Adams Family Correspondence, volume 8

Abigail Adams to Richard Cranch, 10 May 1787 Adams, Abigail Cranch, Richard
Abigail Adams to Richard Cranch
London May 10th 1787 Dear sir

Inclosed Sir I send you the Review of the defence of the American constitution, which if you please you may have published in the Boston papers,1 and an other pamphlet is inclosed; calld political Sketches, written by a mr Murry a young Gentleman from Maryland who is a student in the Temple. you will see that he has parts, and Genious, tho I think he has sometimes renderd his meaning obscure by too many words.

I acknowledge myself much indebted to you for two excellent Letters,2 and mr Adams is your debtor also, but he says his Friends must not expect any but printed Letters from him. he is persueing the same subject through an other volm in which he is considering the Ialian Republicks through the middle age a work of no small labour—as well as expensive in the article of Books.3

The Royall family appear at present a House divided against themselves— mr Fox has been authorized by the Prince to declare in the House, that no ceremony like a marriage had ever taken place between him & mrs Fitzherbert— those believe it who can, but with what Face then has the Prince introduced her into all companies, amongst those who certainly would not have received her as his xxxxx—it is still a mistery. I have sent my son a pamphlet calld anticipation of speaches upon Alderman Newnhams motion for Relieving the Prince from his debts & increasing his Revenue4 the writers have not spaired his Character, nor yet exagerated his faults, he will lend it you— you will see by the papers the account of things in France. Holland appears determined upon a through Revolution in favour of the people. I inclose you a little publication of mr Neckers,5 and some French papers which Mr Adams takes, may afford you some amusement

By the latest accounts which we have received from your side the Water, it appears that the Rebellion is pretty well quelld. I wish most sincerely that all your other difficulties were in as fair a train, but I fear they will be increased by an event which has spread an amazing allarm here within a few Days. I mean the protesting to the amount of Forty thousands pounds worth of mr Morris & co Bills Some make the sum much larger, but I speak only from the [au]thority of the House who was to answer them, whether the deficiency is in America, or in France time must determine, but it is a terrible stab 43to what little remaind, of credit to America. What renders this event more terrible at this Time, is that the Board of Treasury had sold to mr morris tobaco & taken his Bills for the payment of the interest in Holland, which is due in june transmitted here to Mr Adams, to be tenderd by him to the House of Rucker but mr Rucker & family had left the Kingdom and the Bills are protested, and mr Adams is in anxiety enough to know what can be done.6 this last matter you will keep private. as to his other Bills being protested, the whole city rings with it, and I suppose in concequence of it every House with which he is concernd will push him at once. What the concequence will be no one can Say. will newyork still persist in refusing the impost? what [is to] become of us?7

RC (NAlI:Cranch-Greenleaf Papers); endorsed: “Letter from Ms. / Adams, Lady of / his Excy. / May. 10th. 1787.” Some loss of text due to a torn manuscript.

1.

The review of JA's Defence of the Const . from the April 1787 Critical Review was reprinted in the Massachusetts Centinel, 22, 26 September.

2.

Richard Cranch's last two extant letters to AA were dated 13 April and 5 July 1786 (vol. 7:138–140, 242–244).

3.

JA retained in his library, now at MB, a number of books on Italian history, including Domenico Buoninsegni, Historia fiorentina, Florence, 1581; Gasparo Bombaci, Historie memorabili della città di Bologna, Bologna, 1666; Cherubino Ghirardacci, Della historia di Bologna [parte prima], Bologna, 1605; Pietro Giannone, Istoria civile del regno di Napoli, 5th edn., Naples, 1770; Francesco Guicciardini, The History of Italy, 3d edn., transl. Austin Parke Goddard, London, 1763; Niccolò Machiavelli, Works, 2d edn., transl. Ellis Farneworth, London, 1775; Lodovico Antonio Muratori, Annali d'Italia dal principio dell' era volgare, sino all' anno 1750, 12 vols. in 6, Naples, 1773; and Muratori, Dissertazioni sopra le antichità italiane, Milan, 1751 ( Catalogue of JA's Library ; Haraszti, Prophets , p. 47).

