101From John Quincy Adams to Abigail Smith Adams, 31 December 1812 (Adams Papers)
As another Year is closing upon time, and joining “the years beyond the flood,” I cannot employ its last moments more satisfactorily to myself, or more consistently with the duties at all times incumbent upon me, than in renewing to my dear and honoured Parents the testimonies of my gratitude, duty and affection—In repeating the assurance of my ardent desire to return to them, to my long...
102From John Quincy Adams to Abigail Smith Adams, 17 December 1810 (Adams Papers)
Since I wrote you last, I have not had the pleasure of receiving a line from you, but as you are the most constant and most frequent correspondent that I have beyond the seas, besides the rule which I have followed of answering every letter by one in return, I shall add that of writing to you by every opportunity that occurs during the Winter—I now write by a namesake of ours a Mr: Adams, from...
103From John Quincy Adams to Abigail Smith Adams, 22 December 1811 (Adams Papers)
After I had written the letter of which I now enclose a copy, intending to have it ready for Mr: Smith, an opportunity was presented me of sending it by another conveyance—and Mr Smith not being ready to go, I dispatched it; so that as he is now upon his departure I shall send by him two letters instead of one, for you—And as the Winter opportunities are so unfrequent, I write by him also to...
104From John Quincy Adams to Abigail Smith Adams, 27 February 1813 (Adams Papers)
At length, after another interval of nearly seven Months since I had been favoured with the sight of a line from any of my friends at Quincy, yours of 29. July has come to hand—It is nearly seven Months old, but is more than three Months later than your last previous letter. As it came under cover to Mr Barlow, I suppose it did not reach Paris, untill after his departure from that City— Thence...
105From John Quincy Adams to Abigail Smith Adams, 24 August 1816 (Adams Papers)
I shall send you by the earliest opportunity the newly published numbers of the Edinburgh and Quarterly Reviews; but unless you read Cobbett’s New-York Register, you will not have the key to the secret History of those works—There are now three very distinct parties in this Country—Tories, or the Ministerial party—Whigs—and Reformers—The Quarterly Review is the Literary instrument of the...
106From John Quincy Adams to Abigail Smith Adams, 1 February 1814 (Adams Papers)
I have already written you once, by Mr: Gallatin, who, together with Mr Bayard left this City on the Evening of 25. January, for Amsterdam—But as Mr Harris our Consul, who was also the Secretary of Legation to the Extraordinary Mission is to follow them in a few days, and expects to overtake them at Berlin, I consider it as another opportunity for writing to you, and have prescribed it as a...
107From John Quincy Adams to Abigail Smith Adams, 24 April 1811 (Adams Papers)
The Russian People pass their lives in a continual and alternate succession of feasting and fasting. Every individual whether of high or low degree celebrates two days in every year; one for his birth and the other for his baptism, which is called his name day, and is kept on the day marked in the Calendar, as devoted to the Saint of the same name; for it is a religious principle that every...
108From John Quincy Adams to Abigail Smith Adams, 30 August 1816 (Adams Papers)
George says that his writing master has forbidden him to write letters for the present, because it will retard the improvement of his hand writing. I do not understand this theory, and suspect it will not meet the approbation of George’s correspondents at home. The consequence of it is, that I am called to write the weekly letter that is to go with the newspaper almost every week myself. The...
109From John Quincy Adams to Abigail Smith Adams, 20 May 1816 (Adams Papers)
Mr: William Cranck Bond, a relation of ours, with whom you are no doubt acquainted has been some months in this Country; and is now upon his return to America—I shall endeavour to send you by him the last number of the Edinburgh Review; and the Newspaper now enclosed will give you a copious account of the Nuptial Drawing Room, which was almost as crowded as the Lord Mayor’s Easter Monday...
110From John Quincy Adams to Abigail Smith Adams, 28 February 1811 (Adams Papers)
We assisted last week, at the public examination of the Institute of the order of St: Catherine, a boarding school, or College for the Education of young Ladies of noble families; under the Patronage of the Empress-Mother The young Ladies are divided into four Classes, and are two years in each class—They enter from six to ten years of age, and when their education is finished, they pass this...
111From John Quincy Adams to Abigail Smith Adams, 26 April 1814 (Adams Papers)
Mr: Nathl: W. Strong arrived here on the 31st. of March, and brought me an Order from the Secretary of State to go immediately to Gothenburg. I intend leaving this City the day after to–morrow, in compliance with that Instruction, and should have been gone before this, but that the passage of the gulph has been for some time impracticable. Mr Strong besides the despatches with which he was...
112From John Quincy Adams to Abigail Smith Adams, 5 June 1813 (Adams Papers)
Last week I received your kind and affectionate Letter of 25. 27. February—which had been destined for France, but the vessel on board of which it was, being taken and sent into Plymouth, the Gentleman who was the bearer of your letter, (his name has not come to my knowledge) was released as a Non Combattant , and they were forwarded to me by the Mail. Your letter of previous date—25. January...
113From John Quincy Adams to Abigail Smith Adams, 17 September 1810 (Adams Papers)
Mr. Jones arrived here from Gothenburg & Stockholm a few days since, and brought me your kind favour of 11. July—in two months time from its date—Indeed we Since our arrival here, you have been the most frequent and most constant of my Correspondents–I have no Letter from my brother later than Febuary; though I know that he has written at least one that I have not received.—Captain Bainbridge,...
114From John Quincy Adams to Abigail Smith Adams, 24 October 1811 (Adams Papers)
By every vessel that has arrived for several months from America, and which we should have expected to bring letters for us, we receive, instead of letters, apologies for not writing, because we were thought to be on our passage home—You only have foreseen the contingency which has actually happened, that we might be detained over the present Winter, and you only continue to give us some...
