The last year I acquainted you with the death of my mother, & I am sorry that I have now to inform you of that of my father, an event which has renewed my griefs, & will again excite your sympathetic feelings.

If any person bid fair for length of years, I thought this was the Case with my late valuable parent, but heaven it seems, to whose decisions it becomes us always humbly to submit, as wise & fit, had determined that he should not long survive my dear mother, sorrow for the loss of whom, accompained with much inward anxiety for the welfare of his family, which he knew he should not leave in such easy & happy circumstances, as he wished to do, & as he once supposed it was in his power to have done, preyed upon his vitals & proved the means of bringing his days to a period, I ought not to say too soon, but sooner than I had flatter'd myself they would have ended, & sooner than the good wishes of his friends in general 199would have extended them. He had lived long enough to answer the great purposes of life; with the partner of his cares, with your own excellent & kind parents, whom I consider'd too in some sort as mine, & with other of our dear relatives & friends, who have been taken from us, in your absence, he is gone to rest, & may it be my concern to follow him.

I feel thankful, that I am not an infidel. When we once part with the Consolations of the Gospel, what support have we left, worthy to be mentioned, in such circumstances as those in which I am now placed? The idea of annihilation I Can never adopt. How pleasing the prospect of a revival, & how fond should we be of cherishing the thought of a reunion with our friends, with those among them more especially whom we have most highly esteemed, & of our being permitted to enjoy infinitely greater pleasure & satisfaction in the company of each other hereafter, than is possible here, where our happiness is so often liable to interruption, & is never free from some mixture of alloy. It was with the highest relish I read Dr Price's dissertation on this subject some years ago, & as you frequently see this goodman, if you think it worth while to do so, I beg you will give my respects to him.1 With very different views of the probable Consequences of a revolution in America, from what he, & many others, whom I have known & respected, on both sides of the water, possest, I have yet at the same entertained the sincerest veneration for him. A vol. of his sermons has lately been received & read here with much approbation.2 I have not myself as yet been gratified with the perusal of them.—

Of our political situation at present, you will hear eno' from other quarters, & will therefore not expect any thing from me[.] We are on the eve I hope of a change for the better, b[ut I] would not undertake to say what events, the jealousy [. . .] ignorance, ambition, or restless disposition of individual [. . .] may produce in the course of a few months, the evils arising from which it may not be in the power of the wisest counsels to prevent.—

If my father's affairs are settled in such a manner, as to prevent the loss of it to his family, my brother, who is connected in marriage with a partner that makes us all happy, will take the house, & my sister Betsey will live with him. As to me, the College to which I have returned the third time, will be my home.—3 Mr Otis goes the next week to Congress, & leaves Mrs O. in a situation, in which she stands in need of comfort—4 Mr & mrs Atkinson with their little family have gone to New York— Chas. Storer is a resident at 200Passamaquoddy, & his sister Polly is with him either there, or in Nova Scotia.— You will please to remember me to Mr Adams, & Mrs Smith. I am, my dear Mrs A., with the greatest affection, Yours,

In my last Letter to Mr. Adams I inform'd Him of the Death of our beloved Uncle Smith—1 had we enjoyed his Life much longer, it would have been greatly desireable—but Heaven was kind in continuing that rich Blessing for so long a Time we have the utmost Assurance that He is happy tho' We have lost one Source of our temporal Felicity— His Virtues may we imitate and with him share in a better World the Rewards of good & faithful Servants—

I am told Capt. Barnard is to sail to Day, which obliges me to omit many Things, not expecting his Departure for some Days—

as I take it for granted, that you will return in the Spring, it will be necessary to conduct your affairs upon that Expectation— I wish you therefore to give me as early and particular Information relative to the Repairs of Borlands Place & any other Matters as your Distance will permit and that you think necessary to be done—

Mr. Teal who is on your Farm at Medford is an excellent Tenant—2 He informs me that the Farm House is scarcely tenantable, that it is the opinion of those who have viewed it, that it will be best to rebuild it.— I propose to examine it—but would wish for your Directions whether to rebuild in case it should be found necessary—the Cost will be from, £120 to 130—

I expect to see & consult Mr Shaw this Week—he will exchange next Sabbath with Mr Norton our late ordaind Minister— Mr Shaw & his Wife attended the ordination of Mr. Ware at Hingham the Week past & are now on a Visit to his Father—

In one of your Letters, you enquire, whether it would not be best to dispose of your House in Bostn I think not—as but very few Repairs will be required for a long Time to come—at present it yields a clearer Income than all your Lands & Estate in Braintree—

The Genl Court is now sitting— a Resolve has passed for calling a Convention in this Commonwealth to take into consideration the form of a Constitution of Government for the United States &c3 I cannot make any Conjecture what will be the Issue It has warm Advocates for and warm Enemies against it— Mr. John spent the last Evening at my lodgings and is well— He will be at Cambridge to day & attend the Supreme Court some part of their Sitting— Charles & Thomas are well—return to Cambridge to Day from the fall Vacation— present my affectionate Regards to Mr Adams and accept of my best Wishes for your Health & Happiness.

Yours—