was during the...
8Thomas Boylston Adams to John Adams, 18 August 1800 (Adams Papers)
I received in course your favor of the 4 th: inst t: a pretty assiduous attendance at Court, during the whole of the last week prevented my making a sooner acknowledgment. Two causes of considerable moment were argued very elaborately, an outline of which may be found in the Gazette of the U.S. of the 16 th: — The question of war or no war, as it respects the relative situations of the United...
9Thomas Boylston Adams to Joseph Pitcairn, 12 June 1798 (Adams Papers)
In one of your last letters to my brother you ask for my dispositions of a certain box addressed to me, supposed to contain segars for smoaking— In the first place, then I beg of you to use & dispose of them as of your own property, if you are yourself addicted to smoaking and, if not, secondly to keep them in your possession until I call for them which, if my calculations do not fail, will be...
10Thomas Boylston Adams to Joseph Dennie Jr., 16 March 1799 (Adams Papers)
Since I invited you to a correspondence, and you have not declined it, I should think repentance in the very threshold of the undertaking an unfair desertion from a cause in which I embarked as a volunteer. The offer to contribute by some occasional communications to the supply of the farmers Museum was rather an evidence of my zeal for its success, than of any ability to afford the...
11Thomas Boylston Adams to John Quincy Adams, 28 January 1799 (Adams Papers)
I received your favor of Nov r: 13 th: with an enclosure for J Hall, yesterday, by the New York mail. It came by a vessel, which left Hamburg only one day later than myself and was enclosed by M r: Pitcairn in hopes it might reach me before I got out of the River. I will begin by acquainting you and Mrs: A— with the health of all your friends. Our good mother, from whom I have not yet heard...
12Thomas Boylston Adams to William Smith Shaw, 7 December 1800 (Adams Papers)
I thank you for your favor of the 3 d: inst t: and the newspapers enclosed. I will endeavor to comply with your request, that I communicate with you more frequently, but I will be free to confess to you, that every year of my life, I grow more selfish & less disposed to write letters, merely of friendship. You will experience the same thing in a few years, & I believe you assigned the true...
13Thomas Boylston Adams to John Adams, 30 August 1800 (Adams Papers)
I have received your favor of the 23 d: inst t: I hesitated for some days, whether I should enclose the paper containing the Number of Horatius, which was so ridiculously headed as that you refer to, but I finally concluded that the intention of the Author was good, and that an honest though deluded zeal, had transported him, like so many others, whom we have seen, to bolster up a cause,...
14Thomas Boylston Adams to Joseph Pitcairn, 5 September 1800 (Adams Papers)
On the 12 th: of last month I received your favor of the 30 th: May which is the most recent of my European advices— I have not a line from Berlin for a period of more than six months, although I cannot accuse myself of any remissness in writing. These things were not wont, so to be, but I doubt not the Minister has a reasonable excuse— I must scold a little more directly than I have done or I...
15Thomas Boylston Adams to William Smith Shaw, 23 September 1800 (Adams Papers)
I inclose you the Aurora of this morning which is pretty rich in contents. For some time past it has been too flat & insipid to compensate the trouble of sending it to you. I observe that the pieces under the signature of Decius are ascribed to H. G Otis— I have read but a few of the numbers, but I have no doubt the Author is clearly & rightly designated. The story he tells in his No 15 of the...
16Thomas Boylston Adams to John Quincy Adams, 1 April 1800 (Adams Papers)
Since the date of my last, I have received none from you, though we are in expectation of arrivals from Hamburg, which we think must bring Some tidings of or from you. I wrote a letter to Mess rs: Marks & C o. very soon after the receipt of the papers of M r: Engel, and in the course of a few days after, got an answer copy of which I now enclose.— I have put the business into the hands of M r:...
17Thomas Boylston Adams to Joseph Pitcairn, 31 May 1800 (Adams Papers)
On my return last evening from a short journey into the interior of this State, I received your favor of April 7 th: accompanied with No 10 of Le Precis militaire. The two last preceding Numbers have not yet come to hand, nor any letter of a later date than December 3. From my brother I have no accounts so late as from yourself. Just before my departure from the City, I rec d: a letter from M...
18Thomas Boylston Adams to William Smith Shaw, 29 July 1799 (Adams Papers)
The 26 th: inst t: brought me yours of the 18 th: & the 28 th: that of the 21 st: with accompanyments— Accipe gratias et incepto permanete. You anticipated my request to be informed of how the rituals were this year performed at Alma mater. I am, among other pursuits, attempting to renew my acquaintance with school & College books, for which I own I had little relish while they occupied me as...
