51From John Adams to John Marshall, 20 June 1800 (Adams Papers)
The inclosed letter from John Lasher resigning his office of surveyor & inspector of the customs for the port of N York I receiv’d last night. I believe you have blank commissions in your office one of which I pray you to fill up with the name of Wm S Smith of N.Y. or if you have not a blank, you will please to make out a commission for him & send it to me for signature. for it is my judgment...
52From John Adams to John Marshall, 30 September 1800 (Adams Papers)
It is high time for me to request that you would seriously revolve in your own thoughts, the subject of communications both of intelligence & advice to be made to congress at the opening of the approaching session and favor me with your sentiments upon the whole subject, as soon as possible. I shall leave this place on Monday the 13 of Oct. No letters should be directed to me here which are to...
53From John Adams to John Quincy Adams, 30 January 1826 (Adams Papers)
I herewith inclose to you a letter addressed to me from Mr. Shaw written at my request—I can only add that I entirely coincide with him in his opinion I am &ca. your affectionate / Father NN : William Smith Papers.
54From John Adams to John Quincy Adams, 24 July 1824 (Adams Papers)
Mr Benjamin Parker Richardson, a Grandson of my old friend Mr Brackett, who is advancing with me far in our eighty ninth year, is desirous of an introduction to you. I hope your family will receive him with kindness. He seems to have a passion for seeing conspicuous characters, and I hope he will be gratified. He can inform you how faint and feeble I am, and how ardently I wish to see you and...
55From John Adams to John Lathrop, 1 August 1791 (Adams Papers)
With this, you will receive a Box of Books containing the Byzantine History in 28. Vols. and Muratori’s Collection in 29, which I pray you to present to the American Accademy of Arts and Sciences, and place in their Library, in behalf of / Sir your most obedient / and most humble Servant MBAt : American Academy of Arts and Letters Collection.
56From John Adams to John Vaughan, 26 September 1813 (Adams Papers)
Not to honor Mr Colman, for I know he needs none from me to you: but to gratify myself, and bring me once more to your recollection, I write this Line. He deserves to See all the greatest and best Men and Things in Philadelphia: and I hope no narrow Sentiments in Religion or Politicks, will prevent him. I am, as always your Friend PPAmP .
57From John Adams to John Marshall, 5 October 1800 (Adams Papers)
Enclosed are some packets of Newspapers &c received from Mr. Smith & a private letter to you which I dared not open. I am for sending half a dozen frigates into the Mediteranean With great esteem &c. MHi : Adams Family Papers, Letterbooks.
58From John Adams to John Thornton Kirkland, 17 February 1823 (Adams Papers)
I have received the honor of your Circular of February 1823. The System of regulations contained in it has my most cordial approbation. It appears to me to be admirably calculated to preserve the morals and secure the Studies of those young Men who are to be the future Masters of the World. The Corporation may be assured of my higest respects and my zealous co-operation as far as respects my...
59From John Adams to John Churchman, 3 September 1801 (Adams Papers)
I have received your favour from Rhode Island, and in Answer to it, take this opportunity to Say, that I was early made Acquainted with the Theory of your Universal Variation Chart and have always wished you Success in the Pursuit of it: that I have been acquainted with you many years, that I never knew or heard of any Thing to the disadvantage of your Character: and that I have always...
60From John Adams to John Marshall, 27 July 1800 (Adams Papers)
I have received Mr. Wagners letter of the 17 & have read Mr. W Mathews’s application for the office of Marshall & Mr. Mc. Henry’s letter to you in favor of Mr. William Wilson. These papers I return inclosed together with the passport for the Ann Maria signed with great esteem MHi : Adams Family Papers, Letterbooks.
61From John Adams to John Trumbull, 25 November 1796 (Adams Papers)
Mr John Adams asks the favour of Mr Trumbulls Company for an hour this Evening at Mr David Bulls. Mr A. would not ask Such a favour on such a Snowy night, but would wait on Mr Trumbull at his house, if he was not much chilled with the cold and much fatigud with a Journey all day NjP : DeCoppet Collection.
