Adams Family Correspondence, volume 13

Thomas Boylston Adams to Abigail Adams, 8 August 1799 Adams, Thomas Boylston Adams, Abigail
Thomas Boylston Adams to Abigail Adams
My dear Mother. Philadelphia 8th: August 1799.

As I am in the City for a few days, you may wish me to write rather oftener than usual, to convince you that I am not ill. The weather since the month of June has been generally more than commonly favorable for this climate— it still continues so, and we begin to flatter ourselves that the City may escape the afflicting scourge it has heretofore experienced.

The mortality which lately prevailed on board the friggate Genl: 534 Green, was a very distressing affair— I lament it the more, as I see among the list of victims in the crew several names of persons with whom I made a slight acquaintance, when I was at Newport.1

You will have read the publication for which the Aurora-man has been bound over to appear & answer at the next district Court. It was republished by Brown & Relf in the Philada: Gazette of the [. . .] currt:— His defence, will, I understand, be an attempt to prove the tr[uth] of what he has asserted— The letter under the hand of John Adams is said to be one in which the subject of his recall from the mission in England & Mr: Pinckney’s appointment as Successor, was spoken of & animadverted upon with freedom— The partition of Braintree into three separate & distinct townships, bearing several names and the calling that Quincy in which he resides, is jocosely mentioned in the same letter as having deprived the Duke of his title. I collected these particulars in conversation, a few minutes ago, with a young man, who is in the secrets of the Aurora party, from being one of its patronizers— Truth, said another, of the same sett to me, is no libel— the Aurora man means to justify by proof of the facts alledged.2

I was told further, by the first of these youth’s, that it looked as if there was likely to be a division in the Cabinet— How so? said I— They say, the old gentleman wont go with them— with whom? Why the violent war party, that pretends to dictate all Executive measures— It is further said, continued he—that the violents are in despair, because the President will have an opinion of his own & will not follow the extravagances of any body. If he perseveres he will shortly have the hearts of all the democrats— God forbid! I exclaimed— I dont mean said he, that the P——t must turn democrat, but only if he acts Independently— Has he ever done otherwise—said I— No, but then we were not always sure of him so much as we are now. This pap & sugar, might do to pacify a crying hungry baby, but what else it is good for, I pretend not to know.

Report says that Truxtun has resigned—disputing precedence with Talbot— This, I suppose, is in part, the tale, which you told me, hung upon the report of Talbots resignation— I heard yesterday, the matter had been referred to the President & he had decided in favor of Talbots right—3

You accompanied the P——t, I perceive, to Castle William and assisted at the Baptismal rites of Fort Independence— I was rejoyced to see your name in company with Mrs: Washington—4

535

I find the Mansion house in Market Street a very comfortable resort when I come to town, even though I meet but poor cheer—even the water pump is dry in the yard— I believe some of the wood has been carried away, though not much— I shall take particular care of the things I use, & see every thing as secure as I found it.

There is a leak somewhere in the room that serves as a passage from the entry to the kitchen— I found the floor almost covered with water, and as I have no keys to the doors, I cannot open them to admit the air— I have left open the inner doors, which were shut, and the floor is gradually drying, though the next rain will probably wet it again— Dust & Cobwebs are plentiful enough—

Present me kindly to my father & every body—

T. B. Adams. August 10th: 1799.

P S. The Supreme Court of the U. S. adjourned this day— Little business was done, because there was little to do— I paid my respects to the chief Justice & Judge Chase, but the latter I did not see.5

RC (Adams Papers); addressed: “Mrs: A Adams”; internal address: “Mrs: A Adams”; endorsed: “T B Adams / August 1 / 1799.” Some loss of text where the seal was removed.

1.

The frigate General Greene, Capt. Christopher Raymond Perry, was struck with fever at Havana on 18 June. After 20 died and 35 were sickened, the vessel returned to Newport, R.I., on 27 July. It reentered service on 28 Sept., sailing for St. Domingue (Philadelphia Gazette, 6 Aug.; Hartford, Conn., American Mercury, 15 Aug.; New York Journal, 5 Oct.).

2.

William Duane, in the Philadelphia Aurora General Advertiser, 24 July, charged that JA’s administration was beholden to Britain, and alleged that in 1798 the British had expended $800,000 in bribes in the United States, claiming: “We have it in the handwriting of John Adams now President of the United States, that British influence has been employed and with effect, in procuring the appointment of an officer of the most confidential and important trust under the government.” The evidence was a May 1792 letter from JA to Tench Coxe (PHi), in which JA suggested that there was “much British Influence in the appointment” of Thomas Pinckney as U.S. minister to Britain. The article prompted the prosecution of Duane on a charge of seditious libel, and in Oct. 1799 Duane was brought to trial in the federal circuit court in Pennsylvania. The trial was postponed, however, and in early 1800 the indictment was withdrawn. When in Oct. 1800 it was suggested that JA’s letter might be a forgery, Duane printed it in full while trumpeting that his indictment had been rescinded on JA’s order. For JA’s comments on the letter, see his 27 Oct. letter to Pinckney (PHC:Charles Roberts Autograph Coll.). As TBA noted, the Aurora article was reprinted in the 5 Aug. 1799 issue of the Philadelphia Gazette, which had been published by Andrew Brown Jr. and Samuel Relf (1776–1823) since 1 July (Smith, Freedom’s Fetters , 282–288; Philadelphia Gazette, 1 July; Margaret Woodbury, “Public Opinion in Philadelphia,” Smith College Studies in History, 5:33 [Oct. 1919]).

