91From Abigail Smith Adams to John Quincy Adams, 8 March 1814 (Adams Papers)
Altho I sent Letters yesterday to go by our Ministers from N York, yet a new opportunity offering I readily embrace it. mr Tuckerman has kindly sent us word that he is permitted to go in a vessel from Norfolk to Gottenburgh, and will take any Letters we may have, as his Brother the Rev’d mr Tuckerman came in his behalf, and will wait untill I write you a few lines my Letter must be short. I...
92From Walter Hellen to John Quincy Adams, 20 April 1813 (Adams Papers)
I had the honor to write you, on the 18th: Nov. 1811, since which I have been deprived of the pleasure of any of your always highly esteemed favors. I heard with the most sincere sorrow, it had been the Divine Dispensation, to afflict you & your dear Lady with the loss of your little Daughter, I wish it was in my power to offer any Consolation on an occasion so trying & distressing; but alass...
No 39 arrived in due time and I have for some time been perpetually satisfied with the Post Office I hope however that we shall not long stand in need of their civilities as I am rather impatient to have you home the rappid approach of winter encreases my impatience and as the event of this negociation appears to be still unfavorable I cannot help feeling fretful and half angry at the delay...
I was much disappointed at the receipt of your last letter having flatter’d myself that you would have had some letters from our friends both in Boston and Washington The Conservateur of to day announces that you have at last recieved the answer to your last Note and that it is of so favorable a nature that peace will be the consequence of the truth of this I can form no opinion but the report...
95From Abigail Smith Adams to John Quincy Adams, 2 December 1815 (Adams Papers)
This Letter will derive some merit from its being the latest date, and I hope will reach you soon. it comes to inform you that mr Tarbel has Letters for you—your Father has given you his opinion respecting the publication of the extract of his Letter to dr price by mr Morgan. I send you the copy from the original and am ready to ask mr Morgan, in the words of the play. “who was the dupe? with...
I am charmed to find by your last letter that you pass your time so agreeably at Ghent: it would be almost a pity that the Congress should break up, as by all account you have derived so much benefit from your residence, and this Climate is so injurious, that the idea of your returning to sink again into the state of into inanity into which you had fallen, is so painful I could almost wish for...
The last time I wrote you I was so excessively fatigued and it was so late that I scarcely know what my letter contained since which I have been expecting a letter from you and am much disappointed at not receiving one though I shall cease to regret it if your silence is caused by the arrival of the English Commissioners we have news to the 22d from England from which we learn that Mr...
98From Abigail Smith Adams to John Quincy Adams, 30 June 1815 (Adams Papers)
This Letter my dear son, is to introduce to you, and mrs Adams, the Lady of Major Manners, whose mother has written to me to request it. as the daughter of our much Loved, and highly respected Friend, the late Dr Rush, You will receive her with kindness. Ever since the death, of that friend of your Fathers, and of the family, I have had an occasional correspondence with mrs Rush—and your...
Your charming letter only reached me last night the roads being very bad but it came time enough to put me in high spirits and I went immediately after to a little Ball at Miss Focks were I amased myself very much and did not return untill 3 o’clock this Morning Thank God for all the good news you gave me may he still grant us his protection and as you say turn the hearts of our enemies all my...
100From Charles Francis Adams to John Quincy Adams, 15 August 1814 (Adams Papers)
I recieved your kind Letter, of the 22 July, and was very glad you were so much pleased with my Letter. I still keep my Journal, and Copy my Letters in my Letter Book. Mama had some Cucumbers planted in her Garden, first there came green leaves, afterwards yellow Blossoms, and when the flowers dropped off, I found a number of little Cucumbers. We had also a great many Strawberries and...
I am sure you must have thought me mad from the date of my last letter I was so teazed with Muziks of every discription that I found it utterly impossible to write any thing like sense I however thought it better to send my letter bad as it was than suffer the Post to leave Petersburg without a few lines which would at any rate prove that we were well and preparing to join you as soon as...
102From Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams to John Quincy Adams, 15 May 1814 (Adams Papers)
We had concluded from appearances here that you would be detained some days at Revel, but I did not imagine that your stay would have been so much prolong’d. I last night had the pleasure of recieving your number 3, and at the same time the mortification of discovering that number 2 was missing this of course causes me some uneasiness as I believe few of your correspondents would be willing to...
I received your kind letter of the 30 of September in due time and although it confirmed the bad news which had flown to us here from every quarter it contributed much to console me and the revived hopes which have been created by this very calamity have nearly restored me to health though not to spirits our good friend L. is all of a sudden become so sanguine as to the affairs of America that...
104From Abigail Smith Adams to John Quincy Adams, 30 June 1816 (Adams Papers)
The east wind of this day, will prevent the Sailing of the Galen, and it gives me the opportunity of acknowledging the receipt of your Letter of May 13th No 87; and the papers containing the Royal Marriage which came to hand last Evening: by the arrival of a vessel at N york; this interesting , and important intelligence, had been partially communicated to the publick a week before—Some...
105From William Smith Shaw to John Quincy Adams, 28 October 1815 (Adams Papers)
In consequence of a Letter from my Agent at L”pool I declined going to that place for a passage to South Carolina—I will Sail from the port of London, in the course of a few days, but will wait upon your Excellency personally to take leave, & to be the Carrier of any Dispatches your Excellency may confide to my care prior to my Sailing—Lord Viscount Lowther Arrived at his House 25 Pall Mall...
