31John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 13 June 1802 (Adams Papers)
If your two letters of 16 May, and 3. inst t: have hitherto remained unanswered you must impute it to a multiplicity of occupations, which for the last month have so entirely engross’d my time, as scarcely to leave me a moment for the pleasure of conversing with my friends either by word of mouth or by epistolary conveyance— The address to the fire Society, you doubtless received as soon as...
32John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 25 July 1802 (Adams Papers)
In point of form I know not how the balance of epistolary correspondence between you and me stands; and it is altogether immaterial: having at present some leisure and the prospect of more, I cannot employ it to better advantage than in adding to the frequency of communication with you. My wife has recently received a letter from you, and has answered it within these two days, with an...
33John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 27 August 1802 (Adams Papers)
I duly received your letters of the 21 st: enclosing the pamphlet of Gentz, and likewise the post-note, with your account— This last I have not yet examined, but I presume it to be substantially correct.— I am again to repeat my thanks for your attention to my affairs. I hope to have the pleasure of seeing you soon here, though I hope also that the tremendous menaces of malignant yellow fever...
34John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 5 October 1802 (Adams Papers)
The apt and excellent quotation from Horace’s epistles, in your letter of 26 th: ult o: made me turn over all the editions and translations of the old poet, that came within my reach, to find the context— When once a man takes up Horace, it is not easy to lay him down again— So in turning over the leaves, I stumbled by the strangest accident imaginable upon the fourth Ode of the second book—...
35John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 30 October 1802 (Adams Papers)
I received last evening your favour of the 21 st: inst t: and now enclose you a set of three bills at sixty days sight, drawn on Mess rs: Bird, Savage and Bird, London, for one thousand pounds Sterling— With them I send a letter of advice, unsealed; at the bottom of which you may add that you have endorsed over the bills, when you shall have sold them. Then seal it up, and be careful to send...
36John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 12 December 1802 (Adams Papers)
I have had your favour of the 30 th: ult o: several days; and have taken time to deliberate upon its contents— And first as to the chemical apparatus—If you have not already procured one, we shall spare you any further trouble about it, as we have succeeded in obtaining a large one here, which will quite supersede the want of D r: Woodhouse’s oeconomical preparations— If however you have...
37John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 2 January 1803 (Adams Papers)
I have now received the Port-Folio, to number 48 inclusive; excepting N: 47 which yet remains in arrear— They have come to me lately, two and three at a time; but other subscribers have not been so well served— At Quincy N: 48 has been received but six or seven numbers immediately preceding it are missing— This procedure must be corrected The ode to Xanthias Phoceus, has produced some...
38John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 2 April 1803 (Adams Papers)
The House of Bird, Savage and Bird have stop’d payment, and probably the bill I drew upon them which you negotiated last November, will come back protested— In that case, settle the amount to be paid, with the indorsee duly entitled to it, who may call upon you; let me know the amount and I will send you a post note for it— Be careful to see that the protest and proceedings have all been...
39John Quincy Adams to William Stephens Smith, 4 April 1803 (Adams Papers)
The House of Bird, Savage and Bird, in London, had, when they failed, property, to the amount of nearly £4000 sterling, belonging to my father in their hands; for which I had drawn bills in October and November last— These bills are now returning protested for me to take up, with all the costs and charges upon them— I now write you, not with an expectation that you will find any property of...
40John Quincy Adams to Catherine Nuth Johnson, 4 July 1803 (Adams Papers)
I have the pleasure to inform you, that this morning at about 3. o’clock, my dear M rs: Adams presented me another fine boy, after having a very good time, and both are now as well as we can possibly expect— I was myself out at Quincy, spending Sunday I am, Dear Madam, faithfully your’s RC ( Adams Papers ); addressed: “M rs: C. Johnson / Washington.”; internal address: “M rs: C. Johnson /...
41John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 19 August 1803 (Adams Papers)
I have received two or three letters from you, which I have not answered for want of a conveyance— My objection to the Post Office, you know— I have two or three pieces by me, in a state of preparation for you; which I purpose sending by the first convenient private opportunity.— M r: Hichborn brought me last week a letter from you; but I have not been able to see him since, having been all...
42John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 21 August 1803 (Adams Papers)
You will be so anxious to hear the state of your mother’s health that I cannot forbear writing you a line— Since I wrote you last no material change has taken place— The danger has not apparently increased, neither can we flatter ourselves that it has diminished— Her pain is not so severe as it was, and she has now little fever; but her weakness is the most formidable symptom— She has little...
43John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 12 October 1803 (Adams Papers)
We have been detained here since Sunday the 9 th: inst t: by the severe illness of my wife— We think however to go on this day, as far as Elizabeth-town, and to proceed by easy Stages to-morrow as far as Princeton, and the next day, (God willing) to Frankfort, where we hope to find you— If you can procure for us in that place, or on the other side of the City, towards Baltimore, convenient...
44John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 15 October 1803 (Adams Papers)
I presume you had not left Bristol two hours before we arrived there— Your advice to us to stop at the Fox-Chace, we could not follow— For we should not have known how to get forward— Neither can we go into the City, because, if we did they would exclude us from Baltimore.— We are now at Dover’s—The Rising Sun—Close by the Bridge— We shall stop here to-morrow, and proceed on Monday— We hope...
45John Quincy Adams to Abigail Adams, 7 November 1803 (Adams Papers)
I have received, My dear Mother, your kind letter of the 23 d: ult o: and it gives me the most cordial gratification to learn that your health was daily improving— I have also the satisfaction to tell you that my wife and children as well as myself are in very good health— As are all the family with whom we here reside, excepting M rs: Hellen, and she is fast recovering. My brother has...
