661John Quincy Adams to John Thaxter, 19 September 1781 (Adams Papers)
We arriv’d here the 16th of August old stile, (which is universally used yet, all over this Country;) having left Berlin, the 2d. of the same month, new stile, and rode the whole way, day and night, stopping only at the principal towns which lay in our way, viz: at Dantzic, three days, at Konigsberg, one, at Memel, one night, at Riga, four days, and at Narva, two: between these places, which...
662John Quincy Adams to Abigail Adams, 23 October 1781 (Adams Papers)
I am afraid you will think I was negligent in not writing more than I did by so good an opportunity as my brother Charles, but I hope you will excuse me as a journey of two thousand of our miles of which I had not the least thought a week before I set out was the only reason for it, so that I had not time to write before I left Holland, as all my time was employed in getting ready to go. We...
663John Quincy Adams to John Adams, 23 October 1781 (Adams Papers)
I wrote you just after I arrived here, and gave you a short sketch of my Journey from Amsterdam to this Place, and promised you in my next a description of this city, but I dont find any thing more than what Voltaire says of it in his history of Russia nor even quite so much, for according to his description, the city is situated upon the Gulf of Cronstadt in the midst of nine branches of...
664John Quincy Adams to John Adams, 12 January 1782 (Adams Papers)
Last night I received your letters of the 14th and 15th. You make me a great number of questions at a time, but I will answer them as well as I can. The Houses are for the most part built of Brick, and plastered over. They are from two to four Stories high. They are glazed with large panes as in France, and in the winter they have double windows which are taken down in the Spring, that is, in...
665John Quincy Adams to John Thaxter, 13 January 1782 (Adams Papers)
Je viens de recevoir la lettre que vous m’avez fait l’honneur de m’écrire le 22 du mois passé et je suis bien embarassé pour vous repondre. Car vous écrivez le Francais comme un Parisien, en sorte que j’ai peur de m’engager avec une personne de votre force; Mais il le faut bien, et je vous écrirai comme je pourrai. Je vous enverrais bien quelques morceaux de mon Journal, mais je l’ai...
666John Quincy Adams to John Adams, 4 March 1782 (Adams Papers)
I receiv’d three days agone your favour of Feby. 5th. I have found a good Latin and french Dictionary, but I should be glad to have one Latin and English, because I am obliged at present to translate every thing into French, unless I translate the words twice; by which, (besides it’s being very troublesome), the sense of the Latin will be often lost. I can get any Latin books here that I want....
667John Quincy Adams to Elizabeth Cranch, 17 March 1782 (Adams Papers)
Some days agone I received a letter from you dated May last. The true reason why I have not written to you since I have been in Europe, is, that as you expect that my letters would be very entertaining, by the variety of the subjects, that I have had to write upon, I do not wish to disappoint you by writing letters that would give you no pleasure. But as you have begun, I can no longer excuse...
668John Quincy Adams to John Thaxter, 18 March 1782 (Adams Papers)
Monsieur Faleisen qui vous remettra ceci se proposant de partir aujourd’hui pour Amsterdam, nous a offert de prendre des lettres, mais comme il part tout subitement je n’ai que le tems de vous ecrire quelques mots, en vous priant de vouloir bien prendre soin de la lettre ci incluse. Mais a propos, puisque j’y suis je vais vous raconter un petit voiage que nous avons fait dernierement; Il y a...
669John Quincy Adams to John Adams, 31 March 1782 (Adams Papers)
I should have written to you by Mr. Felleisen, who will doubtless have arrived before this comes to hand, but I did not know that he was going until it was too late to write. Mr. D ana thinks that I had better not write every post; because the postage of the Letters would soon amount to a very considerable sum. I have lately begun to learn German, I have a master who gives me three lessons per...
670John Quincy Adams to John Thaxter, 22 July 1782 (Adams Papers)
Monsieur D ana reçut il y a quelques jours une lettre, par la quelle vous lui mandéz prémiérement; que vous avéz été malade depuis six Semaines de la fiévre tierce ce qui m’a fait beaucoup de peine, ensuite que vous alléz vous en retourner en Amerique. Je voudrais bien être en train de suivre la méme route, car je suis tout a fait home-sick. Quoiquil en soit je crois que ce que je pourrais...
671John Quincy Adams to John Adams, 6 September 1782 (Adams Papers)
Coll. Vallentin having been detained some time at Amsterdam by the arrival of the Grand Duke there, and having been sick on the road, did not arrive with your letters of the 13th. of May last until the day before yesterday.—As to my return; if I can go with a French Courier from Hence as far as Frankfort on the Mayne, and from thence down the Rhine it will be the best course I can take; but if...
672John Quincy Adams to John Thaxter, 27 September 1782 (Adams Papers)
I received a few days agone your favour of the 14th. of August. You say you have had a Fire for several days. I believe there has not been a week together through the whole summer without our having one. For some flakes of Snow fell, one morning in the middle of July. It is true, this has been an Extraordinary summer, but it freezes every year in the month of August here: and sometimes in the...
673John Quincy Adams to John Adams, 1 February 1783 (Adams Papers)
I arrived here a few days agone, and expect to be at the Hague by the latter end of this month where I shall wait for your orders, in case I dont find you there; what to do. I should have written you from Stockholm but when I arrived there I was told you was in Paris, and I did not know where to adress my letters. But just before I left Stockholm I receiv’d a letter from Mr. D ana in which he...
