1To James Madison from John Francis Mercer, 8 February 1785 (Madison Papers)
I have your favor of the 24. which pursuing me by a circuitous route, did not reach this untill within a few days. I place value on every mark of your friendship & to convince you that public business alone was not what induc’d me to revive impressions which were strongly imprinted on my breast. I now write you from a recess, where news of private happiness can be the only subject of...
2To James Madison from John Francis Mercer, 16 January 1787 (Madison Papers)
I have written you now my last invitation & that is to come by Annapolis as you go to Phila. Mr. D Carrol who is now with me joins in the request. We are talking Politics—for the Politics of this State have become so confused as to engage the universal attention. They appoint no Deputies to the General Convention this session. That & every other consequential measure is postponed to the next...
3To James Madison from John Francis Mercer, 28 March 1786 (Madison Papers)
I return’d yesterday on my way to the General Court from Maryland where I had the pleasure of receiving your favor from Richmond. The sequel of proceedings which you enumerated by no means coincided with my opinions, but that does not make them less right. I have enclosed you a statement of my political doctrines, which from what I recollect will hardly meet with your approbation. I have...
4To James Madison from John Francis Mercer, 23 December 1786 (Madison Papers)
I committed some hasty thoughts to paper in an illegible hand, which I sent you by Doctr. Griffin, relative to a clause in the British debt bill that you told me, pass’d the House of delegates by an almost unanimous assent, directing those who had paid British Debts into the public Treasury, to pay them over again. From the little consideration I had given this question myself. & from the...
5To James Madison from John Francis Mercer, 12 November 1784 (Madison Papers)
Altho’ I should have blush’d to have met you, after having so long delay’d repaying the money you kindly advanc’d me, yet the sincere pleasure I felt in the expectation of again taking you by the hand effaced every other impression & my dissapointment was real when I learn’d that you had return’d to the South without my meeting you. After you left me in Congress—I was subjected to the...
6To James Madison from John Francis Mercer, 26 November 1784 (Madison Papers)
The Gentlemen from the Eastward have at length made their appearance & I expect in a day or two a Congress will be once more form’d. This commencement however has discovered so great a relaxation in the Confœderal springs that I doubt the machine will not be long kept in motion, unless great & effectual repairs are made. For my part I have no hopes but in a convocation of the States. In this...