19Thomas Boylston Adams to Abigail Adams, 12 August 1799 (Adams Papers)
I thank you for your kind letter of the 4 th: inst t: which came to hand last evening, accompanied by one from D r: Tufts, enclosed by William. My letters are left usually at M r: Wistar’s and Sarah when she gave me those of last evening—say’s “Thomas, I expect I have got a rich treat for thee; from the number of packets addressed to thee, I should judge thee a favorite among thy friends”— I...
20Thomas Boylston Adams to John Quincy Adams, 1 February 1800 (Adams Papers)
Your very acceptable favors of the 17 th: September & 22 d: October came to hand within two days of each other about the middle of last month, and it would be difficult to express how much comfort they brought with them by the assurances they contained of the reestablishment of your own & your Louisa’s health. Since the receipt of this intelligence my Mother has got your favor of September 21...
21Thomas Boylston Adams to Abigail Adams, 1 June 1800 (Adams Papers)
I returned to the City the night before last on the 18 th: day after my departure. My Father sat off on Tuesday and I found the house turned inside out. My own things were carefully packed up by M r: Briesler and yesterday I had them removed to my lodgings in the same family that I was with last year. M r: Briesler & family will be ready to sett out on Tuesday and will leave the house in good...
22Thomas Boylston Adams to John Adams, 3 October 1797 (Adams Papers)
Since I came to this Country, two of your kind letters have reached me; one dated in June & the other in July; the latter came by Gen l: Marshall, but by some accident was not forwarded at the same time with your letter to my brother of the same date. It has only this day come to hand. Contrary to your expectation, as well as my own, your letters find me still in Europe, and about to embark in...
23Thomas Boylston Adams to John Adams, 14 December 1800 (Adams Papers)
The letter from Gen l: Pinckney to Gen l: Marshall apprising him of the probable result of the South Carolina election, seems to be considered here as deciding the great political contest, which has excited so much interest, throughout the Continent, for some months past. The issue is like to be different from that which the federalists have, of late allowed themselves to anticipate, and their...
24Thomas Boylston Adams to Abigail Adams, 3 October 1800 (Adams Papers)
I have your favor of the 26 th: ult o: with an enclosure; with what I paid for the servant’s trunk & the cask of wine, the account is just balanced. I have not been called on for any more charges & imagine none are due— The wine I suppose to be a present from Our Consul M r: Willis. I am extremely grieved at the disaster, which has befallen my Cousin Boylston, & which, according to your...
25Thomas Boylston Adams to William Smith Shaw, 8 February 1801 (Adams Papers)
I have your letters of 30 th: ult o & 3 d curr t: for which I thank you— The letter, which has so copiously extracted your indignation, not without good cause, did not provoke me, however, in the same degree. I do not see for my part, what other notions of Government, M r: Jefferson could be expected to entertain— It was because he was known to think in the style of this letter, that the...
26Thomas Boylston Adams to William Cranch, 15 February 1800 (Adams Papers)
Since the date of my last to you, I have received your favors of the 29 th: ult° : and 4 th: curr t: —the latter enclosing letters for the Judges of the Sup: Court, four of which, I immediately caused to be delivered, to the judges present. My Mother’s suggestion was better than mine, and I am glad you observed it. The same Gentleman who procured, or was at least greatly instrumental in...
27Thomas Boylston Adams to William Smith Shaw, 21 May 1799 (Adams Papers)
Your friendly & excellent letters of the 1 st: & 10 inst t: have reached me at this place, where I arrived the night before last, having passed a few days at Baltimore & Annapolis on my way. My tour has hitherto been highly pleasing to me, and should it conclude as it began, I shall not regret having made it; indeed a more favorable moment could not have occurred, since had I remained in...
28Thomas Boylston Adams to Abigail Adams, 26 August 1799 (Adams Papers)
I have no letter from you later than the 4 th: which I mention only because the interval is a little longer than usual between your communications and lest any you might have written may have miscarried. From William I got a packet on Saturday, after my letter of that day was sent to town, otherwise, I should have acknowledged its receipt. In J Russells paper of the 15 th: which he enclosed...
29Thomas Boylston Adams to Abigail Adams, 16 September 1799 (Adams Papers)
On the 11 th: inst t: I received your favor of the 4 th: and last evening, on my return from Mr: Breck’s Country seat, where I passed Friday & Saturday night’s, your’s of the 8 th: had come to hand. Same time, rec d: from William the poem you sent me for Miss Wister & his letter of the 6 th: I am obliged by all these things & newspapers to boot. Coopers address, valedictory, I now remember to...
30Thomas Boylston Adams to John Quincy Adams, 12 October 1800 (Adams Papers)
Since the date of my last letter, I have received your several favors of the 10 th: June Dup: 15 th: July Dup: 10 th: & 16 th: July, with enclosures for some of your Louisa’s family; the last of which to her brother, was accompanied by a few lines from herself to me; for which I thank her. The enclosures have all been forwarded, but I have not heard directly from her friends for many weeks— I...