Adams Papers
Documents filtered by: Recipient="Adams, Louisa Catherine"
sorted by: date (descending)
Permanent link for this document:
https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Adams/04-15-02-0245

John Quincy Adams to Louisa Catherine Adams, 7 October 1804

John Quincy Adams to Louisa Catherine Adams

Quincy 7. October 1804.

Once more is the correspondence on the part of my best friend, brought up from all arrears; as I received since my last your two letters, of the 16th: and 23d: ulto: both together— I hope we shall on neither side be in arrears again, as I still hold the purpose of leaving this place; at latest a fortnight from to-morrow— It will give me great pleasure to meet you at Baltimore; but I cannot precisely say when I shall arrive at that place, as it depends upon the length of time I may be detained at New-York

Your letters and paper for Mrs: Whitcomb were immediately delivered—that is within two days after I received them—1 She afterwards told me that there was no lace of the kind for which you had written to be purchased— But I was in Boston again last Thursday, when she told me there was now such lace to be got, arrived since her former inquiries, and she proposed to send you a pattern to ascertain whether it would suit you— As this however might prevent your receiving it for the whole winter, I told her it would be best to presume upon your approbation, and get it at once— Accordingly I hope to bring it with me.

You are joking, when you insist upon an influence over me as powerful as that of J. Dennie— But the comparison struck me the more oddly, because not ten days ago, I received a letter from Dennie, the only one I ever had from him; in which he urges me to the same thing which is the subject of your request, and calls for my contributions to his Journal, which have long been intermitted— I have put him off with an excuse amply sufficient; but I cannot do the same with you—2 The true excuse, would be the last you would admit

I was yesterday at Mr: Quincy’s and dined with him— Mr: Gardner the clergyman, and Mr: Nicholls, an Englishman, whom I believe you have never seen, were there—3 Miss Morton did not make her appearance— They intend soon returning into Boston; though Mrs: Quincy says she would prefer a longer stay in the Country.

They are here busy with the subject of electioneering— The 5th: of next month is the day fixed for choosing Electors of President and Vice-President, and also Members of the House of Representatives for the next Congress— I think it probable Quincy will again be set up against Dr: Eustis, and if so, will in all probability be carried— The news papers will shew you that my brother is held up as the candidate for this County; but that is to little purpose—4 The politics of this part of the Country, are so totally adverse to all federalism, that there is no prospect, nor even chance of success for the present election— I think however that in the State of Massachusetts at large, the federalists are gaining ground, as by the late elections in New Hampshire and Connecticut it is certain they are in those States.— On the other hand, in the Southern States they are apparently dwindling away to nothing at-all— Mr: Lowndes and Mr: Huger both decline re-election— Purviance has done the same, and from all that part of the Country, at the next Congress, not a single voice of murmur will be heard against the prevailing order of things.5

My poor Mother is again very ill— Confined great part of the time to her bed. She is this day somewhat better than yesterday, but I am in great concern for her.

I inclose you some profiles in return for those you sent me in the Summer. I suppose you will know them; and perhaps be disappointed not to find among them one, which would have interested you, more than all—I mean my own— The reason is that Mr: Peale, who took them with the physionotrace, came out here last Thursday for that purpose, and just on that day, it happened that I was in Boston, and my brother was attending the Supreme Court of the State at Dedham.— So that he and I lost the chance of having the outline of our empty skulls exhibited for the amusement of our friends.— While Peale was here he took among the rest a profile from Houdon’s Bust of General Washington; and it is the most accurate and resembling profile of the Original that I have ever seen— But he left only one of them; so that I cannot send it to you.6

I am very happy to hear of Mr: Merry’s recovery, which I hope will soon be complete— We have been in expectation of seeing Mr: Moore in this Quarter, but his excursions have hitherto been to the British Provinces, and the last we heard of him was in the Port-Folio, as at Niagara— Many of his Poems have been continually published in that paper— All pleasing, and some really beautiful— There is in particular a Tale of Wonder, call’d “the Ring”—in one of the last Numbers, which would make a great figure in Lewis’s collection.7

Enclosed is a $50 bill.

RC (Adams Papers).

1Not found.

2Joseph Dennie Jr. wrote to JQA on 17 Sept., requesting more writings for the Port Folio and asking whether he authorized the London edition of his Silesia letters, for which see JQA to LCA, 23 Sept., and note 4, above. JQA’s response to Dennie has not been found.

