I had a mantua makaker & a Tailor last week which keept me so fully imploy’d that I had not time to write I receiv’d your kind Letter by the Post a thursday & rejoice that you have got into such good order so soon.1 I do not rise quite so early as you but I should if I could get all my folks to Bed in season you do well to devote so much of the day to riding I hope the difficulty the bad roads occasion’d you is over as you do not mention any thing of it I have been not a little uneasy about it.

every body but Fools & knaves are charm’d with the Presidents Speech & the Senates answer. but the House—oh! for Shame all is not as it should be there. but I see that finally after spending as much money in debateing about their pityful Spoilations—I am Sure 158 I cannot call them amendments as would have rais’d an army they have squeez’d it through— I think you will be pleas’d with the address of our new first Magistrate & the House’s answer— as to the chronicle venom it will do no harm to the President— old Doctor Hitchcock call’d to see mr Cranch to talk a little about the President & his Speech—2 after expressing his approbation in very high terms (you know his energitic manner).3 he said—“Mr Cranch whoever wishes to move that man from preserveing what he thinks to be for the honour & good of his Country let him first try his Strength upon Mount Atlas— if he can remove that—then let him make the attempt upon the President—[”] If the writer from Holland is just in his observations, all Europe is of the same oppinion with the good Doctor. I think I know that writter wherever he appears— there is but one such gone out from among us—& he poor fellow must be dandled by the chronicle because his Father had nominated him to a place where he could be more Serviceable to his country than that he was destin’d for— Such foolish Lies hurt rather than Serve their base cause. mr Cranch thanks you for the Pamphlet & papers

I have been to your House & found every thing mr & mrs Porter had the care of Safe & in good order. the mice have taken possession of your Store Room. there were several things wanted to be taken care of. the Loaf Sugar was in a sad plight the mice had got into the cask & fatten’d upon it. every loaf was cover’d with their dirt & those which were in a Bag were wet & smelt badly— I took them all out of the cask as it would not shut close & put what I could get in into the Barrel of Brown Sugar that can be made close. the Bag & cask I gave to mrs Porter to wash & I hung up two Loves in a pail in your chamber closet to dry & air. I shall take care of them this week— mrs Porter wish’d me to let her have the use of a Brass Skimmer & a Tin cullender which Polly had put into the Store Room. I deliver’d them to her. every thing is keept very nice. the Garden looks well, & promisses good Fruit mrs Beal & Black mourn the loss of their Neighbour with unfeign’d Sorrow. I have promis’d them with your leave to open your House & give it an airing & Send for them to take coffee with me there. they are pleas’d with the proposal tho it will be attended with some melancholy Ideas I Shall Send for Suky Adams too— mrs Black will be so much without her Husband this summer she will miss you the more for that. I am glad we have sent mr Black to court—4 mrs Beal is in a miserable state of health. I fear She will not live long unless she is help’d soon. She 159 wasts fast & thinks herself in a decline. She is gone to Tauton now mrs Tisdal drank Tea with me a friday & told me she should not be surpriz’d if She did not live two months.5 she would be a dreadful loss to her Family at least so it seems to us—

I have got the annatto & will send it to your dairy women I have the cap & Box also & will forward that mr Belcher has been to Boston & taken care of your Bacon & I suppose tis sent but I will inquir about it. there are two Bonnts— Which do you mean mrs Norton Should have? She thanks you for the Cap. She is very well & her Family. mr & mrs Greenleaf also. She gets to Bed the last of august or the beginning of Sepr..6 I did hope She would not have had children. however—I do not know what I ought to wish— this Life is but for a moment— for what reason—we shall know better hereafter. I have had a Letter from washington this last week they were well mrs Cranch tells me tis the last Letter She shall write me till She gets about again She expected every day to be confin’d— mr Morris has promis’d to procure Law Books for my Son & send him— I had rather hear he had sent them—7 I hope these imbarrasments of mr G & company will not hurt my son eventually. I never was pleas’d with his leaving his profession & shall be glad to hear he is following it again. he has been oblig’d to struggle without Scarcly any assistance from us Since he left us & has been very unfortunate in many losses he has Sustain’d—but I am happy in the moral improvment he makes of his disappointments if his Spirits can be keept from sinking he will yet do well I hope

