1From John Quincy Adams to John Adams, 16 December 1815 (Adams Papers)
Your Mama, and I, consent that you shall ask Doctor Nicholes’s permission to come home for the Holidays, on Tuesday; upon Condition that you will return to School after the Holidays, as cheerfully, as you now come from it. Your affectionate Father. MHi : Adams Papers.
2To John Adams from John Quincy Adams, 24 February 1816 (Adams Papers)
I have for many Months made it a rule, to enclose to you a Newspaper, every week, and I have intended that it never should be without at least one Letter, from myself or some one of the family, to you or my Mother—I believe this intention has never entirely failed; but it has not always been possible for me to write, myself—The reasons of this are so well known to you, that I hope they will...
3To John Adams from John Quincy Adams, 29 May 1816 (Adams Papers)
It was only three days since, that Mr Prescott called out here, and left your kind favour, of 2. and 11. September last, enclosing one, from Mr Richard Sears of Chatham, concerning the subject of the fisheries—I happened at the time when Mr Prescott came, to be in London, and have not yet had the pleasure of seeing him. The question relating to the fisheries has been largely discussed between...
4To John Adams from John Quincy Adams, 12 October 1816 (Adams Papers)
I am still not only to answer, but to acknowledge the receipt of your kind Letters of 3. 10. 18. 24. and 26. July; and 4. August—all of which I had the pleasure of receiving at once by Messrs Thacher and Bigelow, who came fellow Passengers in the same vessel Mr Bigelow has been out here and dined with us—His father, the Speaker, was one year before me, at the University, where I had a...
5From John Quincy Adams to John Adams, 15 June 1811 (Adams Papers)
I have received your letter dated the sixth of February last, and was very much delighted to see it so well written; because I know that it was written by yourself.—I have marked it down, number one, and put it upon my file—When your next letter comes, and I hope that will be soon, I shall compare the hand-writing with that of number one, and shall see what progress you make in writing. I...
6To John Adams from John Quincy Adams, 6 May 1816 (Adams Papers)
I keep a constant search on foot for the books which in any of your Letters, you have expressed the desire of procuring; but the excessive prices at which all books are held, deters me sometimes from taking those that I find, and I am not always successful in finding those for which I am on the lookout.—The Translation of the New Testament by Beausobre and L’Enfant is in two Quarto Volumes,...
7To John Adams from John Quincy Adams, 16 August 1812 (Adams Papers)
The flames of War, which are again spreading universally over Europe, have at length caught across the Atlantic, and involved our Country in the Conflagration—Numerous as the obstacles to a safe and speedy Communication of Correspondence between us and our friends in the United States have heretofore been they are now greatly aggravated and multiplied—We received on the 5th: of this Month, the...
8From John Quincy Adams to John Adams, 11 July 1814 (Adams Papers)
The last Letter that I wrote to you, was dated the 31st: of August 1813. Almost a year ago—and as I know not whether you have received it, I enclose with this one a Copy of it—I have explained to your brother George in a Letter to him the causes which have prevented me from writing to either of you for so long a time—He will shew you his Letter, where you will find them—I now send addressed to...
9To John Adams from John Quincy Adams, 20 August 1814 (Adams Papers)
Mr Dallas goes off with our Dispatches at three O’Clock to-morrow morning; and the John Adams is to sail from the Texel; if possible on the 25th.—I take the last moments before his departure to enclose you a press-copy of my last, which I sent by the way of England, with some other Letters for my Mother, my brother and my Children—I expect shortly to return to St: Petersburg—Peace is to be...
10To John Adams from John Quincy Adams, 30 June 1811 (Adams Papers)
“The Massachusetts election appears to agitate the Americans in Europe almost exclusively; of all the other Elections going on at the same time in many parts of the Union. I see paragraphs in the Newspapers, but hear not a syllable from any other Quarter—But American Federalists in this City have received letters from their friends in London, and in Gottenburg in high exaltation, announcing...