62From John Adams to John Wentworth, October 1758 (Adams Papers)
Braintree, October? 1758. Printed: JA, Earliest Diary The Earliest Diary of John Adams , ed. L. H. Butterfield and others, Cambridge, 1966. , p. 64–65 . It is difficult to believe that this draft or retained copy was copied off and sent to Wentworth, because its first paragraph announces the same momentous personal news announced in the opening paragraph of the letter preceding, which is known...
63From John Adams to John Marshall, 10 July 1800 (Adams Papers)
Inclosed are a number of petitions for pardons of fines & imprisonments, which cannot be granted. They ought however to be filed in the office of State I am with great regard yours MHi : Adams Family Papers, Letterbooks.
64From John Adams to John M. Carter, 15 February 1814 (Adams Papers)
I have received your favour of Feb 1, and a copy of Mr Taylors Arator. Your draught its price, shall be honoured at sight. and I should like to pay for a copy of the second edition at the same time. I have been waiting a long time, with some impatience for the communication & publication of Mr Taylors great work upon Aristocracy. I should be glad to pay for that work handsomely but at the same...
65From John Adams to John Henri Isaac Browere, 23 November 1825 (Adams Papers)
This certifies that John H. I. Browere Esq. of the City of New York has yesterday and to-day made two portrait bust moulds on my person and made a cast of the first which has been approved of by my family. P.S. I am authorized by the Ex President to say that the moulds were made on his person without injury, pain or inconvenience. Thomas B. Adams Judge Printed Source--McClure’s Magazine.
66From John Adams to John Singleton Copley, 16 November 1792 (Adams Papers)
Your polite and obliging Favour of April the 10th I duely received at this Place and I pray you to accept of my best Thanks for your very elegant and acceptable Present of a Print of the Death of Lord Chatham, a Masterpiece of the Fine Arts which does as much honour to America which produced the Artist as it does to great Britain which produced the Statesman. Nor am I less Sensible of the...
67From John Adams to John Quincy Adams, 25 July 1820 (Adams Papers)
I thank you for the promptitude with which you paid my debt to Mr Gales & Seaton—and discontinued my subscription for the national Intelligencer I beg your Pardon for not answering immediately your letter of the 24th of last Month as I ought—Not being pressed by necessity, I did not draw upon Mr Cruft—Till up he comes with his Lady to make us a very pleasant visit—And tendered me the two...
68John Adams to John Quincy Adams, 5 May 1796 (Adams Papers)
M r Richard Cooke of Mary land will tell you all the News— I expect to sign the Bills this day which were all passed Yesterday for carrying into E xn. the Treaties with Great Britain Spain Algiers and the Indians— Yesterday seemed a Day of Universal and perpetual Peace foreign & domestic. Tomorrow I go home— Congress will rise by the 20 th. There is much Talk of the Resignation of the P. a...
69From John Adams to John V. N. Yates, 31 December 1822 (Adams Papers)
I am honored this Morning with your favour of the 23d.—That Dr. Frankline while in England corresponded with Mr. Dumas, I very well know from an intimate acquaintance with both of them; that he reccommended a Dutch loan before he left England is improbable because at that time there was no Government or body of Men or individual in America to whom the loan could be named. When Dr. Frankline...
70John Adams to John Quincy Adams, 19 February 1793 (Adams Papers)
I have great Satisfaction in your Letter of the 10 th. The Breaking of the Bubble of Banks would be a Blessing if it could teach our People to beware of all other Bubbles. But I fear We shall have a Succession of them. I hope however at least they will teach you caution. “The Rivalries of our most conspicuous Characters” are such as human Nature produces under the Cultivation of such a...
71From John Adams to John Jay, 11 October 1788 (Adams Papers)
The multiplied Cares attending the Removal of a Family, from one Country to another; and beginning a new Course of Life or resuming an old one, after an interruption of fourteen years; must be my apology, if any apology is neccessary, for having omitted, till this time, to Solicit the final Settlement of my Accounts, with the United States.— As M r Barclay has, for many years, had the...
