1From John Adams to Horatio Gates Spafford, 6 September 1813 (Adams Papers)
I have received by the Mail your Friendly Letter of L.M. 31. with your Gazetteer of the State of New York. Although I have not the pleasure of a personal Acquaintance: my thanks are not the less but the more due to you for your kind Attention and valuable present. Your Work, as it is a moment monument of industrious research and indefatigable labour in Collecting information concerning the...
2From John Adams to Horatio Gates Spafford, 7 September 1813 (Adams Papers)
I have received by the Mail your friendly Letter of 8 Mo. 31. with your Gazetteer of the State of New York. Although I have not the pleasure of a personal Acquaintance; my thanks are not the less but the more due to You for your kind Attention and valuable present. Your Work, as it is a monument of industrious research and indefatigable labour in collecting information concerning the important...
3From John Adams to Horatio Gates Spafford, 16 October 1813 (Adams Papers)
Your Ambition to Spread information of the growing prosperity of your country is amiable and deserves encouragement. The Safest conveyance of your Work, to the Emperors of France and Russia, would be through their Ambassadors to The President of The U.S. The Correspondence between my Family and my Son which was always interupted under brittish Orders or french Edicts, has been wholly Stopped,...
4From John Adams to Horatio Gates Spafford, 22 November 1813 (Adams Papers)
I have recd. the Gazetteer of New York, which you design for the Emperor of all the Russias, and will Send it by Mr. Ingraham, who is Soon to embark for Russia, where he has been before and acquainted in the family of our Minister God omnicient knows whether it is or is not “amiss to inform the European Potentates of the growing Strength and Numbers, and general prosperity of the American...
5From John Adams to Horatio Gates Spafford, 29 December 1813 (Adams Papers)
I have delivered the Copy of your Gazetteer of New York, intended for the American Accademy of Arts and Sciences, into the hand of The Hon. Josiah Quincy, their corresponding Secretary; and the Volume for The Emperor of Russia and that for J. Q. Adams to Mr Geyer to be taken to St Petersburg by Mr Ingraham who Sails from New York in a Cartel for England and thence to Russia. My Letters and...
6From John Adams to Horatio Gates Spafford, 2 January 1814 (Adams Papers)
I resigned the Office of President of The Academy before your Nomination and have not Since attended a Meeting of that learned and respectable Assembly. When I shall embrace my Son, a felicity for which I devoutly pray I know not. The Presidents and Mr Monroes Wishes are complimentary; but a great Gulph is fixed between him and them. I wish We may not have cause to repent of continuing our...
7From John Adams to Horatio Gates Spafford, 2 January 1815 (Adams Papers)
I resigned the office of President of the Academy, before your nomination, and have not since attended a meeting of that learned, and respectable Assembly. When I shall embrace my Son, a felicity for which I devoutly pray, I know not. The President & Mr Munroe’s wishes are complementary, but a great gulph is fixed between him and them. I wish we may not have cause to repent of continuing our...
8From John Adams to Horatio Gates Spafford, 4 June 1815 (Adams Papers)
My Son is probably in England: but I have no Letter from him later than the 21. March, then at Paris in the Center of the curious Revolution. Charles 12th of Sweden, at Bender had a fracas with the Turks, in which he exerted his personal Strength and desperate Valour. When the Affray was over, an officer complemented him, as he thought, by saying “I am told you Majesty killed a dozen...
9From John Adams to Horatio Gates Spafford, 26 July 1816 (Adams Papers)
I thank thee, for thy kind congratulations on my Health. There is no Man who wishes the return of my Son So much as myself. But whenever he returns it will puzzle him, as much as it did his Father, to know what to do with himself. It may also Somewhat perplex his Country: but She will give herself very little trouble about him. The American Accademy, has done honour to thee and to itself, by...
10From John Adams to Horatio Gates Spafford, 31 January 1817 (Adams Papers)
I thank you for your kind Letter of the 21st, and for the three Magazines inclosed, of December January and February. They contain curious and Usefull Matter. You ask my Opinion of the Essays of Franklin. You have Stated your own Opinions frankly fairly and candidly; you have explained your reasons for those Opinions, dispassionately—and your readers, I hope, will judge them, with Candour and...
11From John Adams to Horatio Gates Spafford, 26 April 1824 (Adams Papers)
You have always been too good to me & I regret that I have never been able to make you any returns, your last favor to me is the most gratify in g of all because it shows that your kindness to me is not extinct, In answer to your question you may undoubtedly send any volume to me by mail free of expence, I shall be happy to receive it, though I cannot read it, I may have some of it read to me...
12From John Adams to Horatio Gates Spafford, 17 November 1824 (Adams Papers)
Common civility would have required that I should have answered your letter of the 6th. month long before this time, but the approach & invasion of my ninetieth year has taken away my faculties to such a degree that I have not been able to observe the common rule of my correspondents. Your Gazette of New York is an excellent work & will be extremely useful to that State for many centuries to...
13From John Adams to Horatio Gates Spafford, 2 March 1825 (Adams Papers)
I have transmitted your letter to Mr Adams but in total despair of success. The heads of Department are jealous of the interference of the President in the appointment of their clerks. I never could get in one clerk into any office during the whole of my administration. You must apply to the heads of Departments if you have any hopes of success. The Representatives from N. York will probably...