11To John Adams from John Quincy Adams, 14 January 1817 (Adams Papers)
As you live in terror of my long Letters, and as the very last, I had the pleasure of writing you, was of that description, and not without a smack of orthodoxy, I shall content myself this time with a very few lines, to accompany the Sunday’s Observer and Saturday’s cheap Cobbett; for the Porpuicine to shoot his Quills with more effect has made himself cheap, and although you will know what...
12From John Quincy Adams to John Adams, 23 June 1812 (Adams Papers)
It is several months since your Mama and I have received a letter from you, or since I wrote one to you, but the last that we did receive was so handsomely written that we were much pleased to observe your progress in that part of your studies. We hope that you have been and will be not less attentive to all the others. I suppose that before this time you have begun to learn Latin and...
13To John Adams from John Quincy Adams, 24 November 1815 (Adams Papers)
Col. Aspinwall who arrived here a few days since, and delivered to me your two kind favours of October 13th informs me that he had the pleasure of seeing you at that time and that you were then suffering with an inflamation of the eyes. Nearly at the same time my own eyes which have long been very weak were afflicted with so violent an inflamation as to threaten little less than a total...
14To John Adams from John Quincy Adams, 3 December 1816 (Adams Papers)
Mr Cobbett whose political opinions, as you know have undergone some changes since he was battling it in favour of the British Government in Philadelphia, has become the great champion of Parliamentary reform; and in order to increase the number of his readers among the labouring classes of the People, he has lately had recourse to the expedient of reprinting particular numbers of his weekly...
15From John Quincy Adams to John Adams, 5 April 1813 (Adams Papers)
A few days ago I received letters from your Grandmama, and your Uncle, which rejoyced me very much, for I had not before heard from them nor you for many Months; and now these letters which were dated in December last, informed us that they and you were well, which is the most delightful news we can receive—But I looked among the letters for one from your brother George or you, and was...
16To John Adams from John Quincy Adams, 19 June 1815 (Adams Papers)
On my arrival here I received from my Sons George and John, several important Letters from you. Others have since been delivered to me, the latest of them dated 1. May. The multiplicity of occupations great and small which still absorb my time make it impossible for me to answer them at present—I shall not forget them hereafter. Mr John Gore and his Lady, are returning to America in the...
17To John Adams from John Quincy Adams, 27 February 1815 (Adams Papers)
Since my arrival in this City I have received your kind favour of 16. October—I have now been here upwards of three weeks, waiting for the decision of the Government of the United States upon the Treaty of Peace submitted to them—This decision will I trust be known here in the course of the ensuing Month, and I shall be released from the state of suspense in which since the conclusion of the...
18From John Quincy Adams to John Adams, 31 August 1813 (Adams Papers)
When Mr Gallatin and Mr Bayard arrived here, they brought us letters from many of our friends, and among them one from your brother George, which gave me much pleasure—But I was sorry there was none form you; and the more so because George’s letter was in answer to one which I had written him last September; and at the same time I had also written one to you—Now I have the satisfaction of...
19To John Adams from John Quincy Adams, 8 May 1814 (Adams Papers)
I received some five weeks ago, an order from the President of the United States, an order to repair immediately to Gothenburg, in Sweden, upon an errand, the object of which being public, is well–known to you—It reached me just at a time when the Passage between Russia and Sweden was impracticable, or becoming so before it was possible for me to carry it into Execution. To avoid as much as...
20To John Adams from John Quincy Adams, 13 July 1812 (Adams Papers)
I was closing up a letter, which I wrote yesterday to my dear Mother when I received, from Archangel, your favour of 7. April—hers of 12. of the same Month, and that of my brother of 18. March—A former letter from him, had already excited our anxiety for his infant Child—A subsequent paragraph in a Boston Newspaper, had apprized me of its decease—My Heart bleeds again with his, at this Event;...
