John Quincy Adams to Abigail Adams, 11 August 1778
John Quincy Adams to Abigail Adams
Paris august ye 11 1778
Hond. Mamma
you will pardon me if I do not write to you very often for you know how I used to teaze you to write a copy of a letter for me but now I do not have you to write and my Pappa being always a doing publick affaires or a writing to you cannot do it for me, so that I am obliged to think myself, sometimes I think of a few words to write but you know I am no great hand at letter writing for if I was I should write much oftener though I have wrote several times I wrote a long letter by captain Barnes with an account of my voyage1
I am your dutiful son
John Quincy Adams
RC (Adams Papers). Text is given here in literal style.
1. Not found; doubtless lost at sea.