I last evening receiv'd your kind Letter from Providence but shall not be able to get one to you by tomorrows Post—but shall write by the next I have not seen mr Brisler since you went away but heard that your Goods were puting on Board the vessel yesterday

This day Twelves months I accompany'd my dear Brother & Sister to the House of God to offer with grateful hearts I hope our acknowledgments ffor the favours we had receiv'd during our long Separation from each other Providence has again call'd you from me & tho it is what I ought to have wish'd as a Lover of my country, I must mourn as an affectionate Sister, I do not know why I have found it so much harder parting now than before, but it really is so. I have more difficultis to incounter now than then. & my prospects are gloomy. this is one reason I believe— I feel as if I should want the kind Soothings of my Sisters I wish & try to be chearful I know it is my duty to be so. but I cannot always succeed— Patience & resignation are the great dutys I have to exerccesse Hope & Trust must be their attendants or the Heart would faint my wishes are not large. there is therefore the greater probability that they may be gratified— Honour without profit we have had enough of— To pay our debts, to live decently & to see our Friends in the way we have been use'd to is not an unreasonable wish? is it my Sister?— but however providence may See fit to dispose of us I hope to be resign'd— I will rejoice in the prosperity of my Friends & endeavour to find my Happinss in doing what I can to make others so—

Before this reaches you I hope you will have arriv'd safe & made your Friends happy by your presence, I will rejoice in their joy. I will think of you as a happy circle, & place myself among you. I will repair to the nursery & play with the sweet little Boys, William do not break your little Horse & go tell mama who sent it to you—

Pray tell me what kind of a Being they have fore a Governor in Rhode Island— I hope Polly told him whose Grandaughter she was—I was once in company with the Browns at major Fullers. There were a number of the Family din'd there Louisia must be much gratified by the new Scene which has open'd upon her— Her modest mild manners will gain her many admires. She will be flutter'd round. your watchful eye will ever be upon her I know— my dear charles will I hope guard against every temptation to evil— tell him that I love him with an affection little short of what I feel for my own son— tell him also if you please that as he has his companions now to chuse anew that I conjure him by all that is sacred as he values his reputation among the virtuous & worthy of mankind— as he would not imbitter the declining years of his Parents & wound the hearts of his Friends to be careful who he admits to call him thier Friend & associate He will write to his cousins I hope I wanted to say a great deal to him before he went away but I could not—

I thank you my dear Sister for every expression of your affection in whatever way discover'd— The suit of velvet will be very useful the contents of the Bottles will be keept to ristore the languid spirit—

I shall expect to hear as much Politick from you as you can with safety convey. I shall feel importan then among your Friends— I am so pleas'd with Judge Dana & Lady that if I should go to cambridge I shall make them another visit, & must have a little politicks to talk of you know if I should—

remember me affectionately to mr Adams to mr & mrs Smith & all my Friends & accept / the warmest affection of your / grateful Sister

Mary Cranch

you cannot think how I am worried with my Girl She is not worth a copper I am in chase of another [. . .] could not come

I wrote you from Providence some account of my polite reception there & closed my Letter just as I had accepted an invitation to dine with mr Brown & Lady. the forenoon was pass't in receiving visits from all the principal gentlemen and Ladies of the Town, who seemed to vie with each other, to convince me that tho they were inhabitants of an Antifederal state. they were themselves totally against the measures persued by it, and that they entertaind the highest Regard and Respect for the Character with which I was so intimately connected, altho to their great mortification they had been prevented the Honour of having any share in placing him in his respected station1

