4681From John Adams to François Adriaan Van der Kemp, 3 April 1814 (Adams Papers)
I have recd Condorcet, in good order and your favour of 20th. Ult. Enfields History of Philosophy, is worth many Condorcets. This great Work is drawn up from Brucker’s “Historia critica Philosophiæ”; an immense Work in half a dozen folio Volumes of Greek and Latin. Can you give me the Sketch of this Brucker? Who was he? Neither Brucker nor his Abridger, had Seen the Asiatic Researches; nor...
4682John Adams to Arthur Lee, 6 April 1784 (Adams Papers)
Your Favour of 14. Jan. was brought me Yesterday. I have been obliged to come here, in order to raise Money, for the Payment of Bills to a large amount, which M r Morris drew, at a venture, and have at length Succeeded, but it is So lately, that I have not yet joined my Colleagues in Paris, and I am undetermined, whether I Shall go there before the Commission you mention arrives, to treat with...
4683From John Adams to William Vaughan, 13 July 1810 (Adams Papers)
My Friend Mr Thaddeus Mason Harris who has for many years been Ordained Minister of Dorchester the next Town to me, and is every Way worthy of the Friendship of all Men of Letters and of Virtue, is bound to England upon interisting Business And as I wish him to be known I have taken the Liberty to give him this line of Introduction to you recollecting as I do with Pleasure many agreeable hours...
4684From John Adams to John Marshall, 10 February 1801 (Adams Papers)
Inclosed is a Newbury Port Herald in which is quoted “A letter from John Adams dated Amsterdam 15 of Dec. 1780 to Thomas Cushing Lieutenant Govenor of Massatts.” This letter has been for some years past reprinted & quoted in many American pamphlets & newspapers as genuine & imposes on many people by supposing & imputing to me sentiments inconsistent with the whole tenor of my life & all the...
4685From John Adams to Jeremiah Allen, 2 January 1783 (Adams Papers)
Your favor of 26. Dec r. is come safe to hand, & I thank you for your Care of my dispatches. M r. Storer will write to M r. Williams to pay You the ten Louis for the Expence of the Express which You sent, and I shall pay the Money to M r. Storer. It is not in my Power to give you any Information, whether there will be Peace or War.— I am afraid the English will be again overseen, so far as to...
4686From John Adams to John Manners, 15 July 1819 (Adams Papers)
As every Candid inquirer after truth whether personally known, or unknown to me, is very dear to me; I cannot forbear to acknowledge my obligations to you for your kind favour of June 30th.— The field before you is very intensive; it would be arrogance and presumption in me, to pretend tantas Componere lites, when such names as Ellsworth Washington, Peters, and Cooper, are arrayed on one sid,...
4687From John Adams to Richard Rush, 10 April 1815 (Adams Papers)
It does not Signify, to grow old. You never can get rid of worldly Affairs. I never was more distracted with Business. It pours in upon me from all quarters. I want to write you every day, and two or three times a day. I have read your speculations with pleasure, but with Some grains of reserve. I Send you a Richelieu, upon the Fisheries, Said to be from Connecticut. That State is a rich bed...
4688From John Adams to United States Senate, 22 June 1797 (Adams Papers)
Having Sent the Report and Documents which accompany this Message, to the House of Representatives in Compliance with their desire expressed in their Resolution of the tenth of this Month, I think it proper to Send Duplicates to the Senate for their Information. DNA : RG 46—Records of the U.S. Senate.
4689John Adams to Baron von Thulemeier, 19 November 1784 (Adams Papers)
I have received your Letter which you, did me the Honour to write me the twelfth of this Month: We also received the Honour of your Letter to M r: Franklin, Jefferson, and me, and agreed readily upon an answer, which I hope will be satisfactory, although M r: Humphreys our Secretary of Legation has not yet transmitted it. We have been cautious of sending it by the Post, in these inquisitive...
4690From John Adams to Robert Smith, 6 December 1811 (Adams Papers)
Yesterday I received from the Post Office in this Town, your favour of the thirtieth of November in answer to mine my Letter to you of the twenty fifth of that month I thank you Sir, for the Promptitude, Punctuallity and Accuracy of your Reply, which is fully Satisfactory. It is Such indeed as I know, it must be, from the immutability of Truth. With much respect, I have the Honor to / be Sir,...
