Adams Papers

From John Stockdale to John Adams, 3 March 1794

From John Stockdale

Piccadilly, London March 3rd. 1794

Dear Sir

I received your favour,1 and return you my sincere thanks for your condescention in complying with my request: the work is now published, and I hope it will answer my purpose; but of this I cannot be certain, but whether it does or not, I am equally oblijed to you.— War hurts my business much, and prevented me printing it in 4to.—

With this, you will receive a Copy, of which I beg your acceptance: the portrait is engraved by one of our first Artists; it pleases much many of your friends, as it is a most excellent likeness & well executed.—

I was much pleased with your Opinion relating to France, and so were several of our great Men, to whom I in confidence, shewed that part of your letter: the political Opinions of great and leading Men in all countries are very acceptable; the leading men in this, as well as yours, I am convinced mean well, though there are some very bad ones on both sides the Atlantic, and who would rejoice to see us at War again, but I trust & hope their hellish spirits will not be gratified, as it is much the interest of both Countries to be on the most friendly footing.— I shall at all times be much pleased to receive a few lines from you.—

Mrs. Stockdale desires her kind respects, and I beg you to present mine to the whole of your family—and in particular to your eldest Son, of whom I have the pleasure to hear a very favourable Account;—

I am / Dear Sir, / With the greatest respect & esteem, / Your Much Oblijed, and / Very Humle. Servt

John Stockdale

P.S. You will also receive half a Dozen Portraits of Mr. Adams, which will be very Acceptable to any of your Absent children.—2

RC (Adams Papers); addressed: “John Adams Esqr. / Vice President of / the United States, &c / Boston.”; endorsed: “Stockdale / 1794.”

1. Of 12 May 1793, above.

2. These portraits, not found, likely derived from the engraving that Stockdale printed on the frontispiece of JA’s Defence of the Const. description begins John Adams, A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America, London, 1787–1788; repr. New York, 1971; 3 vols. description ends , London, 1794, which drew on John Singleton Copley’s 1783 painting of JA (AFC description begins Adams Family Correspondence, ed. L. H. Butterfield, Marc Friedlaender, Richard Alan Ryerson, Margaret A. Hogan, Sara Martin, Hobson Woodward, and others, Cambridge, 1963– . description ends , 5:xvi–xvii).

Index Entries

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    Source Project
    Adams Papers
    Title
    From John Stockdale to John Adams, 3 March 1794
    Author
    Stockdale, John
    Recipient
    Adams, John
    Date
    3 March 1794

    Reference

    Cite as
    “From John Stockdale to John Adams, 3 March 1794,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Adams/06-21-02-0191. [Original source: The Adams Papers, Papers of John Adams, vol. 21, March 1791–January 1797, ed. Sara Georgini, Sara Martin, R. M. Barlow, Gwen Fries, Amanda M. Norton, and Hobson Woodward. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2022, pp. 266–267.]

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