21To John Adams from John Quincy Adams, 19 April 1813 (Adams Papers)
I intended in my last Letter to have mentioned to you the Circumstances which procured me somewhat unexpectedly the pleasure of an acquaintance with Sir Francis d’Ivernois, when the more singular incident which introduced me to that of Madame de Stael crossed my purpose, and engrossed the latter to itself—I now return to Sir Francis. Lord Cathcart, on his arrival here, sent me the usual Card...
22To John Adams from John Quincy Adams, 5 November 1812 (Adams Papers)
Having not received directly from you, or from any of my friends at Quincy, a line later than the 10th: of April, it was with no small pleasure, that a few days since, I met in an English Newspaper, an extract of a letter from you to Mr E. Watson, dated the 6th: of July—It relates to the War, and expenses your opinion that this was both just and necessary—Although I am unable to maintain by...
23To John Adams from John Quincy Adams, 1 August 1816 (Adams Papers)
The multiplicity of business, and of things that consume more time than business, have in spite of all my efforts, broken down to such a degree the regularity of my private Correspondence that I am now to acknowledge the receipt of your favours of 20. and 28. March of 10. and 20. May—and of 16. and 25 June; every one of which contains matter, upon which if I had the time and the talents I...
24To John Adams from John Quincy Adams, 9 November 1810 (Adams Papers)
One hundred and twenty American vessels have sailed from the Port of Cronstadt for the United States during the present Season—The two last of them were Captain Bainbridge, for Philadelphia, and Captain Leach for Boston, in the American Hero a vessel belonging to Lieutt: Governor Gray.—They sailed on the first of this month and both of them carried letters from us.—They were the last vessels...
25To John Adams from John Quincy Adams, 13 December 1811 (Adams Papers)
The extract contained in one of your last Winter’s letters to me from the Astronomics of Manilius, excited my attention to that writer, of whom I had previously known nothing more than the name—I have not been able to purchase it here, but General Pardo da Figueroa the Spanish Minister at this Court, one of the most learned classical scholars in Europe has had the goodness to lend me this...
26To John Adams from John Quincy Adams, 25 June 1811 (Adams Papers)
The fortieth American vessel, which has arrived at Cronstadt, since the opening of this years navigation, was the John Adams, Captain Thomas Downing from Savannah; she arrived last Saturday the 22d: instt:—and the first which sailed for America was the Laurel, Captain Burnham, belonging to Mr: Gray; by whom I sent the letter to you of which the enclosed is a press-copy—She sailed the 10th:...
27To John Adams from John Quincy Adams, 7 July 1814 (Adams Papers)
The last Letter that I had the pleasure of writing to you, was dated 8. May, at Reval—since which this day completes two Months. During the interval, if the idea in your favour of 28 November, that a wandering life is not compatible with human Nature, be correct, (I ought to ask your indulgence for questioning the correctness of any opinion that you express) I have been most unnaturally...
28To John Adams from John Quincy Adams, 29 October 1816 (Adams Papers)
I have acknowledged the receipt of your seven Letters, dated in July, and August, received by Mr Thacher and Mr Bigelow and also of one dated in May, but very lately delivered by Mr Brooks. It is more than time for me to reply to their contents. I never had much relish for the speculations of the first philosophy. In that respect I resemble your Eels in Vinegar, and your mites in cheese, more...
29To John Adams from John Quincy Adams, 26 December 1814 (Adams Papers)
Mr Hughes, the Secretary to the American Mission for negotiating Peace, was dispatched early this morning with one copy of the Treaty signed by the British and American Plenipotentiaries the Evening before last. It was executed in triplicate to provide against the accidents which might befall any single copy on the passage—Mr Clay’s private Secretary, Mr. Carroll is to go this day with another...
30To John Adams from John Quincy Adams, 12 June 1812 (Adams Papers)
Within a few days I have received your kind favours of 19. Feby: and 10. Decr: last; the first of which was forwarded to me by Mr Hall, from Gothenburg, and the last by Mr Russell from London—Mr Hall came from Boston to Gothenburg, and has since arrived here in the Minerva, a vessel belonging to Mr W. R. Gray—he brought your letter of 19 Feby. and although from thence he transmitted it by the...