3.

For the dispute between Capt. Silas Talbot and Capt. Thomas Truxtun on their relative naval ranks, see Descriptive List of Illustrations, No. 6, above.

4.

The Philadelphia Gazette, 8 Aug., reported on JA’s 3 Aug. dedication of Fort Independence, including AA’s toast to Martha Washington.

5.

TBA was in Philadelphia to attend the U.S. Supreme Court. During the session from 536 5 to 10 Aug. the justices took action in four cases. In New York v. Connecticut, a dispute over a contested strip of borderland, the justices ruled that private citizens rather than the state of New York were party to the dispute. In Hazlehurst v. United States the court denied an appeal of an earlier ruling that Charleston, S.C., merchants had defaulted on customs bonds. In addition, two estate disputes, Turner v. Enrille and Turner v. Bank of North America, were dismissed owing to incomplete filings by the plaintiffs (TBA to William Smith Shaw, 6 Aug., MHi:Misc. Bound Coll.; TBA, Diary, 1798–1799, 5–9 Aug.; Doc. Hist. Supreme Court , 8:35–37, 178, 186–188, 271–274).

Thomas Boylston Adams to Abigail Adams, 12 August 1799 Adams, Thomas Boylston Adams, Abigail
Thomas Boylston Adams to Abigail Adams
My dear Mother. Germantown 12th: August 1799

I thank you for your kind letter of the 4th: instt: which came to hand last evening, accompanied by one from Dr: Tufts, enclosed by William. My letters are left usually at Mr: Wistar’s and Sarah when she gave me those of last evening—say’s “Thomas, I expect I have got a rich treat for thee; from the number of packets addressed to thee, I should judge thee a favorite among thy friends”— I enclose for your amusement a specimen of poetic talent in this lady, which though humble is not entirely destitute of merit.1 To explain the occasion, which produced it, you must understand, that during the excessive heat of the weather, for several days after I came to the Country, I found it pleasanter to read under a shade in the open air than in the house—accordingly I explored the adjoining g[rove] & finally pitched upon a little thicket of shrubs & bushes, in which I made a comfortable seat, on the land belonging to the Wistar family— My retre[at] was secret for some days, but at length was discovered by some one, and the enclosed verses attached by a drab colored ribband to a tree, were found one morning on entering my arbor— I only guess at the author, but think it probable I am right in my conjectures on that head. I have returned no answer to this invocation as yet, nor do I expect the muses will gain a votary at my age, since they have deferred their Courtship to so late a period. Yet I some times threaten to make an effort in their service, and am only restrained by pride, which whispers in my ear this wholesome advice— You had better stick to humble prose in which you have some experience, than venture upon hobbling verses, which can do you little credit and may detract from it much— The counsel is salutary & I let it govern me.

I received the letter with the extracts, you enquire for, and thought I had noticed them casually since—however, I was amused by the communication.2

You will observe how full of electioneering all our papers are— The friends of Mc.Kean have come out with a fresh manifesto, as have 537 those of Ross— Each party is sanguine in expectation of triumph, but McKean’s friends say that a schism will happen in the County of York, & that will turn the scale in their favor. I am doubtful of the event, but from former experience of this State, I believe it will go contrary to my wishes.3

Your present society at Quincy is very enviable, and I should delight to participate in it on some accounts, though on others I am better here. It is so common a thing for people to take up their abode in the Country at this Season, that when you meet an acquaintance in town, the question is, well where abouts are you? The Country has in fact become so thickly settled within ten miles of the City in every direction, that one need never to be at a loss for society if disposed to frequent it. I feel more inclined to seclusion than I ever did before, & I hope the same disposition will strengthen rather than diminish. When you come on in the fall, I shall be able to determine how far a compliance with your kind proposal, will coincide with my advantage— It will subject me unavoidably to more company and more invitations to idleness, dissipation & interruption, than if I lodged in another place & family, besides terrifying clients, who would never think of going to the Presidents house for a young lawyer— It seems to me that this is one serious disadvantage under which I shall labor for some time, that most people think I am not in want of business or the reward of doing it, for my support, and they will rather favor a poor man’s son, than me on that account. This is a very serious error & one I am much interested in removing.

With best love to all friends, I am, Your

Thomas

RC and enclosure (Adams Papers); internal address: “Mrs: A Adams.” Some loss of text where the seal was removed.

1.

For the enclosed poem by Sarah Wister, see Descriptive List of Illustrations, No. 8, above. Sarah’s father, Daniel Wister (1739–1805), was a grandson of John Wuster, a Palatine German who emigrated from Heidelberg to Philadelphia in 1727 (John W. Jordan, ed., Colonial and Revolutionary Families of Pennsylvania, 3 vols., N.Y., 1911, 1:264–266).

2.

Not found.

3.

In the weeks preceding the Oct. 1799 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, electioneering in the press was rife. In the Philadelphia American Daily Advertiser, 12 Aug., Democratic-Republican supporters of Thomas McKean claimed that their candidate was being subjected to “the grossest slanders” by Federalist supporters of James Ross but that “the incessant efforts, that have been made to discolour his actions, or to pervert the meaning of his words, have only served to shew how little can be adduced against him by all the activity of Party Zeal.” On the same day supporters of Ross offered their own commentary in the Philadelphia Gazette of the United States, alleging that McKean sought votes from those “whom not long since he would have trampled in the dust.” The Philadelphia Universal Gazette, 1 Aug., suggested the importance of York County in the election, describing plans by McKean’s supporters to hold campaign events there.