Cotton Tufts to Abigail Adams, 23 February 1791
Cotton Tufts to Abigail Adams
Boston Feby. 23. 1791—
Dear Madm.
Yours of the 6th. Inst. came safe to hand and just timely enough to counter order the Shipping of your Hams & Beef—
Some time past you requested me to purchase you a Ticket, I defered it till the Time of drawing was not far distant, & giving the Preference to our semiannual Lottery have purchased for you No. 15533—
Will there be an advantage in becoming a Sharer in the national Bank, if so How is a Share to be obtaind— I suppose the Bill for establishing the Bank is passed— Whether the Bill reported by the Secretary has passed without any Alteration I do not know, but must confess I was not pleased with it as reported— I suspect that in operation it would have become a refind System of paper money & would more or less have had the same Effects as that work of Evils a paper medium has had,—1
It is expected that the Excise Bill will pass: will this not require Officers different from the Import Acts to execute it. if so I could wish that my Bro Samuel might have an honourable Appointment—2 He has been a State Collector of Excise, which office he discharged with Reputation to himself & Benefit to the Commonwealth and has been a great Sufferer in Consequence of his Advances to the public during the War, Can you give Hints so as to obtain the Interest of such is by their Influence or otherways can obtain it— Mr. Goodhue is well acquainted with his Character—
I have taken measures to secure the Hams & shall attend to some other matters mentioned in Yours as soon as I can with Convenience and am with sincere Regards / Yours affectionately
Cotton Tufts
RC (Adams Papers); internal address: “Mrs. Abigail Adams.”
1. A 14 Dec. 1790 report of Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton recommending the establishment of a national bank was referred to a Senate committee and resulted in the 3 Jan. 1791 Bank Act. That act was amended several times in the Senate, most significantly on 14 Jan. when its charter was given an expiration date of 1811. A supplementary bill originating in the House that delayed the sale of stock in the new bank until July was signed into law on 2 March (, 4:171–173, 204, 211).
2. Samuel Tufts was not among the three men appointed in March as supervisors and inspectors of revenue for the District of Massachusetts under the new Duty on Distilled Spirits Act. See AA to Cotton Tufts, 11 March, note 5, below. AA had earlier unsuccessfully lobbied JA to help Samuel Tufts secure a federal appointment; see vol. 8:370.