81From John Quincy Adams to Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams, 1 May 1814 (Adams Papers)
We have this moment arrived thus far on our Journey, safe, and untill the last Station without accident. When we had proceeded four Verste from the last Post-house we found the Crane neck of our Carriage was broke in two, and we reached this place with much difficulty—A consequence of this first mishap has been that my Servants’ portmanteau has been lost from behind the Carriage—He is going...
It is no small satisfaction to me to know that the Post-Office has become regular in the delivery of my Letters to you, and I should feel equally grateful for the favour, if they would with the same punctuality deliver yours to me—But I receive them only once a week, and most commonly on Tuesday’s, after my letter to you of the same day is closed, and then two at a time—Thus it was last...
On the back of my last Letter, I acknowledged the receipt of yours of the 14th. and yesterday came your delightful Journal of the next day—I am charmed to find that you meet with so many friends and acquaintance at Philadelphia; and much more so that Dr Physick, has satisfied himself that there is no dropsy in your case. Commodore Rodgers called on me this Morning to say he was going for...
We continue to be delighted almost daily with your journalizing Letters—which together with our visits to the theatre, enliven the dulness of our half–solitude—Scarcely a day passes indeed but I have new visitors at my Office; but they all merely candidates for Office, and though of course all persons of extraordinary merit, their conversation has no tendency to make or keep one cool, in these...
Here I am at length, established as an intimate, in the family of Dr: Waterhouse; but from a variety of delays I did not come from Boston, untill the Evening before last—And being once here I concluded to adhere a sufficient time to get habituated and reconciled to my new Situation before I would absent myself from it—This prevented me from going out yesterday to Quincy, according to my...
Do not impute it to me, if from one Post-day to another I tell you different stories about the time of my expected departure to return to you. When I last wrote you, we had been promised a reply from our adverse parties without delay —They had then been in possession of our Note, five days, as much time as we had taken to prepare and send it in to them—We had been amply warned that we should...
The Potowmac Bridge question is at last postponed untill the next Session of Congress, after seven days of as warm and close debate as I ever witness’d in the Senate—The postponement was carried by a single vote 17 to 16, and in all probability had the question on the Bill itself been taken, it would have prevailed—I have been so constantly engaged upon it, that I could not find time for...
In the course of the last week I received your kind favour of the 15th: instt: which in assuring me that your general health was so much improved gave me one of the most pleasing satisfactions that in my present state I am capable of enjoying—I have spent the week at Cambridge in a state of great tranquility, and without the occurrence of any incident worth mentioning to you; except the...
There was a rose-bud, of your own drawing, enclosed in one of your last Letters—whether you sent it to me purposely, or whether it slipped by inadvertence into the folds of the Paper, as you was closing the Letter I do not know— If an accident, it was a lucky one; for I have it now before me, and take pleasure in looking at it— If you sent it on purpose I suppose it was to hint to me that you...
An interval of three days without a Letter from you had me, and I find by your Journal to the 15th. yesterday received that it was not without reason—I hope your health will not suffer by a Summer residence in Philadelphia Mr and Mrs. Smith arrived here, the Evening before last from Pensacola—Johnson Hellen left us on Wednesday Morning to return to Rockville I wrote you last Monday Morning...
Last Evening I received with heart-felt pleasure your letter of the 25th: ulto: which was the first line I had from you since my departure—It has been a long time on the road, and should have reached me sooner— The information respecting the children was delightful—George’s reluctance at his french lesson he must overcome—No French—no Horse—I am glad John has begun seriously upon his...
Your letter of the 7th: and 9th: came to hand last Evening, and relieved me from the pinches of Imagination which had haunted me for three or four days, upon not hearing from you, or from my friends at Quincy—For the future I have no doubt I shall regularly get from you or from them a line as often as once or twice a week—just to say we are all well . I know not where the report could have...
Your delightful journal of Friday and Saturday has just come to hand—What diverts me most in it, is the regular Saturday Night’s indisposition of the Horses— The heat here on Saturday was almost suffocating—Since then it has been more supportable, but is yet very oppressive—A furlough of six weeks would be delicious to me—but you know some of my reasons for not taking it this year—I am weary...
In the course of four days I received your last Letter from St: Petersburg of 12 Feby. That from Riga and of 17 and 20. Feby. and that from Berlin of the 5th: of this Month—I had addressed a Letter to you at Konigsberg on the 19th: of February, and one at Berlin on the first of March, both of which must have arrived after you had passed through those places—I had requested you to inform me by...
Your journal of the 16th. 17th. and 18th. from Bordentown was doubly grateful, for being unexpected—I am delighted to learn that you have been passing your time so agreeably; particularly as it was relaxation so necessary to you after so much confinement at Philadelphia. We have been called again to the House of Mourning, and on Friday attended the funeral of Mrs Macomb, at Georgetown. She...
Your letter of 26. Jany: enclosing one to your Mamma, reached me the same day that I wrote you last—I have myself no objection to the publication of my lines in the Anthology; but as they were address’d to your Sister, they belonged to her more than to me, you must answer for the printing to her—I know not that she would take any displeasure from it, and suppose you had reason for presuming on...
