41[January 1782] (Adams Papers)
Began to read Hume’s history of England. David Hume, The History of England, from the Invasion of Julius Caesar to the Revolution in 1688, 8 vols., London, 1763, which JQA borrowed from the English or British Library of St. Petersburg, where he found “a good collection of English Authors” (Dana to JA , 25 Jan. , Adams Papers ). JQA ’s notes (copied quotations) from his reading of Hume appear...
42From John Quincy Adams to Thomas Welsh, 29 September 1818 (Adams Papers)
In answer to your Letter of yesterday I readily agree that the board of my two Sons residing with you should be for the ensuing year at the rate of five dollars a week each, and I beg you and Mrs. Welsh and Miss Harriet to accept our warmest thanks for your unvarying kindness to them— I am with the strongest respect and attachment Dear Sir / Faithfully Yours MHi : Adams Family Papers, Letterbooks.
43From John Quincy Adams, 7 October 1819 (Adams Papers)
I John Quincy Adams of Boston in the County of Suffolk and Commonwealth of Massachusetts Esquire, do make and declare this to be my last Will and Testament. I give and bequeath to my eldest Son George Washington Adams, all that real Estate in Quincy, in the County of Norfolk, known by the name of the Mount-Wollaston Farm, conveyed to me by my honoured father, by his Deed dated the twenty-third...
I have received only one letter from you—that of 25. Novr: since I left you—And none from any of my other friends—Though I accustom myself to Patience in the expectation of Letters I begin to feel extremely anxious; lest some of you should be ill—The Mails have been interrupted by the obstructions in the Roads, and I have imputed the delay of your letters to this as long as I could—But we have...
I return the enclosed letter according to your desire, painfully regretting, that I can not consistently with my sense of my duties, comply with the wish of the writer; and yours in his behalf. The reasons of this I cannot fully explain to you, but I trust you will be assured they are not incompatible with that ardent and sincere affection to which you so forcibly appeal, & the power of which...
46From John Quincy Adams to Abigail Smith Adams, 28 September 1816 (Adams Papers)
Our Sons John and Charles are come home from school this morning, to spend the Michaelmas Holidays, and have brought one of their schoolmates with them, to whom John has taken a great liking and who is nearly of his age. He was already here, part of the Summer Holidays, and is a very intelligent and well behaved boy. These Holidays come so often that I am not at all partial to them; but those...
47Wednesday 16th of August 1780. (Adams Papers)
This morning Pappa went out and came back again at about eleven o clock. At about two o clock Commodore Gillon came to our lodgings and went out to dinner with Pappa but my brother Charles and myself dined at our lodgings. At about four o clock Pappa came back without Commodore Gillon. Pappa drank tea at our lodgings. After tea Brother Charles and myself went to take a walk and got back at...
4824th. (Adams Papers)
Charles went to Boston this morning, and brought me back some letters from Europe. I went in the forenoon with Miss Betsey Cranch, down to Mrs. Quincy’s where she intends to spend a few days: but I did not see either of the ladies there: Miss Quincy, has in some measure recovered from the illness occasioned by a mistake in taking a medicine. I spent my time this day as I have every day since I...
4921. (Adams Papers)
Heard Mr. Andrews, preach. Bouscaren. Mr. Carter.
50From John Quincy Adams to George Washington Adams, 5 October 1817 (Adams Papers)
On the 22d. of September, the day upon which I entered on the Execution of the duties of my Office, I received your Letter of the 16th. which the pressure of business prevented me from answering immediately—Your mother however answered it for me, and now that I am enabled to catch a moment of leisure, I take advantage of it to write to you myself. Your remarks upon Mr Gilman’s discourses which...
51From John Quincy Adams to Catherine Nuth Johnson, 24 August 1811 (Adams Papers)
I wrote you the letter of which a copy is enclosed on the very day of my dear wife’s confinement.—I sent it under cover to the Secretary of State, by Mr. Richard Willing who sailed in the Bengal for Philadelphia.—He has been gone only two or three days, so that the copy may perhaps reach you sooner than the original I ought in it to have acknowledged the receipt of your favour of 1. April,...
52John Quincy Adams to John Adams, 13 May 1781 (Adams Papers)
As you may possibly not come here before the 18th I write to know, if I must leave these lodgings at that time, as the month will then be up, and if I stay any longer I must begin another month. I have finish’d Phaedrus’s fables and the lives of Miltiades, Themistocles, Aristides, Pausanias, Cimon, and Lysander; and Am going next upon Alcibiades in Cornelius Nepos, I shall begin upon...
53Wednesday 6th of September 1780. (Adams Papers)
Half Holiday. At about ten o clock Mr. Le Roi came here and invited us to go and dine with him. We told him we would. At about half after twelve I went to Pappa’s lodgings but found he was gone out, and then I went to Mr. Le Roi’s, he was gone out and got home soon after. We dined at his house. After dinner we went with him to take a long walk out of the city and we drank tea there, after tea...
54John Quincy Adams to Abigail Adams 2d, 18 May 1786 (Adams Papers)
I received this afternoon your No. 11 and I never received a letter which caused such a variety of sensations. I will only say, that I received the profile with pleasure, and the person for whom it was taken will for the future be very dear to me. It is very disagreeable to be continually making apologies for having nothing to write; but it is really so, I am more than ever out of a situation...
55To James Madison from John Quincy Adams, 28 December 1801 (Madison Papers)
I now avail myself of your obliging permission, to transmit through you to Mr: Randolph the request for his certificate that the amount of the outfit allowed me on my mission to Holland, in the year 1794. was paid me in the manner I stated to you, when I had last the honour of seeing you at your office. This request is supported by all the documents I have been able to collect, and you will...
