701From John Adams to Charles Lee, 20 June 1797 (Adams Papers)
I request you take into your immediate consideration, the inclosed original Letter signed and to consult with the Attorney of the District, and such other Learned Counsel, as you shall judge proper in confidence and report to me your opinion with theirs upon these questions 1st Whether the Letter is in any and in what parts criminal— 2d. If criminal at all, under what Species of Crime it is to...
702From John Adams to Timothy Pickering, 21 April 1800 (Adams Papers)
I have considered Mr. Harrisons letter to you of the 10th. & in consequence of his opinion & the intimation of the judges, you may prepare a pardon for William Durelle, for all the sentence, except what relates to the security for future good behavior. I wish however that I had more information of the nature of the libell. You will please to write Mr. Harrison & inform him, that I leave...
703From John Adams to Oliver Wolcott, Jr., 22 July 1800 (Adams Papers)
Inclosed is a Petition of Samuel Spring, for a Pardon, of the Crime of forging and passing Counterfeit Bills of the Bank of the United States. The Petition will be better placed among your files than mine: but the offence is of a nature so heinous that without your Advice I shall mitigate nothing of the Punishment. Col Smith writes that he has not received his Commission: I pray you to send it...
704From John Adams to Benjamin Stoddert, 5 July 1799 (Adams Papers)
We shall never get the constitution to sea, by any means that I know of. After much enquiry I found no body particularly accquainted with Talman, tho many knew him. All agreed that he was a man of property & respectable character. I accordingly sent on by the post your letter to him with his commission. Now I find he is not liked. I desired Talbot to make enquiry—the result you have in the...
705From John Adams to Benjamin Stoddert, 18 October 1799 (Adams Papers)
I beg the favor of your ideas of the information and recommendations necessary or proper to be made to congress at their approaching session. Your observations on the mission to France, the rebellion in Pensylvania, the negotiations with St Domingo, the interuption of the board of commissioners & every other subject will be agreeable, but particularly every thing you judge proper to say on the...
706From John Adams to John Marshall, 10 February 1801 (Adams Papers)
Inclosed is a Newbury Port Herald in which is quoted “A letter from John Adams dated Amsterdam 15 of Dec. 1780 to Thomas Cushing Lieutenant Govenor of Massatts.” This letter has been for some years past reprinted & quoted in many American pamphlets & newspapers as genuine & imposes on many people by supposing & imputing to me sentiments inconsistent with the whole tenor of my life & all the...
707From John Adams to United States Senate, 22 June 1797 (Adams Papers)
Having Sent the Report and Documents which accompany this Message, to the House of Representatives in Compliance with their desire expressed in their Resolution of the tenth of this Month, I think it proper to Send Duplicates to the Senate for their Information. DNA : RG 46—Records of the U.S. Senate.
708From John Adams to Timothy Pickering, 31 October 1797 (Adams Papers)
I received your favour of the 28th. Inclosed are Some Papers I received from the City of Washington. They are Duplicates of Such as I received Several Weeks ago. I have delayed an Answer because I was not Satisfied and wished to take Advice.—After you have examined them I wish for your Opinion, 1st. whether I ought to Sign the Warrant of Attorney without limitation of time. 2d. Whether the...
709From John Adams to Timothy Pickering, 15 October 1798 (Adams Papers)
I have received yours of the 6th & thank you for the intelligence from the Southward. The effervescence at Madrid as well as the news from Naples coincides with Mr. King’s letter & the news from Trieste confirms or rather favors the account that Buonaparte’s destination was the Adriatick not Egypt. But we must wait for further eclaireissement. Mr. Sullivans letter gives me apprehension that...
710From John Adams to David Sewall, 23 October 1799 (Adams Papers)
I beg pardon for postponeing to this time an answer to your favor of the 30th. Sept. I have run over all the names, Hooper Lee, Orne, Gerry, Sewal, Otis and twenty others & if you prefer any of them you may give the name. But upon the whole, I have thought that Fort Fisherman would be better than any other. The twelve apostles were fishermen and Marblehead is chiefly inhabited by fishermen....