When I wrote you last, I was just going to Set out on a journey to the West of England. I promised you to visit mr Cranchs Friends and Relatives, this we did as I shall relate to you we were absent a month, and made a Tour of about six hundred Miles. the first place we made any stay at, was Winchester. There was formerly an Earl of Winchester, by the Name of Saar de Quincy. he was created Earl of Winchester by King john in 12.24. and Signed Magna Charta, which I have seen, the original being now in the British Museum with his Hand writing to it.1

it is said that the year 1321 the Title became extinct, through failure of male Heirs, but I rather think through the poverty of some branch unable to contend for it. the family originally came from Normandy in the Time of William the Conquerer. they bear the same Arms with those of our Ancesters except that ours Substituded an animal for the crest in lieu, of an Earls coronet. I have a perfect remembrance of a parchment in our Grandmothers possession, which when quite a child I used to amuse myself with. this was a Geneological Table which gave the descent of the family from the Time of William the conquerer this parchment mr Edmund Quincy borrowed on some occasion, & I have often heard our Grandmother Say with some anger, that she could never recover it. as the old Gentleman is still living, I wish mr Cranch would question him 154 image

From Weymouth our next excursion was to Axmister the first Town in the County of Devonshire. it is a small place, but has two manufactures of Note, one of Carpets & one of Tapes—both of 157

the Natural advantages of this place are superiour to any I have before seen, commanding a wide and extensive view of the ocean, the whole Town of plimouth, and the adjacent Country with the Mountain of cornwall— I have not much to Say with respect to the improvements of art, there is a large park well stockd with Deer, and some shady walks, but there are no Grottos Statuary Sculpture or Temples.—

at Plimouth we were visited by a mr & mrs Sawry; with whom we drank Tea one afternoon; mr Sawry is well known to many Americans, who were prisoners in plimouth jail during the late war. the money which was raised for their relief, past through his Hands and he was very kind to them, assisting many in their escape.—9 from plimouth we made an enterprize one day to Horsham and as we attempted it in a coach & four, we made a curious peice of work, taking by mistake a wrong road, but this part of my story I must reserve for my dear eliza.

our next Movement was a Kings Bridge, but before I relate this, I ought to inform you, that we made a stop at a place call Ivey Bridge where we dined, and mr Adams accompanied mr Cranch to Brook about 3 miles distant, to visit his uncle mr William Cranch, who has been for several years quite lost to himself and Friends. there is some little property in the hands of the family who take charge of him, sufficient to Support a person who has no more wants than he has. he appeard clean & comfortable, but took no notice either of the conversation, or persons. the only thing which in the least roused him, was the mention of his wife, he appeard to be wrestless when that Subject was touchd. The Character of this Man, as given by all his Friends and acquaintance, leads one to regreet in a particular manner the loss of his intellects, possesst of a Genious superiour to his station, a thirst for knowledge which his circumstances in Life permitted him not to persue, most amiable and engageing in 160his manners, formed to have adornd a superiour Rank in Life, fondly attachd to an amiable wife, whom he very soon lost, he fell a sacrifice to a too great Sensibility, unable to support the shock, he grew melancholy and was totally lost.—10 But to return to Kings Bridge, the Chief resort of the Cranch family. we arrived at the Inn, about Six oclock a saturday Evening, about 8 we were saluted with a ringing of Bells—a circumstance we little expected. very soon we were visited by the various Branches of the Cranch family both male & female amounting to 15 persons, but as they made a strange jumble in my Head, I persuaded my fellow Traveller to make me out a Genealogical Table, which I send you.11 mr & mrs Burnell mr & mrs Trathan, both offerd us beds and accommodations at their houses, but we were too numerous to accept their Kind invitation, tho we engaged ourselves to dine with mr Burnell, & to drink Tea with mr Trathan the next day. Mrs Burnell has a strong resemblance to mrs palmer she is a Geenteel woman, and easy & polite. we dinned at a very pretty dinner, and after meeting drank Tea at the other House mr Trathans. their Houses are very small, but every thing neat and comfortable, mr Burnel is a shoe maker worth 5000 pounds and mr Trathan a Grocier in good circumstances.12 the rest of the families joind us at the two houses. they are all serious industerius good people amongst whom the greatest family harmony appears to Subsist. the people of this County appear more like our Newengland people than any I have met with in this Country before, but the distinction between Tradesmen & Gentry as they are termd is widely different from those distinctions in our Country. with us in point of Education and manners the Learned professions and many merchants Farmers & Tradesmen, are upon an equality with the Gentry of this Country. it would be degrading to compare them with many of the Nobility here. as to the Ladies of this Country their manners appear to be totally depraved, it is in the middle ranks of society, that virtue & morality are yet to be found. nothing does more injury to the Female Character, than frequenting publick places, and the rage which prevails now for the Watering places and the increased Number of them, is become a National evil as it promotes and encourages dissapation, mixes all characters promiscuously, is the resort of the most unprincipald female characters who are not ashamed to shew their faces wherever men dare to go modesty and diffidence, are calld ill Breeding, and Ignorance of the world. an impudent stare, is substituted in lieu of that modest deportment and that retireing Grace which aws, whilst it enchants. I 161have never seen a female Modle here, of such unaffected modest, & sweetly amiable manners, as mrs Guile mrs Russel, & many other American females exhibit.—