4.

Anticipation of the Speeches Intended to Be Spoken in the House of Commons, on Friday, May 4: Upon the Motion of Alderman Newnham, Relative to the Affairs of the Prince of Wales, London, 1787.

5.

Probably Mr. Necker's Answer to Mr. de Calonne's Charge against Him in the Assembly of Notables, for which see AA to JQA, 6 May, note 2, above.

6.

In March 1787, Robert Morris had given bills of exchange worth 75,000 florins to the U.S. Board of Treasury for the sale of his tobacco in France. The bills, however, were protested for nonpayment. John Rucker, who served as Morris' financial agent in London, was discredited by this nonpayment, which also served to undermine the United States' ability to pay the interest on its Dutch loan. Rucker and his family left England as a result of the scandal ( Dipl. Corr., 1783–1789 , 2:751–754; JA, Works , 8:444–445; JA to Samuel Osgood, Walter Livingston, and Arthur Lee, 8 March [May], LbC, APM Reel 112). See also AA2 to JQA, 10 June, below.

7.

At this point in the manuscript the remainder of the page was cut off.

Abigail Adams to Mary Smith Cranch, 11 May 1787 Adams, Abigail Cranch, Mary Smith
Abigail Adams to Mary Smith Cranch
May 11. 1787 London My dear sister

Captain Callihans delay gives me an other opportunity of writing you, tho I have nothing material to add, but that I have pleasd my fancy in a peice of chintz which I have sent to my Neices. when I 44first came to this country near 3 years ago I bought one for mrs smith & an other for myself like it. it wore so well, washt so nice, & lookd so pretty; that I have been frequently seeking the same pattern: but as there is but one man in England who printed the pattern I never could find but one peice of it; which I bought for mr Jefferson last spring. the other day in comeing up the Strand I cast my Eye upon this very peice, and I did not let the opportunity slip of buying it for my dear Neices I hope it may please them as much as it has done me, and be received by them as a token of my affection. their Books are put up in the Same bundle with some pamphlets I have sent their Father. I bought 2 waistcoat patterns one for J Q A & the other I ask your sons acceptance of. he may take his choice. you will find in the same Bundle some dimity for draws, for my son that stands most in need. I have divided my parcels between captain Callihan & mr Blodget, that I may not over load either. if they were not so good as to put them in their Trunks for me, many of the articles would be obliged to pay a duty— mrs Smith is yet confined, not with a real broken Breast, but with a succession of Boils which tho a little more than Skin deep, have been very troublesome. She has had half a dozen of them for myself I have been better for a week past than, for two months.

I have not heard from you for a long time, at least it seems so to me. The terrible event which has happend to our American affairs & which mr Cranch can explain to you, has obliged the only American family who resided here to quit the Kingdom; even without taking leave, mr Ruckers family whom I have frequently mentiond to you: both she & her sister were in habits of intimacy here. mr Rucker personally I suppose is not concernd any otherways than as an agent for mr Morris—but he is the last American House there is to run away (I except those who have taken up their final residence here)—indeed I know not but it will come to our turn, sooner rather than we intended; for if we cannot get even our sallery, we must quit too, at present the allarm is so great that I know not the concequence. mr Adams is in great perplexity for the credit of the united states, but he must Suffer in silence, & devize means & Rack his Brain for some expedient to save it.

I wish I was safe in America, but that will be a little like; getting out of the frying pan into the Fire—and I do not foresee what is to become of us there. We shall have corn & Beans I hope, & that will be a luxery after having lived without so long— I am not apt to distress myself. I can ride in a one horse chaise the rest of my Life 45without being at all mortified, and very happy if I can get that, and I can do many other things, which I do not now. I have never spent half so many pleasent hours in Europe, in the same space of time, as I have known at the foot of pens Hill, and there I hope to be blessed again in the Society of my Sisters and Friends. I look forward to the day with pleasure and / am most tenderly yours

A Adams

RC (MWA:Abigail Adams Letters); addressed: “To / Mrs Mary Cranch / Braintree”; notation: “favourd pr mr / Blodget.”