I received your agreeable Letter with much pleasure: having only before heard of the arrival of the vessel in which you embarked. I can my dear Madam most Sincerely rejoice with you on the happiness of meeting kind Friends, and endearing Relatives, after the Seperation you experienced. I fancy my Lovely Carolina Eyes Sparking with a joy which adds fluency to her Tongue, whilst her more reserved, but not less amiable sister, feels more than she can express. These Social ties, these family endearments give a zest to all the other enjoyments of Life. “poor is the Friendless master of a World” as the poet expressess it,1 ours is the Country for a union of Hearts, and conubial felicity. Europe, “for the rich mountains of Peru, who drawn by kindred charms of Gold,[”] look not for any other pleasures than what their wealth can bestow, hence arises that infidelity so common in Europe.2

I hope you find your Health much benifitted by your late voyage. should you relapse, will you permit me to recommend my Native state as a much more salubrious climate than that which you inhabit, and there I should rejoice to find you on my return, which I hope will be the next Spring You gave me some reason to hope that you would visit the Northern States. I think you would be pleasd with the Tour. the dissagreeable Situation of the Massachusetts for some months past is changed I presume for the better, and I would hope the Rebellion quite Surpressd. The discontents of the people cannot be grounded in reason, for there is no Country in the world where the liberties and properties of the subject are more sacredly preserved, nor are there any subjects who pay less for the ease and security which they enjoy, but the Idea of these insurgents is that 114they ought to pay nothing nor be at any trouble for preserving to themselves the Blessings of Peace & security. to please Such persons is impossible, and the dissagreeable alternative of reduceing them to obedience by force was the only resource this has Stained our annals with a civil war, and gratified the benevolence of our Good Friends on this Side of the water. I hope with you that the united Efforts of our wisest & ablest Countrymen who are now convened, may prove Succesfull in extricating us from our present embarresments, but they cannot work miracles, & unless a Spirit of Eoconomy industery & frugality, can be diffused through the people they will find their labours a mere Penelopean web.3

you Guesd very right with regard to my venerable title. on the 2d of April I was vested with it, & have now a fine Grandson 3 months old Mrs smith is very well & Nurses her little Boy. Col Smith is absent in Spain upon bublick buisness which must apoligize to mrs caroline, for not hearing from him by this opportunity mr Adams joins me in compliments to mr Smith & to your Brother who was your fellow passenger, and to his old associates in congress, whom I have not the pleasure of knowing—

our Friend mrs Channing continues in poor Health but good spirits.4 many American have left London Since the spring and we are now going to lose mr Gibbs & mr Heyward. The latter is kind enough to be the bearer of this Letter to you. I propose Setting out on a journey to plimouth next week for the benifit of my Health, having been a great part of the Spring confined by sickness. I hope you will continue to write me during my residence here be assured dear madam that I shall always take great pleasure in hearing of the Health & happiness of yourself & family by a Gentleman lately from France who lodged in the Same House with your Son I had the pleasure of learning that his Health was perfectly restored.5 be so good as to present me affectionately to the young Ladies & believe / me most sincerely your / Friend & Humble Servant

most readily my Dear Lucy do I acknowledge the tittle of friend with which you address me—and am very happy to have preserved your esteem thus far in Life— I wish it had been my fate to have enjoyed the Society of my friends more than it has,— three years have now elapsed since I parted with every female friend that I had acquired from my earliest infancy to the age of Nineteen; and I have not been so fortunate as to have acquired any in Europe to Supply their Loss— in America I have gained a Whole family of friends and Sisters My Best friend—has Six sisters—whose friendship I Consider a great acquisition—and promise myself great sattisfaction from a Personall knowledge of them—1 we already Correspond—and by their Letters and from the affection expressed for their Brother I know them to be very amiable and agreeable— from the manner of their Sollicitude to possess the friendship of their Brother you would imagine them rival favourites Contending by every assiduity and attention, to gain an assendance over each other in his affection—

You ask me my Dear a very queer question (whether my Husband possesses my whole Heart) but I can answer without hesitation that he does—nor would I have given my hand to any One who did not possess it— but my Dear it does not exclude any other friend who had a prior claim upon it, but has strengthened every other friendly attachment.

You are I suppose informed that my Parents intend returning to America the ensueing Spring and I dare say will rejoice at an event which must Contribute so much to your happiness, I hope the Period is not far distant when your Cousin will also have the pleasure of paying you a visit and of Presenting to you her friend—and a young Stranger who made his appearance a few Weeks since— he is a fine Boy—and the play thing throughout the House

my father and Mother intend makeing an excursion the next week into Devonshire and they have persuaded me to accompany them 116during the absence of Mr Smith who is gone to Portugoll upon some Publick business—and Cannot return before the beginning of September. they intend going as far as Plymouth and I think it is there that some of Your friends reside if we should see them I will give you some account of our visit upon my return, and write you a longer Letter than it is in my Power att Present. Barnard is to sail in a few days and I have many other Letters to write before we set out

Let me hear from you frequently and beleive me your friend