106From Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams to John Quincy Adams, 12 July 1814 (Adams Papers)
Still no Letter from you mon Ami! I can scarcely account for this, as Mr Hall wrote me, that you had had very fine winds, for six days after your departure, from Gottenburg. I wait impatiently for tomorrow, in the hope that the Post of to day, may have brought me a few lines, at least to announce your safe arrival. the irrisistable desire I feel to offer you my sincere congratulations on your...
107From Abigail Smith Adams to John Quincy Adams, 27 February 1813 (Adams Papers)
Before I closed my Letter to you, I received this morning your Letter sent by mr Harris, of october 25th. I rejoiced to See your hand writing altho I read with trembling. I have participated in your greif, and shared your Sorrows. let not gloom and melancholy take root in your mind the wounded heart must have time to recover from the Stroke which has pierced it. there are Duties which you are...
The confusion around me and the perpetual interruptions render it almost impossible for me to write a word I shall therefore only say that and Charles I are well and that I cannot see the day on which I shall leave St Petersburg as every thing appears to go wrong— As you are in France I have thought it best to sell every thing that I can sell as the frig ate to America from will cost almost as...
With what pleasure I read your last kind Letter you are capable of judging who are so well acquainted with the warmth of my feelings on most of the subjects which interest me, my hopes are so strongly raised even the news which our old friend Corbeau gave me yesterday could not destroy the flattering Visions which my sanguine imagination had created and I shall still hope that heaven will...
Yours of the eighth is come not to fill me with doubts because that was already effected but to make those doubts almost certainties and those of a very disagreeable nature if it must be so there is no remedy but I hope you have been misinformed about our commander and that he may prove better than you expect— What do you think of the English Speech? it is most affectedly peacable, and...
111From Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams to John Quincy Adams, 22 August 1814 (Adams Papers)
Your two last numbers 21 and 22 came together as usual on Saturday last. I could not help smiling at your idea of the Rose bud which though very pretty I have no sort of claim to Master Charles painted it and without my knowledge slipped it into the Letter to shew you what he could do Martha was his instructress and I had nothing to do with it at all. I always doubted the fact of the Crown...
I address you once more from this place and I cannot yet say when I shall be able to leave it as I find it almost impossible to dispose of the things to any sort of advantage no body has ready money and I am offer’d payment in a variety none of which however I am apprehensive would please you Hemillian has just left he came with a view to purchase the Carriage and offer’d to pay me in Peals or...
113From Charles Francis Adams to John Quincy Adams, 23 May 1814 (Adams Papers)
I went to School last Wednesday, as I could not cross sooner on account of the Ice. At Dinner, I heard that mr: Severin’s House in the Country, was burnt to the ground; the fire spread so fast, that it was impossible to put it out. Mrs: Severin lost all the Clothes, Table-linen &c. of all the family, which had been sent out the night before. Mrs: S. had left town herself, and was met on the...
114From Abigail Smith Adams to John Quincy Adams, 14 July 1813 (Adams Papers)
I know how good a recent date is from a far country. accordingly my heart leaped with joy at receiving a packet the other morning dated in June, without recollecting that it was now only july, and that I could not get a Letter in so short a space of time, and 1812 Soon convinced me of my mistake. it came as usual with a patch upon the Seal, altho not endorsed, and if you turn to the date, you...
Although Mr. H.—has informed me that the Congress is dissolved, still I persevere in writing, as it is easy to have my letters returned in case you should have left Ghent.What is pretended to be the terms on which great Britain will treat, was yesterday published in the Conservateur, if there is any truth in this, it needs no Comment The Emperor will not return here untill the end of December...
116From Abigail Smith Adams to John Quincy Adams, 20 May 1816 (Adams Papers)
I have already written to you by the Galen, my Letter was anteriour to the calamity which the inclosed papers will full soon, inform you of.—what can we Say? but Lord thou destroyest the hopes of man. I know not how to describe the Gloom which has overspread the public mind—To departed worth, the tear of Friendship flow’s. Party Spirit is Silent, and drops her veil, and bows acknowledging...
117From Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams to John Quincy Adams, 5 March 1815 (Adams Papers)
After a very troublesome and tedious journey we have happily arrived at Berlin where I expected to have found Letters from you but I am cruelly disappointed and am impatiently waiting for the next Post which will not arrive untill tomorrow evening Yesterday I visited some of our old friends here who received me in the Kindest manner possible Countess Bhrul is very much alter’d but Miss Bisho p...
118From Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams to John Quincy Adams, 3 June 1814 (Adams Papers)
Not having heard from you by the last Mail on which I calculated we are all very much disappointed at it and very impatient to hear of your safe arrival at Stockolm— I am in the midst of confusion on account of Chareles who is order’d out immediately by Dr. Galloway and to be put on a milk and Vegetable Diet I fear this will displease you on account of the expense but as the Dr. thought it...
119From Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams to John Quincy Adams, 29 April 1814 (Adams Papers)
You will no doubt be much surprized at hearing from me, so soon after your departure; but a delemma has already occurred, and I write to know your intentions, respecting the letters that may arrive here. I supposed you had left your directions with Mr Smith, but he informs me that you only mentioned the public Papers, and intimated that you would speak to me about the private letters. I...
120From Charles Francis Adams to John Quincy Adams, 15 July 1814 (Adams Papers)
Mama presented me your kind Letter of the 20th. of June, No 2, which I read with great pleasure, particularly that part of it which tells of the dress, of the Boys and Girls; in Holland. I laughed very much at the large breeches, and Umbrella petticoats, and wished very much I could be with you, to see all these droll things. I have come home for a Vacation of three weeks, but Mr Fishwick has...