1To John Adams from John Trumbull, 6 February 1790 (Adams Papers)
Your letter found me on my return from the session of our Superior Court at Haddam—since which, I have attended a three weeks session of our County Court here. So that I have had little leisure to prepare for my defence in a capital Trial. To your charge of reading myself to death , I now propose to plead double by leave of the Court. My first Plea is that I am yet alive. Lord Hale advises...
2To John Adams from John Trumbull, 14 March 1790 (Adams Papers)
I have the honour of yours of the 9 th. instant, & am happy to find that you are not displeased at the frankness of my communications. There are very few Persons to whom I would have written with equal freedom— Half the world are of the temper of the Italian Cardinal, described in the Spectator, who kicked his Spy down stairs for telling him what the world said against him—but with such I...
3To John Adams from John Trumbull, 30 March 1790 (Adams Papers)
You may easily conceive how much I was pleased, & flattered by your very friendly & confidential letter of the 6 th instant. At the beginning of the war, he who could advance principles the most agreable to popular pride, & the most destructive to all energetic government, was the best Whig & the greatest Patriot. Many of these, who rose into high rank at that time, were not superior as...
4To John Adams from John Trumbull, 5 June 1790 (Adams Papers)
Since I had the honor of receiving yours of April 25 th. , my time has been wholly taken up in attending on our Supreme Court of Errors, & the Session of our General Assembly, which with us is a kind of extrajudicial Court for the trial of private causes on Petition— I had also to conduct an application from the Mercantile Interest for the Repeal of our Excise-Laws—in which by influencing the...
5To John Adams from John Trumbull, 5 February 1791 (Adams Papers)
You cannot doubt how much I esteem myself honored by your Correspondence— But in a Correspondence with Great Folks, it is my rule to consider myself only an Echo—and like that, I will answer punctually— The Title of your Volumes is not a Misnomer, in the light you place it— Our Constitutions were indeed attacked by M r. Turgot on the only side capable of A Defence. But I think Sir, You have...
6To John Adams from John Trumbull, 20 March 1791 (Adams Papers)
I have just been reading the Philippic of Edmund Burke against the Revolution Society in London, & the National Assembly in France. It has started a crowd of ideas in my mind, of whose propriety no one can so well judge as yourself. This work presents itself in two points of view—as the declamation of the first of English Orators, & as the result of the collected wisdom of an old & experienced...
7To John Adams from John Trumbull, 25 February 1793 (Adams Papers)
You will easily believe that none of your Friends rejoice more heartily than myself, in the Decided Majority, which has secured your Re-election. In spite of calumny, art & intrigue, you have the firm support of Ten States. I congratulate you on the event, but still more congratulate my Country. For nothing can be more favorable to our future prospects than to find, that one of the firmest...
8To John Adams from John Trumbull, 27 April 1793 (Adams Papers)
I enclose to you, Frederic Bull’s Account & Receipt. It was with difficulty, & not till I had called on him four or five times, that I could persuade him to exhibit it. He said he had no account against you, & did not want any of your money. He was irritated by the stories told him by Mr. Pease , the Post-rider, who called on you for payment at Philadelphia. It seems that Pease thought You did...
9To John Adams from John Trumbull, 16 January 1794 (Adams Papers)
I returned to this place on the same day You left it, & was extremely disappointed to find You had passed thro’ on your journey to Philadelphia—as I had supposed it probable You would not set out so early from home. I intended to visit my Friends at Boston and Braintree last summer—but about the time I had calculated for the journey, the Smallpox broke out in my neighbourhood, my family had...
10To John Adams from John Trumbull, 25 June 1794 (Adams Papers)
I have the pleasure to forward to the care of your Son in Boston, a packet which I presume comes from your friend Mr. Hollis—neither Lord Wycombe nor Mr. B. Vaughan are in Town. but your Letters I have been careful to forward. The Campaign by Sea as well as by Land is thus far severe & bloody—In the Naval Engagement the French Suffer’d a severe loss, which they consider as compensated in a...