46John Quincy Adams to Abigail Adams, 9 December 1803 (Adams Papers)
I inclose you a letter from my wife, who would have written you earlier but that George has been very ill with a fever, for several days— He is however, thank God now recovered. I have not written to you so often myself as I ought to have done, the only reason for which has been the ardour with which I have thoughtlessly thrown myself into the vortex of public business— The only object or use...
47John Quincy Adams to William Smith Shaw, 16 December 1803 (Adams Papers)
I received last evening with much pleasure your favour of the 5 th: inst t: — I had been so long without any intelligence from home that I began to be uneasy— And even now, I cannot but wish you had said something about the family at Quincy— I believe it is more than a month since I have heard from thence, at-all— I am anxious particularly to know the state of health of my dear mother. I am...
48John Quincy Adams to Abigail Adams, 22 December 1803 (Adams Papers)
I received two days ago your kind favour of the 3 d: inst t: and it was very precious as containing information of your health, and that of my father, and friends at Quincy.— I have been and am sensible of the inconvenience there would be in any free interchange of political sentiments upon the passing events, by a correspondence which must pass through the channel of the Post-Office— I...
49John Quincy Adams to William Stephens Smith, 2 January 1804 (Adams Papers)
I find by the newspapers that a Commission of bankruptcy has issued against Robert Bird, and as it is impossible for me to attend personally before the Commissioners to make proof of my debt, and demand my claim, I take the liberty of inclosing them to you, with an earnest request that you would present them for me, at the next meeting of the Commissioners which I think is to be on the 10 th:...
50John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 14 January 1804 (Adams Papers)
The Louisiana revenue bill (of which I sent you some time since a copy) has this day pass’d the third reading in the Senate— But with various amendments so that it must go back to the House of Representatives, where it will probably pass on Monday— The first section has been altered in point of form, and made as I conceive more vague and uncertain than it was at first— In thirty-five days from...
51John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 17 January 1804 (Adams Papers)
I inclose you together with the last sheet of the Journals of the House of Representatives, a Report from the Secretary of the Treasury, shewing the receipts and expenditures, upon the Seamen’s fund— You will see from this how much is collected in New-England, and how much expended elsewhere— Look particularly at the port of Norfolk. The Louisiana Government bill goes on prospering and to...
52John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 22 January 1804 (Adams Papers)
I do not take the Washington Federalist; and it is now in general so poorly conducted as hardly to be worth sending you if I did— But I sent you some time since one of its numbers, and will send you others if they should contain any thing interesting to the fire-side. I can also inclose to you the Intelligencer which contains a pretty good report of the debates in the House— Those in the...
53John Quincy Adams to Abigail Adams, 27 January 1804 (Adams Papers)
Your kind favour of the 10 th: inst t: came to hand last evening— And I would take this opportunity to request that all letters for me from Quincy, may be put in to the post-office there; without waiting to send them to Boston— I shall thus get them sooner— My own letters too I hope go directly to Quincy.— My brother I imagine will be satisfied with the frequency of my writing or inclosing...
54John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 27 January 1804 (Adams Papers)
We have this day a sort of Holiday, to rejoyce for the acquisition of our new Territories— The Members of Congress of both Houses are to dine together— [The] federalists who opposed the cession however do not join in the party— Those of us who approved the measure, are to be of the feast—where we at least shall find not much congeniality. You will find in the inclosed papers numerous and very...
55John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 30 January 1804 (Adams Papers)
I send this day a packet, to your father containing the Journals and other publications of the day; with an Intelligencer, containing the account of our festival on Friday last.— That is to say, of the dinner— To morrow evening there is to be a Ball for the same purpose. One of the toasts drank at the feasts was “ An Union of Parties ,” which is like drinking the Millennium— I suppose they...
56John Quincy Adams to John Adams, 31 January 1804 (Adams Papers)
This prohibition of the admission of slaves into Louisiana, is like the drawing of a jaw tooth. We have expedient after expedient introduced to answer this purpose— Breckenridge has at last concentrated all his wisdom on the subject in the Amendment, which I now inclose you.— This is a tolerably good device to reconcile the two parties of slave and anti-slave, into which the majority are...
57John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, 18 February 1804 (Adams Papers)
The Louisiana Government bill has this day pass’d, yeas 20. Nays 5.— It now goes to the House of Representatives, where we shall see what will be done with it.— On the final question this day taken I alone spoke against it, and was answered only by one member— He saw no Constitutional objection—because the clause authorizing Congress to make needful rules and regulations for the territory, and...
58John Quincy Adams to John Adams, 25 February 1804 (Adams Papers)
I received last Evening yours of the 11 th: inst t: — You cannot employ your leisure more charitably , than in writing me these long letters— They give me some of the sweetest of my enjoyments, and comfort me amidst the thorns and briars of the path I am travelling. I shall endeavour to complete your set of the journals; but I am not sure that I can get spare sheets of all the numbers you...
59John Quincy Adams to Abigail Adams, 15 March 1804 (Adams Papers)
A few days since, I received your kind favour of 25. ult o: and am greatly rejoyced at the restoration of your health— But I have delayed answering it hitherto, because as the Session draws to a close, we find ourselves more driven for want of time; in addition to which we have had the extraordinary business of trying an impeachment, and I have been in trouble with illness in the family— Both...
60John Quincy Adams to John Adams, 15 March 1804 (Adams Papers)
You will see by the folio sheet I inclose to you, that the House of Representatives have not yet done with the Government of Louisiana.— The fourth Section is the only one in which there seems much difficulty to the Legislators of the day— Many attempts were made to vary that here, and they are renewed in the House— They sport with Louisiana, as a Cat sports with a mouse— But to help our...