Having filld 8 pages I think it is near time to hasten to a close. Cushing and Folger are both arrived, by each I have received Letters from you. a new sheet of paper must contain a replie to them, this little Space Shall assure you of what is not confined to Time or place / the ardent affection of your / sister

Yours & Mr. Adams of the 1t. & Yours of the 4th. of July I recd. the 6th. Inst. the former by a British Vessell the latter by the Way of New York—1 being then in Boston, I immediately applied to our Friend Dr. Wilch to prepare the Way for the Purchase of Borlands Farm thinking it best to conceal your Name, till we were sure of accomplishing the Business— The Dr. applied and found that Mr B. was then repairing the House, that his Mother was to remove into it shortly and that Mr. B. had given up the Thoughts of selling it, but upon the whole Mr B. said that he would sell it for £800 the Dr. offered him £550 & left him Mr. B. having so far receeded as to say that 700 was his Ultimatum— After some Days the Dr. saw him again, found him disposed to converse on the Subject & finally offered him £600 including the Repairs, which after a few Days Consideration he agreed to and as soon as I have raised the Money by Bills shall close the whole and make such Repairs as are of Necessity for securing the Buildig, I shall send you the Dimensions of the Floors—all paper Hangings are prohibited from Importation If I remember right—and the best & neatest are made here at a very reasonable Price— I wish for your particular Direction with respect to Paintings and the Color if you have any particular Choice The Repairs must be very considerable— Mr. B——d compleated all matters with Mr. T——r. and is in full Possession of all the Lands, except those sold to Deac W[eb]b & Bass which Mr B. has given them a Deed of— Mr. T. is said to have expended £100 lawful money on the 163Buildg. &c and in the Purchase of Materials, such as were not used on the Buildings were swept off by his Creditors—the Wind Mill gone also to them— I have repaired Belchers House at as little Expense as I could possibly and have made it, tenantable—have also made a New Fence between that Place & the Widw Veseys adjoining— There is wanting a great Quantity of manure for your Lands, I have made repeated Enquiries but cannot as yet obtain any—it is every where engaged— The Spirit of Husbandry rises fast— People are dayly improving the Mode of managing their Farms—the great Price which English Hay bore for many Years—has produced such an Increase as to reduce the Price as low or lower than it was before the Revolution— Salt Hay is less in Use & consequently Salt marsh less valuable— Grain is more cultivated than formerly— My Friend on revisiting his Farm will not find it in such a State as to meet his Wishes— Our Scituation has neither encouraged nor permitted any further Exertions than what present Necessity required—and I am pretty sure that the Picture of Barreness & Poverty exhibited I wish it may not be known to any Body, that I ever had Instructions for buying that Place—unless hereafter it should be purchased—2 in Veseys Place will extinguish any Inclination for the Possession of it— And as Mr. A—— has not seen it for many Years—I know He will forgive me if I postpone the Purchase, till He can personally judge of the Quality of it &c

You have before this Time recd. Letters by Capt Cushing & others—from your Friends. My Letters have informed You of the Terms agreed upon with Mr. Parsons for the Instruction of Yr Son—also of the Part assignd Him at Commencment—the applause he obtained and of his Design to enter on his Studies in Septr. — Last Week He went to Newbury for that purpose— By a Calculation we made His annual Expence including his Instruction will amount to £90 Pr. Annm. He boards @ 15/ per Week which was the lowest Price we could obtain— The Expence for the Children for the last Year youll be able to form some Judgment of by my Account enclosed,3 tho not so fully as if it had been more particular but much writing I am both for want of Time & weakness of Eye Sight obliged to avoid— Mr John did not call upon me for Pocket Money while at College— He is prudent and knows how to use Money— In my Account you will form some Judgment of what has been delivered to Charles & Thos. If it exceeds your Expectations I wish for your Remarks— their Quarter Bills are delivered in to me and are in general personally discharged by me— Necessaries (if they are to be called such) Tea, 164Sugar & Liquors have been generally procured for them, that Buttery Scores might be prevented—and as all Articles from the Buttery I find to be charged at a large Advance, I have advised them in future to have no Account at the Buttery— a very considerable Part of the money paid your Sister was for purchasing Cloathes for the Children, discharging Taylors Bills &c—

