Adams Family Correspondence, volume 14
ry1801
The Roads and Weather prevent my leaving this place this
day as I had designd; mrs cushing and otis advise me to take lodgings at mr
Staell’s in 3d street, Your former lodgings— I
shall want a chamber with two Beds and one Bed for a Man servant; I always
chuse to have my Maid and susan sleep in the Room with me. She has got the
hooping cough. I hope the worst part of it is over.
when I get to Quincy I can furnish the Letters you
request, but have them not here; I inclose to you the Subscription Money for
the port folio. I do not however approve all that I see in it; I knew Fabius
the Moment I read him in replie to Manlius— I do not expect to get to
Philadelphia untill next Week. mr shaw Will advertize you when I leave here—
as I have no hand in the approaching election, if it should go contrary to
the Wishes of the united Paddies, I hope they will not make a Riot whilst I
am in your city at least; I am as perfectly at a loss to conjecture which of
the candidates will be the chosen one, as I was the day it was first known
that there were two equals
is it not Jaffer in Venice Preserved who says “oh what dreadfull moments intervene between the Birth of plots, and their last active scene?—[”]1
I fancy our Presidents Elect feel Some of these moments.
the vice President made me a friendly visit yesterday in order to take leave
and wish me a good journey. it was more than I expected. I thought I would
Say Some things to him, provided he was, or Might be, so & so respecting
the house, and furniture &c he say’d—as I had mentiond the subject;
should he have any thing to do in the buisness, he would be very happy to
retain all domesticks that I could recommend,2 beged me to be assured nothing
would so much contribute to his happiness as to be able in any Way to be
Serviceable to mr Adams myself or any of My
Family— I thanked him, inquired particuliarly after mr J Q A—whether he
liked his residence at Berlin &c he never sees me but he inquires with
affection after him. I told him frankly, that I expected mr Adams would
return to America. I did not tell him I had just read the Secretary’s Letter
of leave of absence which was true—3
adieu company below. I must close
Your Mother
RC (Adams Papers).
A conflation of Thomas Otway’s Venice Preserved and Joseph Addison, Cato, Act I, scene iii, lines 53–54.
Thomas Jefferson retained three servants from the Adamses’ presidential household: the “vallient” Christopher, Jack, and their groom (William Cranch to JA, 13 June 1801, Adams Papers; AA to TBA, 12 Oct. 1800, above).
On 31 Jan. 1801 JA requested John
Marshall to prepare letters recalling JQA from his mission
to Prussia. Although JA felt that “justice” required
JQA to be sent to another post in Europe, he believed
it was his “duty to call him home.” Marshall complied with the
president’s request, drafting letters to Frederick William III of 31
Jan. (Adams Papers)
and to JQA of 3 Feb., in which the secretary of state
informed JQA that “the objects of your mission to Berlin
having been entirely accomplished,” he should take leave of the king and
return immediately to the United States. The letters and several
Dupl’s sent by 556
various routes were first received by JQA on 26 April. Two
days later JQA replied to Secretary of State James Madison
that he had requested an audience with Frederick William III to present
his letter of recall and would depart Prussia as soon as his personal
circumstances allowed. The Adamses left Berlin in July and arrived in
the United States in early September (Marshall, Papers
, 6:61, 67; Madison, Papers,
Secretary of State Series
, 1:124;
D/JQA/24, 8 July, 4 Sept., APM Reel 27).