my heart acks for my dear mrs Smith I think of her continually. I wish she was here I would comfort her all I could. I am glad Cousin charles prospects are so good & that he is so happy in a wife— mrs Smith never was extravagant & the Coll’s way of Living keept her constantly anxious I could always see—but he is interprizing & young & may do better for having seen to what evils such a manner of Living tends but my dear Sister do you not know certainly where he is gone?

we are all well I am affraid to ask you if we shall not see you this Summer. tis a long journey in hot weather I know but you had better take it than remain in that hot city. Cousin & I live rather a lonely Life we have no where we can go as we could to your house. I am more careful than ever to read all the debates in congress I hear nothing now from what I see I must judge & I feel very much interested—

my Love to the President & Cousin Louisia— mr Cranch & Madm welsh send their Love—accept that also of your Sister

I have felt every day as if I was conscience smit for neglecting to write to you. I have been some encumberd with cares and ceremonies which tho not very pleasent, the custom of the World, and the state of society have made them necessary in publick Life. the sitting of congress has added to my cares, at a season of the Year when I should very gladly have dispenced with so much company as we are now obliged to entertain. I however bear the heat better than I apprehended I could, and my Health was mended by my journey after I had recruited from the fatigue of it, which was so great from the bad Roads through the Jersies, that I thought I should feel no temptation to make a second journey this season. But the close application to buisness for Nine Months together which has fallen upon the President, requires Some relaxation, and his Health Suffers for want of it. I see it in a languor, and in a lassitude which every day succeeds the hours of Buisness. I do not tell him how much of it is visible, but I shall make no objection to accompany him on a journey as soon as congress rise, which I hope will be by the beginning of july, and his Farm at Quincy is you his Hobby Horse. I think we shall come on there & spend a Month or two from July untill october if circumstances will permit. I could wish you sir if possible to accomplish it, to have the Chamber over the 161 office finishd as I know not what I shall do for lodging room for Men servants. I must leave it to you to judge whether the wood house could be done as we proposed, so that mr Porter and Family might be accomodated, but as our stay at furthest will be of short duration this season, I shall be willing to do what I can by way of accommodation, tho I fear some inconvenience from the mixture of Domesticks.1 we shall have four men servants with us— the President has proposed Boarding them at Marshs,2 but I think the expence of that would exceed the cost attending finishing that Room if it could be done in so short a time, and there would arise perhaps some other difficulties from a measure of that kind but I must leave that to your judgment, and the proposal to remain between ourselves without notice to any one but the Chamber I know will be the work of only ten Day or a fortnight. Stables we must have an other year and if the Frame could be got at the same time that the Boards are procured it would be best. capt Beals stables I think would answer for a model.3 he talkd of having the post longer a greater convenienc, but you can judge of that. we have a Brass Harness at Quincy a leading harness, which I should be glad to get conveyd to mr Frothingham to pack with the Carriage which he is going to send by water to us immediatly.

I believe I must not scarcly touch upon politicks in this Letter, but the late news from all quarters is sufficient to put us on our Gaurd, and to lead us to be in a state of preparation for defence. The Seperate peace of the Emperor, the Mutiny on Board the British Fleet are events which in their concequences may essentially affect us.4 the Devouring Rapacity of the Galick Nation increases with their power and ability of gratification.

our senate are firm and strong. our House too equally divided. our state is wanting to itself to send such a Tony Lumkin, such a dead weight, such a narrow soul, sordid minded creature as V——m to represent so wise so patriotick, and in general so judicious a state as Massachusetts—5

But I quit the subject, and present my kind regards to mrs Tufts & to miss Warner6 from Dear / Sir your truly affectionate / Neice