The Produce of your half of the Farm amounted to about £30 the last year, a considerable Part of this is absorbed in Taxes & Services done by Pratt and is accounted for in the Settlement of his Account and no more of it enters into my Account than you find Credited to you— I have vested about £200 sterlg in public Securities part of which is included in this Acctt. & the Remainder in the next. I think it must be for your Advantage to lay out as little as may be in Lands at present and to keep as much as you can in personal Property that will not be visible and at the same Time productive. whether this may be best effected by the purchase of public Notes is problematical the Interest from them is distant, the Continental are at 2/6 per £ State Notes @ 3/6— Bills of Exchange are fallen much— They have been purchased within a fortnight past from £5 pr. Ct. to Par at 30 Days. I have sold one Bill this Day dated the 15th. Inst. to Mr. John Osborn of £150 sterlg at 30 Days Sight 5 pr Ct above par of which I have given Mr. Adams Notice in a Letter by Capt Kettlewell bound to Liverpool but am doubtful, whether I shall get so much again4

We are, in the Massachusetts, at present in a State of Peace and Quietness, waiting for the Result of the federal Convention— Pardon has been granted to all those Traitors that were under Sentence of Death— The sudden Departure of a small French Fleet which came here about 5 or 6 Weeks past and which were expected to have lain here for some Time longer, has occasioned much Speculation—and leads many to fear that Storms are rising in Europe and will shortly overspread many Nations.5

Mr. Adams's Defence has gone through several Editions in America—it has met with great Applause there are a few however, that seem to be disgusted with his Encomiums on the British Constitution and the Spirit which the Defence discovers against pure Democracy There are some whom we may suppose to be fomentors of Faction under british Influence and perhaps employed to poison the Minds of People & sew Discord, who have endeavoured to insinuate into the Minds of some People, That Mr. A. was for Monarchy and his Plan to introduce one of the young Princes of England to take the Throne in America the Remarks of the London Monthly 165Reviews have been published here a few Days past and those of the critical Reviewers follow them as a contrast—6 The Ill nature of Great Britain towards America—American Ministers & American Productions will continue untill we have a national efficient Government—

I forgot to mention, that Mr. Thos. Allen late of Braintree died in So Carolina the 25 of Augt. last; previous to closing with Mr Borland, I sounded Mr. Abel respecting the of his Farm. He wished to sell it—but his Price I found to be from 28 to 3000 £ a Price so high that he will not be able to sell it— His Fathers Death will probably occasion the Sale of it at what it will fetch be it more or less—7

At Weymouth We are far advanced towards the Settlement of a Minister (Who is not a married Man) by name Mr Jacob Norton, Son of our Cous. Sam Norton Esq. of Abington, He will probably be ordained in a fortnight or Three Weeks— He is young, possesses good Abilities, & a good Character—as yet but little acquainted with the World—8

Our good and worthy Uncle Smith has for some Months manifested a declining State of Health; for years past he has been affected with a scorbutic Humour in one of his Legs— Sometime in July upon the going of a severe Cough, it became very troublesome accompanied with a swelling & Inflammation of the Limb which rose to such a Degree as to threaten a Mortification and for some Days every Symptom indicated the Loss of Life—the Danger however from his Limb subsided— But the general State of his Health gives us no very flattering Expectations of his recovering his former State and for Ten Days past, I cannot find any material Amendment other than in the diseased Limb—

24t.

To morrow a Committee of the Overseers will visit our University we shall then have Specimens of the Students Improvements and I hope to have the Pleasure of seeing Masr Charles acquit himself with Honor—a Part in the Exhibition (I am informed) is assigned Him—

Our Cousin Willm. Cranch is studying Law with Mr Dawes—

I have taken a View of the Buildings & Fences, at Borlands, and find much to do— The West Room which is finished with Mohogany—Would you have it painted?—if so inform me— It would perhaps be an Amendment, if one or two Windows were cut out at the West End of it and the Closets removed. The Front Rooms below & 166Chambers above as well as the outside of the House require Painting— The Walls of the East Room & Chamber over it must be papered or painted—the Hangings are all removed—

The Floor of the East Room below is 17 by 15 ½ Feet If you provide a Floor Cloth, the Hearth I suppose must be taken out, which is 5 Feet long—18 Inches wide (I. E. projecting out to the Floor)— the West Room 16 by 16 ½ Hearth 5 ½ Ftt. long 2 Ftt. 2 Inches Wide— I am repairing the Windows (which will require a 15l. of Glass) and what else that may be of immediate necessity & shall make preparations against the Spring for completing the whole before which Time I shall receive your Instructions9 You will embrace the first oppy. to give such Directions relative to the Buildings &C that you may think necessary

Adieu Your Affecte. Friend