Diary of John Quincy Adams, volume 2
1786-10-14
Went to Boston, in order to get some books1 which were sent by Callahan; but I could not get them: dined at Deacon Smith's. 116Mr. Otis's family were there. Harry and his father had a dispute concerning the Roman toga. I came up with Beale; in the evening we held a Court of Law. Putnam, and myself were condemned to pay a bottle of wine each.
JQA had earlier asked his father to send copies of “New Testaments in Greek and Latin” from JA's personal library, and Desaguliers' translation of van's Gravesande's Mathematical Elements (JQA to JA, 2 April, Adams Papers). In addition to these volumes, JQA received others which he had not requested, “mostly upon philosophical subjects” (AA to JQA, 21 July, Adams Papers; entry for 16 Oct., below). Among these was François Soulès, Histoire des troubles de l'Amérique..., London, 1785, now at MQA among JQA's books, which contains notes by JA in the second volume (JQA to AA, 30 Dec. 1786–11 Jan. 1787, Adams Papers).