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My dearest Friend
I last Evening received Your favours of April 21
[John to Abigail, 21 April 1796]
, 23
[John to Abigail, 23 April 1796]
, 24
[John to Abigail, 24 April 1796]
and 26th
[John to Abigail, 26 April 1796]
. I think an other Week will discover the, Sense of the people so fully, that the Representitives can no longer delay to perform their part. I have not on any occasion seen so general and universal an allarm. The people have waited during a Months debate with patience and temper, expecting that in the end, the House would comply, but as they see them grow hardned, and the period nearly at Hand, when Great Britain has stipulated to deliver the posts, a well grounded fear has pervaded throughout New England, which has roused the Merchant, the mechanick, the Farmer. A large Majority of each will be to call upon the House of Representitives, and to warn them not to prostrate the Faith and Honour of the Nation. The circular Letter which you will see in the Centinal of yesterday, the 30th. has been sent here, and tomorrow is our May meeting, when it will I suppose be laid before the Town. Captain Beal, brought up those for Quincy, for Weymouth, Braintree, Randolph, Stoughton, Sharon, all of which he rode to, in one day and deliverd himself. I wish his knowledge was equal to his zeal, for that is to be commended. Deacon Webb enterd but coldly into the buisness. The Letter is to the Select Men. There was a proposal that the papers should be read after meeting to night, and tomorrow be signed. The Deacon thought that it would require a Month to inform the people, and he could not see what good it was to do. He however said, that he would communicate the papers. He could not come to meeting this forenoon. If he had he might
I shall see Dr. Tufts in the course of the week and report what you say. I have engaged Billings for four Months.
I will pay Mrs. Brisler Ten dollors. Be so good as to tell Brisler he must not forget paper, pens and wax of which I have made liberal use this last five months.