674John Quincy Adams to John Adams, 20 February 1783 (Adams Papers)
I arrived here about a week agone, and expected to leave this place in a vessel for Kiel, (which I found here,) two days afterwards, but I have been waiting for a wind here ever since. I rather preferred going from hence to Hamborough by water; than thro’ Holstein because the roads are extremely bad and it would be a Journey of at least eight or ten days; whereas, with a good wind we can run...
675John Quincy Adams to John Adams, 12 March 1783 (Adams Papers)
I suppose you have receiv’d before now my letter from Copenhagen dated Feby. 20th. in which I wrote you that I expected to come from thence to Kiel by water; and that I only waited for a wind: but I have been obliged after all to come by Land, for, after waiting better than a fort night expecting every day to sail, the harbour of Copenhagen froze up, (a thing which happens but very seldom) and...
676John Quincy Adams to John Adams, 22 April 1783 (Adams Papers)
I arrived here in very good health yesterday morning at about 6. o’clock, after having spent some days at Amsterdam. I found here a letter from you, by which you leave to my choice to stay here or go to Leyden: if you return to America this summer I think I had best stay here; because, if I go to Leyden; I shall only stay there a few weeks at most. You advise me yourself to stay here until you...
677John Quincy Adams to John Adams, 6 May 1783 (Adams Papers)
The bearer of this, is Mr. Hardouin a French young Gentleman whose company I had the pleasure of from Hamborough to Amsterdam, and who intends to go to Havre de Grâce to form an establishment in the commercial way. I receiv’d your favour of the 27th. of April, last friday and shall not fail writing as you enjoin me by every post: except this I shall pursue at present my Latin and Greek...
678John Quincy Adams to John Adams, 9 May 1783 (Adams Papers)
I wrote you last Tuesday by Mr. Hardouin who will arrive in Paris I suppose to morrow. I have not yet began to pursue my studies, on account of the fair; but intend to begin directly. I take a walk every day and, once or twice a week a ride on horse-back. Every thing here is full of Life at present on account of the Fair, which will be over to morrow evening. I am afraid I shall not see you...
679John Quincy Adams to John Adams, 12 May 1783 (Adams Papers)
The fair ended last Saturday, and yesterday I began to translate Suetone’s life of Caligula; Mr. Dumas who is so good as to direct my studies, says you chose I should translate Suetone. I shall begin upon the Greek Testament directly. The 4th. of this Month a vessel from Philadelphia arrived in the Texel, and last saturday Mr. Dumas receiv’d two large packets one of which he forwards this day....
680John Quincy Adams to John Adams, 24 May 1783 (Adams Papers)
Last Tuesday I went to pay a visit to Mr. van Berkel and when I return’d I receiv’d your favours of the 13 and 14th. instants in which you say, you expect not to be here so soon as you wish, on account of the Signature of the definitive Treaty. Unless you were present I could not be better plac’d than as I am at present; as Mr. Dumas is so good as to direct and assist me in my Studies. For an...
681John Quincy Adams to John Adams, 6 June 1783 (Adams Papers)
I receiv’d last Tuesday your favour of the 29th of last month. As Mr. Dumas is so good as to read Virgil with me; 100 verses at a time is not too much at a Time. I have not Ainsworth’s Dictionnary, but I have Lyttleton’s, and several French one’s. I don’t think I shall be able to find Trapp’s translation of Virgil here; but I have enough with that of Dryden. I had already began to translate...
682John Quincy Adams to John Adams, 24 June 1783 (Adams Papers)
I receiv’d some days agone two setts of the 3d. and 4th. volumes of the Politique Hollandais, from Mr. Cerisier. I suppose your intention is to have them bound in the same manner as the 2. first, and shall therefore have it done. I have been obliged to borrow a Suetonius. Please to let me know if you chuse I should Purchase one. There is an edition with the Commentaries of Ernesti which I...
683John Quincy Adams to Abigail Adams, 23 July 1783 (Adams Papers)
It is indeed a long time since I have receiv’d any Letters from my friends in America, and I must own I have been a little behind hand within these two years; in writing to them. However, I hope they will consider that I have been all that time, almost at the world’s end, or to make the best of it, in such an out of the-way place, as made it very inconvenient for me to write: But I should...
684John Quincy Adams to Abigail Adams, 30 July 1783 (Adams Papers)
Altho’ I have already written you by Mr. Brush who will probably deliver this to you; yet I cannot help writing a few more Lines to justify myself with you, from a reproach; the Idea of which I cannot bear. If the Northern Regions have frozen up that Quick and Lively Imagination, which you are please to say, used to be agreeable to my Friends, they have most certainly not chilled my affection,...
685To Benjamin Franklin from John Quincy Adams, 12 April 1779 (Franklin Papers)
ALS : Dartmouth College Library I am obliged to you, for the Mention you have been so good as to make of me in several of your letters to my Pappa, whom I have accompanied to Brest & back to Nantes. I hope you have recovered a perfect state of Health & that you will enjoy it a long time. I beg of you to remember me respectfully to Mr Franklin & affectionately to Mr Benjamin. I have wrote...