Mr Brown sent his Carriage & Son to conduct me his House which is one of the Grandest I have seen in this Country. every thing in and about it, wore the marks of magnificence & taste.2 mrs Brown met me at the door & with the most obliging Smile accosted me with—[“]Friend I am glad to see the here” the simplicity of her manners & dress with the openness of her countanance & the friendlyness of her behaviour charmed me beyond all the studied politeness of European manners— they had colleted between 22 persons to dine with me tho the notice was so short, & gave an Elegant 378entertainment upon a service of Plate. towards Evening I made a Tour round the Town, & drank Tea & spent the Evening with mr & Mrs Francis whom I mentiond to you before. here the company was much enlarged, & many persons introduced to me who had no opportunity before of visiting me, amongst those Ladies, with whom I was most pleased was the Lady & two sisters of Governour Bowen.3 about Eleven I returnd To my lodgings and the next morning went on Board the Handcock packet we had contrary wind all Day, by which means we did not reach Newport untill Seven oclock. I had been only a few moments arrived when mr Merchant came on Board and insisted that I with my whole Family should go on shore & Lodge at his House. he would take no refusal. he sent his daughter down to receive & accompany my Neice, & came himself in a few moments with a carriage to attend me. at his House I was kindly & Hospitably Treated by his Lady & daughters.4 we slept there & the next morning were early summond on Board the packet. Captain Brown had very civily taken his wife to attend upon me, & accomodate me during my passage5 I found her a very well Bred Geenteel woman, but neither civility attention or politeness could remedy the sea sickness or give me a fair wind or dispell the Thunder Gusts which attended us both night & day. in short I resolved upon what I have frequently before, that I would never again embark upon the water, but this resolution I presume will be kept as my former ones have been. we were five days upon the water. Heat want of rest, sea sickness & terror for I had my share of that, all contributed to fatigue me and I felt upon my arrival quite tame & spiritless Louissa was very sick, but behaved like a Heroine Matilda had her share but when she was a little recoverd she was the life of us all Polly was half dead all the Passage & sufferd more from sea sickness than any of us. Charls eat & slept without any inconvenience. when we came to the wharff, I desired the Captain to go to our Friend mr MacCormick and inform him of my arrival, if he was not to be found to go to the Senate Chamber & inform mr A. who from the hour of the day I knew must be there. mr otis the secretary came to me with a Carriage & I reach'd Richmond Hill on Thursday one oclock to my no small joy I found mr Adams in better Health than I feard mr & mrs Smith quite well & every thing so well arranged that Beds & a few other articles seem only necessary towards keeping House with comfort, and I begin to think, that my furniture will be troublesome to me, some part of it I mean whilst mrs Smith remains with me. master John was grown out of my knowledge, 379william is still at Jamaica. our House has been a mere Levee ever since I arrived morning & Evening. I took the earliest opportunity (the morning after my arrival) to go & pay my respects to mrs Washington mrs Smith accompanied me. She received me with great ease & politeness, she is plain in her dress, but that plainness is the best of every article. she is in mourning, her Hair is white, her Teeth Beautifull, her person rather short than otherways, hardly so large as my Ladyship, and if I was to speak sincerly, I think she is a much better figure, her manners are modest and unassuming, dignified and femenine, not the Tincture of ha'ture about her.6 his majesty was ill & confined to his Room.7 I had not the pleasure of a presentation to him, but the satisfaction of hearing that he regreeted it equally with myself. col Humphries who had paid his compliments to me in the morning & Breakfasted with me, attended mrs washington & mr Lear the Private Secretary, was the introducter—8 thus you have an account of my first appearence— the Principal Ladies who have visited me are the Lady & daughter of the Governour Lady Temple the Countess de Brehim, Mrs Knox & 25 other Ladies many of the Senators, all their Ladies all the Foreign ministers & some of the Reps.

We are most delightfully situated, the prospect all around is Beautifull in the highest degree, it is a mixture of the sublime & Beautifull— amidst it all I sigh for many of my dear Friends and connections. I can make no domestick arrangment till Brisler arrives— remember me affectionatly to all my Friends particularly my aged parent, to my children to whom I cannot write as yet to my dear Lucy & worthy dr Tufts in short to all whom I love yours most tenderly