4691From John Adams to John Trumbull, 18 November 1805 (Adams Papers)
I had indeed no doubt of the Truth of the Letter relative to the Capture of Cornwallis. My Confidence in the honor of the Writer was such, that the violent Philippic against it only convinced me of the Malevolence and Prejudice of the orator. But as I had heard it not only called in question but vehemently contradicted, I thought it might be well to hear some testimony in corroboration of it....
4692From John Adams to C. W. F. Dumas, 21 May 1780 (Adams Papers)
His Excellency, Dr. Franklin, lent me the inclosed Letter from Sir Henry Clinton to Lord George Germain, upon Condition, that I would send a copy of it to you. A privateer from Boston had the good Fortune to take the Packet bound to London, and the Mail, in which among others this letter was found. It was sent from Boston to Philadelphia and there published in a Newspaper of the 8th of April....
4693From John Adams to William Tudor, Sr., 14 September 1816 (Adams Papers)
Some of those publications, which in France, as you very well know, are called foreign Gazettes & journals, announced to the world in 1782 that the Congress of the United States of America had directed Dr Franklin, and Mr Adams to request the Abby de Mably to furnish them with a plan, or a code of laws for their future government. By whom so ridiculous a fiction was imagined, and how it found...
4694From John Adams to Timothy Pickering, 31 October 1797 (Adams Papers)
I received your favour of the 28th. Inclosed are Some Papers I received from the City of Washington. They are Duplicates of Such as I received Several Weeks ago. I have delayed an Answer because I was not Satisfied and wished to take Advice.—After you have examined them I wish for your Opinion, 1st. whether I ought to Sign the Warrant of Attorney without limitation of time. 2d. Whether the...
46951774 Aug. 17. Wednesday At N[ew] Haven. (Adams Papers)
We are told here that New York are now well united and very firm. This Morning Roger Sherman Esqr., one of the Delegates for Connecticutt, came to see us at the Tavern, Isaac Bears’s. He is between 50 and 60—a solid sensible Man. He said he read Mr. Otis’s Rights &c. in 1764 and thought that he had conceeded away the Rights of America. He thought the Reverse of the declaratory Act was true,...
4696From John Adams to Albert Gallatin, 4 May 1813 (Adams Papers)
I have a Grand Son the oldest Child of J Q Adams whom we are desirous of sending to Petersburg to his father according to his fathers repeated request to us. He is 12 years old and an ingenuous youth. We are anxious to know whether you Gentlemen will condescend to take him under your protection; and whether it will be possible to send him to you before your ship will sail. His father will pay...
4697From John Adams to William Keteltas, 25 November 1812 (Adams Papers)
I have received your polite letter of the 6th of the month and your present of “The Crisis.” You will excuse a question or two. In page 1st you say “Our administrations with the exception of Washingtons have been party administrations.” On what ground do you except Washingtons? If by party you mean majority his majority was the smallest of the four in all his legislative and executive acts...
4698John Adams to Abigail Adams, 15 May 1780 (Adams Papers)
I inclose for your Amusement, a Publication, made here within a few days. Somebody has inserted in the Amsterdam Gazette, that this Gentleman lodges with me. This is done with a political design, but whether it was intended to do honour to me, or him or both, I dont know.—It is not true.—However there is a good Understanding between him and me, and therefore I did not trouble myself to enquire...
4699From John Adams to Timothy Pickering, 15 October 1798 (Adams Papers)
I have received yours of the 6th & thank you for the intelligence from the Southward. The effervescence at Madrid as well as the news from Naples coincides with Mr. King’s letter & the news from Trieste confirms or rather favors the account that Buonaparte’s destination was the Adriatick not Egypt. But we must wait for further eclaireissement. Mr. Sullivans letter gives me apprehension that...
4700Adams’ Minutes of Paine’s Authorities: 29 October 1770 (Adams Papers)
Paines Autho rities . Foster 278. Plea of self Defense. Nailors Case. 290. 291. §2. Slight provocation and ——. Instances in Illustration. 295. A uses provoking Language. &c. 298. Ld. Ray. 1489. Oneby’s Case. 1 Hawk. 73 page. §25. Foster 296. §4. Har Thus in MS. 1. H.H.P.C. 485. 486. Cokes Case Cro. Car. George Croke, Reports of Cases in King’s Bench and Common Bench , Part 3, Charles, London,...
