William Smith to Abigail Adams, 29 June 1798
William Smith to Abigail Adams
Boston. 29th. June. 1798.
Dear Madam.
Your barrels & Trunk, for which you inclos’d me a Bill of Loading some days since arriv’d safe Yesterday.—1 I hope the business of Congress will permit you soon to leave Philaa. before the extreme hot weather comes on.— Our House of Rep. Yesterday pass’d a Resolution, Unanimously, to instruct our Sen. & Rep. in Congress, to propose an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, excluding all but Native Citizens & those who were here, at the declaration of Independence, from being eligable as Pres. Vice. Pres. Senator or Rep. in Congress. I wish such an Amendment might be propos’d to the several States this Session. most of the Legislatures will meet in the Fall & if it meets the approbation of 2/3ds. it might the next Session of Congress be adopted.—2
we have placed at the disposal of the Governor, $50.000. in case of any emergency before the next session of the Genl. Court. this with $50.000. appropriated for Military Stores, &c will put us in a more respectable state than for some Years past.—3
An Amendment was propos’d by the Member from Cambridge, on the Resolu. I have mention’d, “to exclude all those Americans who were in Arms & joind the British.” this proposal recd. but one Vote besides his own. the Question was taken by Yeas, & Nays, before it was taken this Genn & a few others slipt out of the House, & did not leave a single Nay.—4
Mrs. S. & our children are well she joins me in Affectionate regards—
Yr H Sert
Wm. Smith.
Boston, tho’ not the first, in proposing to [. . .] Ships, have shown their attachment to the Govt by subscribing $104.000 in 12 hours for this purpose. Deacon Phillips subscribd. $10,000.—5 by this post, I have forward’d, an application from Cap. Eben. Kent for a Commiss. in the Provisional Army. he serv’d with reputation the last warr & wishes to be of service in case the Country is in Danger. he is Brother to Mrs. Evans & Grandson of our Aunt Kent. he will make a faithful, good Officer.—6
RC (Adams Papers); addressed: “Mrs. Adams / Philadelphia”; internal address: “Mrs. Adams.”; endorsed: “Mr smith / July June 2[9th]”; notation: “per Post.” Some loss of text where the seal was removed.
1. See AA to Smith, 9 June, above.
2. The Mass. General Court on 29 June passed a resolution that called on Congress to require that all elected federal officers have a minimum of fourteen years naturalization at the time of their election. By the end of the year, all of the New England state legislatures as well as that of New York had passed similar resolutions (, 1798–1799, p. 211–212; Suffield, Conn., Impartial Herald, 18 Sept., 20 Nov.; Philadelphia Gazette of the United States, 21 Nov.; October 1798. At the General Assembly … of the State of Rhode-Island, Newport, R.I., 1799, p. 14–15, No. 36220; A Journal of the Proceedings of the Honorable Senate of the State of New-Hampshire … Nov. 1798, Portsmouth, N.H., 1799, p. 64–66, No. 35881).
3. On 20 June the Mass. General Court authorized the expenditure of $50,000 for the purchase and mounting of cannon for defense of the coast (, 1798–1799, p. 182–183).
4. That is, Dr. Aaron Hill.
5. The Boston subscription to build a warship for the federal government opened on 27 June and by the evening of the 29th had raised over $100,000. William Phillips (1750–1827), a Boston merchant and benefactor of Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., provided the largest single contribution to the subscription effort (, p. 94; ).
6. Capt. Ebenezer Kent was brother to Huldah Kent Evans (1763–1846). No application to JA for an appointment has been found, nor did Kent receive a commission (vols. 7:50, 10:360; L. Vernon Briggs, Genealogies of the Different Families Bearing the Name of Kent in the United States, Boston, 1898, p. 53).