You will receive I presume at the same time with this a letter from me written yesterday at Quincy, in the ardour and satisfaction of Hope. This morning on my coming into Boston, your letter of the 23d: so lovely by its tender sensibility, so admirable by its resignation and fortitude, yet so distressing to me by the affliction in which it was written, and the marks of suffering apparent even...
Mr Boyd returned last Evening from Amsterdam, and is to proceed in the course of two or three days to Paris—As you are acquainted with his character and disposition you will not be surprized to learn that he found nothing congenial to them in Holland—He says he would not live at Amsterdam for all the money in the Country, and he complains of having been cheated and imposed upon from the hour...
I wrote you yesterday that little Walter had been again very ill the night before; but was better—He continued so untill the Evening—Dr: Weems had been sent for the night before last; but was gone to Alexandria, to attend Mrs: Merry, who is ill of a fever—On his return he came to Mr: Hellen’s, and pronounced that the child had the hives, but did not think him in any danger—He was so well that...
There are two very sufficient reasons to restrain me from laughing at the difference of complexion in the political intelligence communicated by your letter of 5. August, which I received on Saturday, from that which your preceding favour, of 2. Augt: had contained. One was that I had already seen both faces of the news, in Letters received on the same day, from the Chargé d’Affairs, one...
Since I wrote you last, which was on the 1st: of this month I have not heard from you—I enclose you now a letter from Eliza, who is unwell with a bad cough—Mrs: Hellen is also this day quite unwell—The rest of us are in usual health. Since Messrs. Bollman and Swartwout have been committed to prison, without bail, on a charge of high Treason, we have not heard any thing material from Burr—It is...
Since I wrote you last, when we were in the midst of a hurricane from the Northwest, untill this moment, we have had the coldest spell of weather I ever knew in this place—On that day as I wrote you, the windows were blown in and broken down here at the capitol—Houses or at least one House was unroofed—Carriages were overset; and Mr: Quincy undertaking to walk home was so much overpowered by...
103From John Quincy Adams to Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams, 11 July 1826 (Adams Papers)
We arrived safe here, about two hours since, and in two hours more expect to be on our way to Providence in the Steam Boat.Mr John Sergeant came on with us thus far, from Philadelphia—I have met every where a kind and Sympathetic feeling—Here we have seen Mr. G. Sullivan, Mr C. King and Mr Blunt—As you will remember me this day, I have determined to shew you that I need not to be reminded of...
104From John Quincy Adams to Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams, 2 July 1806 (Adams Papers)
On going yesterday into Boston, I received Mr: Hellen’s letter of the 22d: of last Month, with the few lines which I am afraid you must have cruelly suffered in writing; and also your’s of the 24th: which at least administered the consolation of knowing that you were as well as you could expect—My great concern is that in the tender effort you made when thus severely ill to write, was too...
105From John Quincy Adams to Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams, 9 July 1806 (Adams Papers)
I was just going to account as well as I could for your having been two days over the accustomed time, without receiving my first letter from this place, dated the 22d: of last month, of which delay you complain in your’s of the 29th: when receiving that of the next day, I rejoyce to find in it, that you had been relieved from your anxiety and received my letter—A new Post-Office seldom fails,...
106From John Quincy Adams to Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams, 27 June 1824 (Adams Papers)
Your journalizing Letters, my dearest friend, from the 18th. to the 23d. have been received—And are most of all welcome, for assuring me of your continued convalescence; and of the benefit you are deriving from the waters—In your Letter of the 22d. Tuesday, you ask that the Carriage should set out next Tuesday, to meet you at Hagerstown—But on the next day you speak of passing another week ,...
107From John Quincy Adams to Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams, 1 August 1814 (Adams Papers)
Yesterday was the day of our removal, from the Hotel des Pays-Bas, on the Place d’Armes, to our own House in the Rue des Champs—Among the important consequences of this Revolution, it has produced that of a state of Separation between the primary members of the Mission, and the attachés—Those Gentleman found they could accommodate themselves with lodgings more to their taste, and as the...
108From John Quincy Adams to Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams, 25 July 1822 (Adams Papers)
Another number of your journal came to hand this day—I mark your advice, to say nothing more upon the subject of the “diplomatic controversy,” and I am much inclined that way myself—I have no desire to put him down lower than he has put himself; but the opinions upon objects of great interest, avowed and urged in his Letters want putting down, much more than the man—And I have written what...
This appellation reminds me of an occurrence on Monday last, which I may tell you exactly as it happened, and which will shew you the sort of tone which my colleagues observe with me, and I with them.—We had been three hours in Conference with the British Plenipotentiaries; and it had been perhaps the most unpleasant one that we have held with them—We had returned home, and were in Session...
110From John Quincy Adams to Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams, 2 July 1814 (Adams Papers)
I persist in writing to you by every Post, because I flatter myself that it will give you pleasure to hear from me as often as possible—I continue to write you long Letters, because one of the greatest enjoyments I have is that of writing to you, and because I trust that whatever they might be to any one else, I trust they will not be dull to you . In this respect, I judge of your feelings by...