4701From John Adams to Edward Rutledge, 4 July 1782 (Adams Papers)
I do my self the Honour to inclose these Papers relative to the Chester, to you, and to beg the Favour of your Attention and Advice, to the Gentleman who bears them. The owners are very confident that Injustice has been done them. There was no Claim; and they say that the Privateers, contrary to their Bonds, Sent away the Master, and other Persons who could have claimed for them. That no...
4702From John Adams to David Sewall, 23 October 1799 (Adams Papers)
I beg pardon for postponeing to this time an answer to your favor of the 30th. Sept. I have run over all the names, Hooper Lee, Orne, Gerry, Sewal, Otis and twenty others & if you prefer any of them you may give the name. But upon the whole, I have thought that Fort Fisherman would be better than any other. The twelve apostles were fishermen and Marblehead is chiefly inhabited by fishermen....
4703From John Adams to Caesar Augustus Rodney, 4 April 1819 (Adams Papers)
I thank you Sir for your Condolence in my great affliction.— And for the Copies of the two letters from your Uncle to you Father—the first in 65. and the last in 76. Cæsar Rodney your Uncle was in my opinion a judicious and Sagacious Judge of men and things—I knew only three of the Delegates to the Congress of 65.—General Timothy Ruggles was a Man of a strong mind—but devoted to great...
4704John Adams to Abigail Adams, 24 January 1793 (Adams Papers)
Our good Friend General Lincoln gave me this morning your favour of the 7 th which compensated in Part of my Disappointment by Mondays Post. I sett my heart on one Letter a Week and as many more as you please. I cannot say that my desire of Fame increases. It has been Strong in some Parts of my Life but never so strong as my Love of honesty. I never in my Life that I know of sacrificed my...
4705From John Adams to Joseph Gardoqui & Sons, 24 January 1780 (Adams Papers)
I have but just Time to inform you by the Return of our Guide, that We all arrived in safety and in rather better Health than When We took our Leave of you, at this Place, last night. After 8 or 9 Leagues of bad Way, We found the Roads excellent, and the Accommodations at the Taverns all the Way, very comfortable. I assure you We discovered two or three fine Chimneys, besides that which you...
470630 Friday. (Adams Papers)
Still, foggy, damp Weather. Kept School and dined at Mr. Greenes.
4707Toast to John Adams, 4 July 1824 (Adams Papers)
John Adams being invited to attend a celebration of the late anniversary, declined what it would have been the “joy of his heart” to have done, on account of his advanced age and increased infirmities of body. When his note was read to the company, the following toast was given— “ John Adams . Eternity yet lingers, withholding its bright rewards, till Time shall complete his earthly joy in the...
4708John Adams to Abigail Adams, 12 January 1795 (Adams Papers)
Last Week I received through M r Izard a kind Invitation to dine with M rs Powell, whom I had not before seen Since her Loss of M r Powell. Yesterday I had the Pleasure of dining with her and her Brother & sister Francis with their Children and M r & M rs Harrison among the rest—M r & M rs Morris & M r Izard— M rs Powell sends many Compliments to you and regrets that she cannot enjoy your...
4709From John Adams to Martinus Van Marum, 24 December 1805 (Adams Papers)
I have received the letter you did me the honor to write me in July 1805 inclosing a Diploma by which I have the honor to be constituted a member of the very respectable Society of the Sciences at Harlem, signed by Teding van Berkhout as President and yourself as Secretary. As this distinction conferred by a learned Society in that Country where I formerly received so many kindnesses is not...
4710John Adams to Abigail Adams, 8 November 1783 (Adams Papers)
I have this Day, by Special Permission from their Majesties obtained by Mr. West the Painter who with Mr. Copely do so much honour to our Country, Seen the Appartements in the Queens House, as it is called, or Buckingham House. It is a great Curiosity indeed. There is an inestimable Collection of Paintings by the greatest Masters, Raphael, Rubens, Vandyke, and many others. There is one Room...