3Josiah Quincy III’s dinner guests included Rev. John Sylvester John Gardiner of Boston’s Trinity Church and Francis Nichols (ca. 1758–1839), of Yorkshire, England, who recently immigrated to Philadelphia. JQA met Nichols while traveling through Philadelphia in Oct. 1803. Nichols spent the next three decades as a bookseller in Philadelphia and Boston (vol. 10:298; D/JQA/27, 16 Oct. 1803, 6 Oct. 1804, 24 March 1805, APM Reel 30; Boston Repertory, 28 Sept. 1804; Philadelphia National Gazette, 13 July 1839).

4On 5 Nov. 1804 Massachusetts voters elected nineteen electors for the forthcoming presidential election. All were Democratic-Republicans, lending heavy support to Thomas Jefferson. In the congressional races, Democratic-Republican Dr. William Eustis lost his Suffolk District seat in the House of Representatives to Federalist Josiah Quincy III. TBA was put forward on the Federalist ticket to represent the Norfolk District in the House but lost to Democratic-Republican Ebenezer Seaver (A New Nation Votes; Boston Columbian Centinel, 6 Oct. 1804).

5The Boston Repertory, 28 Sept., claimed that New Hampshire and Connecticut were “rapidly returning to their high predilection for the Federal, as the only rational, safe and honest cause.” Conversely, the Federalists lost five of six contested southern seats in the House of Representatives and fielded no candidates in forty other races. Federalists Thomas Lowndes (1766–1843) and Benjamin Huger of South Carolina and Samuel Dinsmore Purviance (1774–1806) of North Carolina all departed the House with the closing of the 8th Congress (James H. Broussard, The Southern Federalists, 1800–1816, Baton Rouge, La., 1978, p. 83, 86; Biog. Dir. Cong. description begins Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774–2005, Washington, D.C., 2005; rev. edn., bioguide.congress.gov. description ends ).

6The profiles by Philadelphia artist Raphaelle Peale have not been found. Peale (1774–1825) was a son of the painter Charles Willson Peale. He advertised in the Boston Commercial Gazette, 13, 20 Sept., that he would soon visit Massachusetts and would take commissions for physiognotrace portraits, which allowed him to create “from 4 to 32 Profiles at one sitting” and were “more accurate than can be executed by the hand of the most eminent artist in existence.”

French sculptor Jean Antoine Houdon (1741–1828) visited Mount Vernon in Oct. 1785 to execute a terra-cotta bust and life mask of George Washington that he subsequently used to create a statue of the first president for the Virginia state capitol. Numerous copies of the bust were made, one of which is in the collections at MQA (JA, Papers description begins Papers of John Adams, ed. Robert J. Taylor, Gregg L. Lint, Sara Georgini, and others, Cambridge, 1977– . description ends , 17:xi–xii, 223; ANB description begins John A. Garraty, Mark C. Carnes, and Paul Betz, eds., American National Biography, New York, 1999–2002; 24 vols. plus supplement; rev. edn., www.anb.org. description ends ; Oliver, Portraits of JA and AA description begins Andrew Oliver, Portraits of John and Abigail Adams, Cambridge, 1967. description ends , p. 129–131, 251; Jared Sparks, The Writings of George Washington, 12 vols., Boston, 1833–1839, 1:422–423; Wilhelmina S. Harris, Furnishings Report of the Old House, The Adams National Historic Site, Quincy, Massachusetts, 10 vols., Quincy, 1966–1974, 2:267, 277).

7After Thomas Moore visited Washington, D.C., in June, for which see LCA to JQA, 10 June 1804, and note 1, above, the Irish poet spent the summer in Canada before departing Nova Scotia for England in October. Twenty poems by Moore were published in the Port Folio between 14 July and 6 Oct., including “The Ring” in the Port Folio, 4:303 (22 Sept.), which had a similar tone to British novelist and writer Matthew Gregory Lewis’ Gothic romance The Monk (vol. 14:289; Port Folio, 4:223 [14 July], 4:240 [28 July], 4:256 [12 Aug.], 4:264 [18 Aug.], 4:287 [8 Sept.], 4:311, 312 [29 Sept.], 4:320 [6 Oct.]; D. M. R. Bentley, “Near the Rapids: Thomas Moore in Canada,” in Romantic Poetry, ed. Angela Esterhammer, Phila., 2002, p. 355; ANB description begins John A. Garraty, Mark C. Carnes, and Paul Betz, eds., American National Biography, New York, 1999–2002; 24 vols. plus supplement; rev. edn., www.anb.org. description ends ).

Index Entries