1Benjamin Waterhouse to John Adams, 13 December 1780 (Adams Papers)
It so happened that I could not see the persons of whom I wished to enquire concerning the Schools, mode of education &c. untill yesterday, otherwise I should have written before.—The Gentlemen from whom I have my information have each of them a young person under their care about the age of your eldest, and are well acquainted with every thing appertaining to education in this City, from...
2Benjamin Waterhouse to John Adams, 21 December 1780 (Adams Papers)
I have the satisfaction of informing you that Mr. Thaxter and your Sons are now settled in their lodgings in the same house with me. I could wish the rooms were better as well as larger, but they think the y answer very well, and seem well pleased with their situation. Tomorrow we are to converse with the teacher of Latin and Greek, and to make our terms &c. with him, this person teaches the...
3Benjamin Waterhouse to John Adams, 26 December 1780 (Adams Papers)
I was glad to find by your letter of the 23d. inst. that what we have hitherto done meets with your approbation, and it is with no small satisfaction that I see all three of my countrymen pleased and contented with their situation. In regard to Mr Charles’s attending the lectures there is no rule or custom that forbids him. As there are none so young who attend the public-lectures, we only...
4Benjamin Waterhouse to John Adams, 21 May 1781 (Adams Papers)
Almost every body here is preparing for the fair which opens next Thursday, and as this is Leyden- ’Lection I was saying to my companion that it was a pity Master Charles was not here that he might see that a Dutchman can be merry when he is resolved upon it. And John seems to wish it so much, that I thought I would write to you and if you had no objection we should have the little Gentlemans...
5Benjamin Waterhouse to John Adams, 30 September 1781 (Adams Papers)
I imagine You heard by the last Post of our being at this Place, and the reasons of our coming here. It is a great disappointment to Us all; yet the danger of our proceeding in the Condition We were in and the hopes of getting out soon, ought to make Us content. You already know I believe that there has been a very unfortunate difference between two of the Passengers and our Commodore, which...
6To John Adams from Benjamin Waterhouse, 15 August 1799 (Adams Papers)
In consequence of some conversation the other day at Quincy respecting Dr Priestley, I here send you the paper of to-day which contains what was intended as a vindication of Dr. Priestley from the aspersions of Willm: Cobbett.—Untill last Tuesday, I did believe that Dr. P. had excited the venom of the Porcupine more from his being a distinguished Dissenter from the church to which Corbbett is...
7To John Adams from Benjamin Waterhouse, 8 December 1807 (Adams Papers)
Your letter of the 28th. instant has just come to hand, and I have stepped into the house of a friend to answer acknowledge it. I cannot sufficiently thank you & the worthy Mitchill for your friendly attention to my wishes. I called to day, for the first time, at the Custom-house, and there learnt that General Lincoln, as superintendent of the Marine-Hospital, had requested Dr Eustis to take...
8To John Adams from Benjamin Waterhouse, 12 March 1811 (Adams Papers)
I here send for your Perusal The Preface to the Botanist. The Publisher has printed off a few Copies dozen by Way of Sample of type, and to give Some general Idea of the Work, as well as a Short History of its origin. I thought there might be another Service in it, viz, if any thing appeared to egotistical, or too assuming in it, my Friends would probably give me the hint. I mean it as an...
9To John Adams from Benjamin Waterhouse, 8 July 1811 (Adams Papers)
I recvd. your letter of the 5th, with pleasure & read it with satisfaction, as I always do, because I understand your politics, and because I see in them one uniform & everlasting principle that does not bend to the fashions & caprices of the day—Foolish people have cried out—“Mr Adams has changed his politics; he is no longer a federalist, but is changed to a republican.” I have as constantly...
10To John Adams from Benjamin Waterhouse, 2 June 1815 (Adams Papers)
I am desirous of knowing whether you ever received from me a parcel of selected News-papers, and pieces cut out of News-papers, by the sloop of war that brought out the Dutch Minister, commanded by Captn. Baker? I am curious to know, because there were efforts to prevent any but high federal papers being sent, by those Americans in Boston, through whose hands all letters & packets passed...