5614th. (Adams Papers)
I walk’d with Thompson up to Mrs. Atkins’s. The old Lady is gone to Boston to spend a fortnight. Mr. and Mrs. Searle were there; and Mr. Atkins came home soon after. Atkins is a man of abilities; but of strong passions; and as he was cramped in his youth, by his penurious circumstances, his disposition was soured, and he is now excessively irritable, and his natural frankness has degenerated...
57Sunday 20th of August 1780. (Adams Papers)
This morning Commodore Gillon came here at about nine o clock and We all went to a gentleman’s house who lives in the Country. We walk’d out of the City and then we found a coach with four horses waiting for us which Commodore Gillon had hired for us. At about a quarter after eleven o clock we arrived there. We went to walk with that Gentleman Whose name is Hooft and who is a Burger master of...
5817th. (Adams Papers)
This day a regiment of foot, and a troop of about 60 horse-men paraded, and were review’d by Genl. Titcomb. The weather was rather disagreeable, though not so windy as it was yesterday. One of the foot companies was drest in the rifle uniform. That of the horse was red faced with green: the horses in general were good, but the company has not been formed long, and are not yet perfect in their...
59From John Quincy Adams to George Washington Adams, 1 September 1811 (Adams Papers)
In your letter of 18 January to your Mama, you mentioned that you read to your Aunt Cranch a chapter in the Bible, or a Section of Dr. Doddridges annotations every evening, this information gave me great pleasure, for so great is my veneration for the Bible & so strong my belief that when duly read & meditated upon, it is of all the books in the world, that which contributes most to make men...
604th. (Adams Papers)
Walk’d into Newbury in the evening with Thompson; and we returned through Joppé, by a different route from that which I usually come. We past an hour at Mrs. Emery’s. Her daughter is very amiable, though not handsome. She entertained us sometime by playing upon the Harpsichord. Mr. J. Greenleaf was there; it is reported that he is paying his addresses there. The dispositions of the persons are...
61John Quincy Adams to John Adams, 17 May 1781 (Adams Papers)
I reciev’d this morning your letter of the 14th. in which you speak of Poetry, and although I have not read much of it, yet I always admired it, very much. I take the Delft Dutch paper to learn to read the language. To day there is a report which I read in it that Admiral Kingsbergen had taken fourteen of the German Transports, but this is only a report. Inclosed is a letter which I reciev’d...
62[End] (Adams Papers)
End End of the second Volume of My Journal. J.Q. Adams MDCCLXXX
63John Quincy Adams to John Adams, 21 May 1786 (Adams Papers)
I am now much more at my disposal, with respect to my Time, than I was at Haverhill, and can devote more of it to writing, though, it is said, this Quarter, that is, the last of the Junior Sophister year, is most important, and busy, than any other in the four years. Mr: Williams’s Lectures on natural Philosophy, render it so; his Course consists of 24 Lectures, 13 of which we have already...
64January 1st. 1783. (Adams Papers)
We found here Mr. Schiebe a gentleman who left Stockholm about a week before us. Norrkiöping is distant from Stockholm eighteen swedish miles or 120. English. Its situation is exceeding fine, at present every thing is covered with Snow; but it is in the midst of a plain which is bordered all round at about 6. or 8 English Miles from the town by high mountains from which you at first discover...
65Tuesday 14th. (Adams Papers)
The French consul was here last night (he is to go to Coronna with us). He told us that he would send a man this morning to tell us if it was possible to go to Coronna this day. At 10 o clock a Messenger came to our lodgings after our things. The Muletiers came and carried our things down to the boat. At 4 o clock the Consul came and told us we should set out to Morrow morning at 5 o clock in...
6624th. (Adams Papers)
Committee met again at Mr. Ware’s chamber; after reading all the letters, I was requested to select from them. White went to Boston, and spoke to Mr. Dingley, who sent back my volumes of Gibbon’s roman history. Drank tea and passed the evening in Mead’s chamber, and retired very early. The weather has grown quite moderate. The only extant copy of Edward Gibbon’s The History of the Decline and...
6721st. (Adams Papers)
I attended Mr. Carey in the forenoon, and went with Putnam to hear Dr. Tucker in the afternoon. He is a very good preacher, but the generality of his hearers look, as if they were form’d of the coarsest clay. A number of female figures in particular seem to charge nature with having made gross mistakes. I passed the evening till almost 9 o’clock with Putnam. Townsend took me from there and...
68To John Adams from John Quincy Adams, 12 November 1822 (Adams Papers)
I take pleasure in introducing to your acquaintance the Revd. Mr Barber, who has been some years attached to the Catholic Seminary at this place and to the College at Georgetown, and is now going to reside at Claremont in New Hampshire. In passing through Boston he proposes to pay you a visit, from which I am persuaded you will derive equal satisfaction with him. I am, Dear Sir, your faithful...
6924th. (Adams Papers)
Went over, with my Cousin and brother Charles, to dine with Mr. Allen at Bradford. A lame foot prevented Tom from going with us. Last Saturday, he turn’d his foot as he was walking, and disjointed three bones. So that he cannot yet walk. Walker and Ebenezer Webster, formally a pupil of Mr. Shaw’s dined with us: and an old gentleman by the name of Osgood belonging to Andover, a very sensible...
7014th. (Adams Papers)
Was employ’d almost all day, in thinking upon the subject of my conference; wrote a few Lines, with much difficulty. Did not like the subject. Wished the conference to the devil: the junior Class being displeased with the distribution of parts for exhibition; so far as respected their Class; assembled this evening at Prescott’s chamber, and made a great deal of noise. The Sodality met at my...