115From John Quincy Adams to Abigail Smith Adams, 23 July 1816 (Adams Papers)
As the week comes round, the Sunday Newspaper reminds me of the despatch to be made up for Quincy; but the pressure of business and of dissipation equally indispensable has not for many weeks left me an hour, for writing to you. I have now scarcely a moment to acknowledge the receipt of your favours of 5. and of 20. May. which I have had more than a Month; and to which I hope to be at some...
116From John Quincy Adams to Abigail Smith Adams, 25 March 1813 (Adams Papers)
My last letter to you, dated 27. February, acknowledged the receipt of your favour of 29. July the latest letter I have from America, and which you mention in it was to be forwarded by Mr. B. Beale junr. I have now an opportunity to write by Mr. Plummer, a young man who has been here several years, as an Agent of Coll. Thorndike—He himself belongs to Salem, and as he intends returning as...
117From John Quincy Adams to Abigail Smith Adams, 25 January 1817 (Adams Papers)
Scarcely a day now passes, without the arrival of vessels from the United States; but they are principally from New York or more Southern Ports—The failure of the Harvests in this Country has much contributed to their frequency. Two years ago the British Parliament made a Law, to raise the price of Bread; having discovered that if that first necessary of life should be cheap, the Country would...
118From John Quincy Adams to Abigail Smith Adams, 18 April 1816 (Adams Papers)
We are waiting with great anxiety to hear again from Quincy, and pray that they may bring us favourable accounts of your health—We have none later than of 19. February, which came by the New Packet, and which were received nearly a Month since. Mr and Mrs Tarbell are gone with Mr: and Mrs O. Everett, and Captain Stuart to France. We have a constant succession of our Countrymen coming and...
I found your note this morning on my plate when I enterred the breakfast room and hasten to offer you my congratulations on the birth of your Little Grandson for whose happiness and welfare in this world of trouble I most sincerely pray may he prove a joy and blessing to his Parents. Mr. Adams has been afflicted with an inflamation in his eyes which terminated in an Abcess in the under-lid of...
120From Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams to Abigail Smith Adams, 12 June 1815 (Adams Papers)
Mr. Todd having just called to announce his departure I hasten to write you although I do not think his departure will take place so soon as he expects. You will my joy on arriving in London at finding my Boys ready at our lodgings to receive me although in excellent health the pleasure was too much for me and I was several days before I recover’d my usual composure—We have not yet found a...
121From Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams to Abigail Smith Adams, 7 June 1816 (Adams Papers)
As Mrs: Perkins has kindly offered to take Letters, I hasten to answer your kind Letters of 24th: April & 2d May, which I received the day before yesterday. I fear the Boys will not be able to avail themselves of this opportunity, as they are much occupied previous to the Vacation, which takes place next Week. George has a part to perform in one of Terrences plays, and a French piece, and from...
122From Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams to Abigail Smith Adams, 19 July 1810 (Adams Papers)
As another opportunity offers my dear Mother which I am told is a very safe one I cannot refrain from writing a few lines to assure you of the health of the family in general and to entreat you will write by every opportunity. we have only heard three times from you since we left you and you who have been placed in the same situation know how much frequent intelligence of your health and would...
Your letter of the 24th of march, my dear Madam, is but just arrived, and although it was so long before it reached us, it afforded us the satisfaction of hearing from yourself, that my dear Boys were well at that period.—We have not yet heard any thing of Mr Harrod, I fear he has stopped at some other port in the Baltic, and that we shall not see him at Petersburg this Season—I feel much...
Having an opportunity to write you by Mr Lewis of Philadelphia who leaves this place for England early tomorrow morning I hasten to inform you of the general health of the family which although not perfect is as good as we can rationally expect Winter comes on us in so harsh a form that we anticipate an unusual degree of severity in its course this morning the River and Canals were hard frozen...
125From Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams to Abigail Smith Adams, 4 July 1816 (Adams Papers)
We have been some time now without receiving Letters from you, although we have heard of you from other branches of the family. In your last Letters to the Children you mention the approaching marriage of Susan which ere this has probably taken place should it be so I must beg you will make my congratulations acceptable with every good wish for her future happiness. We are here plunged into...
The arrival of Mr Bayard, & Galatin, my dear Madam, has made so little alteration in our situation, that I have little or nothing to write you, but complaints, of the prospect I have of a much lengthen’d stay in this Country: and the additional grief of losing the society of my Sister, which was almost the only thing left me to render life supportable. Mr A is even more buried in study than...
Your last Letter was indeed flattering to me. eminently as you are gifted with the talent of writing your approbation must afford the greatest pleasure and exite encouragement. It has often been to me a source of wonder how you can write to so many in one family, and yet never appear at a loss for subjects; but you possess the talent of giving interest even to trifles and the easy course of...
128From Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams to Abigail Smith Adams, 13 May 1810 (Adams Papers)
The River being open at length, and the Vessels preparing for their departure, I sieze the earliest opportunity of writing, to assure you that the family are generally well, and that we have all excepting Mr Gray, suffer’d very little considering the length and severity of this tedious Winter.— I wish my dear Madam I could write any thing that would amuse you, but our lives are so uniformly...
As the Galen is about to sail my dear Madam I hasten to inform you that we have at length received the Watches sent by Mr. Brooks at which we are much rejoiced as they have proved a source of great anxiety to the younger branches of the family. The fashionable Season being over I have little to communicate that can afford you amusement and Mr. Adams informs you so regularly of every event that...
Your kind Letters have remained unanswered much longer than I intended owing to the constant employment Mr. Adams found me having no Secretary and the trouble attending the search for a house which we have at length procured at a Village called Ealing, about seven miles from London; the situation is beautiful, the House comfortable, and the distance from the great City supportable, added to...