72John Adams to John Quincy Adams, 13 September 1790 (Adams Papers)
I wrote you before to day: but I forgot to say Several Things.— Have you ever attended a Town Meeting? You may there learn the Ways of Men, and penetrate Several Characters which otherwise You would not know. There are Several Objects of Enquiry, which I would point out to your consideration without making any noise or parade about them. 1. The State of Parties in Religion, Government Manners,...
73From John Adams to John Quincy Adams, 30 September 1817 (Adams Papers)
Mr Jefferson has been good enough to Send me the enclosed Pamphlet An history of the restoration of Royalty in France 31, March 1814 by De Pradt. As it has Some pretentions to Authority, and as you may not have Seen it, I Send it to you: and as the owner desires me to return it, I pray you after you Shall have read it to transmit it to Monte Chello, with whose Inhabitants I hope you will have...
74From John Adams to John Quincy Adams, 11 March 1815 (Adams Papers)
I have a rich Budget to send you by the next Ship. I have no time to prepare it by the Milo. I would send you some Newspapers but am told a Collection for the Months past is prepared for you Mr E. Copland Junr will present this. He is first Clerk to Degrand. You have all the Treaties and Projects of Treaties I presume but Britain and U. S. I presume from 1782 to 1815 Jays, Monroes Erskines and...
75From John Adams to John Quincy Adams, 10 October 1818 (Adams Papers)
Exoterick and Esoterick Doctrine. See the American Encyclopedia Tit. Exoterick: the French, Title Exoterique; the Dictionaire de Trêvoux, the Same Title, Stephens’s Thesaurus Tit. Exotericus, Gesners Dictionary Tit. Exotericus, and Acroaticus, Fabers Thesaurus Tit. Exotericus. See Also Herodotus Diadorus Siculus, Pausanias Strabo, Plutarch, Aetius , Aristotle Cicero and Aulus Gellius. See also...
76From John Adams to John Adams Smith, 10 October 1819 (Adams Papers)
I have received your favour of the 5th of August—and the Cheese by Genel Boyd—for both—which I thank you—I have been for four, or five, and thirty years entirely of your opinion—that the United states have not among any Class of Politicians in England, any sincere friends, and those Millions of People who are not politicians, neither know or care, any more about us, than they do about the...
77From John Adams to John F. Watson, 21 August 1818 (Adams Papers)
In your favour of the 12th. you Say that you had believed, “that during the War of the Revolution, many Acts of the British had been exaggerated.” This may have happened; but I know not in what instances, on the contrary I know that one half their Cruelties and brutalities had not been told, or if told has not been believed. If you Suppose, that the British were influenced, by “any Motives of...
78From John Adams to John Marshall, 26 August 1800 (Adams Papers)
I received last night your letter of the 16. I am well satisfied with all its contents. The only thing, which requires any observation from me is, the proposed instruction to Mr. King. As far as I am able to form a conjecture, five millions of dollars are more than sufficient, provided the British creditors are left at liberty to prosecute in our courts and recover all the debts, which are now...
79From John Adams to John Quincy Adams, 13 January 1818 (Adams Papers)
Of Mr Wait, I know little, but that he was once introduced to me by General Knox, twice by Judge Thatcher, and Last Week by Mr Shaw, all in this House. He has always been represented And Appeared to be a modest discreet and respectable Citizen. There has been So much Huggermugger, about Secret Journals and Files of Congress and Conventions, which I always detested, that I rejoice they are now...
80From John Adams to John Quincy Adams, 3 February 1819 (Adams Papers)
You made me a rich present when you allowed your son George to spend his vacation with me. He has been to me a companion and a friend. He has indulged in no dissipation, has been very constant to his studies & his reading. I cannot find it in my heart to say that he has indulged a little too much in his segars and in his flute. I see that you have the honour to be the target of all the sharp...