11To John Adams from Benjamin Waterhouse, 2 February 1816 (Adams Papers)
I have received several Epistles in prose and verse, written to console me for my heavy loss, but nothing has equalled the three first lines of your last letter.— It is seldom that affliction comes singly & alone. Suppose I should tell you that my professional & political enemies have succeeded in obtaining a decree of banishment against me, and that I am ordered to take my departure tomorrow...
12To John Adams from Benjamin Waterhouse, 13 December 1817 (Adams Papers)
I received your letter with pleasure, and read it with high satisfaction. You have paid the highest compliment on the President’s Message or rather, Elogium, that I have yet seen, or have ever heard of—Our proud federalists however are displeased & mortified that he did not tell the whole world, how grand, how rich, how powerful, how gifted & how virtuous they in Boston are above all other...
13To John Adams from Benjamin Waterhouse, 22 December 1817 (Adams Papers)
Accept my most cordial thanks for your truly friendly epistle. I loose not a moment in answering your interesting query. The Lady in question is, I conceive legally divorced. Her quondam husband is now in the jail of New York, for the third or fourth time; a mere vagabone. They were divorced in 1810, by the Supreme Court of Vermont. The Lady & her father, with the aid of Judge Dawes were...
14To John Adams from Benjamin Waterhouse, 29 December 1817 (Adams Papers)
Habituated as I have long been to consider your judgement as infallible, I have not found it exactly so on the subject of our two last letters. When I wrote to you on that subject of the heart, I had come to a fixed resolution of following the advice of my family & friends. I have penetrated their thoughts, & have discovered their opinion which taken collectively amounts to this— we censure...
15To John Adams from Benjamin Waterhouse, 29 April 1821 (Adams Papers)
Putting off writing is like postnoing a visit,—if you let it alone too long you know not how to begin it. As you retired from the convention indisposed, I was not inclined to obtrude a letter on a sick man who had rather enjoy his own thoughts, than read the whimsical, wild, or Stupid notions of another. It is more than probable I had another reason, nay I am sure I had, lest it Should Seem to...
16To John Adams from Benjamin Waterhouse, 4 June 1821 (Adams Papers)
Your letter justifying & glorifying the character of Junius Brutus is the most masterly apology for that prodigy of patriotism & integrity I ever read. I have read it so often that I have it by heart. I wish all my crude political notions had met with such corrections.— My letters to you of late, have been the productions of an easy &, as you suggested, a happy mind; but this one is not of...
17To John Adams from Benjamin Waterhouse, 13 June 1821 (Adams Papers)
I cannot sufficiently thank you for the fresh instance of your friendship in writting to Prest. Monroe in my behalf. If it may not effect the expressed object, it cannot but have a good operation. My worthy friend Dr John Jebb adopted the favourite motto of the immortal Milton viz—“ No effort is lost .” General Miller Govr. of Arkansaw, called upon me last week, direct from Washington, and...
18To John Adams from Benjamin Waterhouse, 26 June 1821 (Adams Papers)
Hearing that your rheumatism was no better, I hasten to say that instead of the Volatile Tincture of Guaicum , I would advise you to apply the flesh–brush, or that coarse cloth which the Russians call Krash to the limb that is affected and to the region of the hip & loins, begining at the leg & so rubbing upwards. This should be done by some prudent man, who will be carefull not to rub off the...
19To John Adams from Benjamin Waterhouse, 2 July 1821 (Adams Papers)
I hate the idea of teazing men in high office with letters of individual import, when they are necessarily occupied with generals; but when speaking of my labours in vaccination, and of the point of view in which it was considered by President Jefferson & Madison, it did not occur to me to send you a summary of that business which was extracted from my Treatise on Exterminating the “Smallpox”...