I wish I could be satisfied, & know what is my duty towards my William, & Abigail, I could then feel easy, & cheerful— To day is the last day for our inoculation for the small-Pox— There is an hospital about half a mile above our house The people are passing, & repassing every hour of the Day, & I cannot think William secure & yet I am fearful of his going in the winter— I thought we were determined to let them both go, but there is so many things in the way that I believe it will be omitted— I have been hoping the town would permit the hospital to be continued till in the spring—but they have had a meeting & will not allow it— they say it has been 500 Dollors mischeif to us alreaddy— Winter here, is our harvest in Trade—

You cannot conceive how much I have suffered, I am perplexed—& distressed I fear they will never have so good a chance again— The two Doctors take turns in tarrying with them the whole time— 36346 come out to Day & tomorrow & Mr Shaw think there was never a Class that did better, though he is very averse to his own Children going in—1 The Class has suffered terribly with the cold—but their symtoms have none of them been dangerous in the least—

enough of the small pox—I am almost crazed with it— But out of the abundance of the heart, I find the hand will write—

However my Mind has been absorbed it has not been so much so, as not to be anxious for you, & my Countries welfare

I looked with eargerness into every newspaper & am happy to find that my fellow ctitizens were wise—that they understood the things that belong to their peace, though many falsehoods, & misrepresentations have been invented to blind, & hide them from thier Eyes—

I know the unaimity which appeared in the votes, must give my Brother & you more pleasure on the account of the approbation, gratitude—& respect they discovered, than on any private Emolument arising from the Station—

Notwithstanding what you have said, I cannot but hope to see you here— We shall all think it a pleasure to make you warm, & comfortable— Our high ground & clear northwest winds will brace your nerves, & restore your health—

Whenever you may chance to see the sensible Menander, please to tell him that since he is so great an advocate for the Theatre, there are many friends in Haverhill, who would wish to see him act his part here— If in the Character of a conscious Lover, I will not be angry— any Character which he may think proper to assume will please—for some can please in all but in none can he please your Sister more than in that, of an affectionate Nephew—

May the close of this, & every succeding year find you surrouned with every circumstance of Felicity, is the wish of your ever / grateful Sister

on the Commencement of the new Year I wish you health, honour, Profit and Pleasure through the Course of it, and as many repetitions of these anniversaries as shall be for your own happiness and the benefit of your Friends and Connections in the World. Application and that alone will Secure you, under the Smiles of divine Providence the Blessings of Life.

Make for me the Compliments of the Season to all our Freinds in New York. The disagreable Symptoms of Disaffection to the Union which have appeared in your State, have given me much Anxiety, but have not diminished my regard to their Welfare, nor my Wishes for their Prosperity. They must reflect, if they are not past reflection and they must feel if they are not past feeling on the Unanimity of all their Neighbours against them.

Governor Clinton and his Adherents have discovered an Ambition which will not soon be forgotten in America. and it is not probablle that the People of America will suffer their Union to be dissolved, or the Administraters of their Government to be embarrassed to gratify the Jealousy Envy Ambition or Revenge, or any other Passions litle or great of Mr Clinton or his Mirmidons: though another mortified faction at the southward may be found to magnify the miserable Baggatelle of his services to the Size the first Characters in the Community. The fraud is too gross to deceive the most undiscerning among impartial Men. Let him go on with his arbitrary Exclusions of the best Characters in his State merely because they will not be his Spaniels, and see the Consequence. I rely upon your discretion however. dont neglect to write to

our son brought me your favour of the 19 december on sunday last, by which I find that the same Ideas have past through both our 365minds on a late Election amidst all that has been written upon the occasion, no one has ventured to state the comparative merrits, and services of the Candidates, but have contented themselves with saying that they would not bear a comparison, that clintons were lighter than a feather when weighd against yours. the Peice I mentiond to you in my last Letter, did you more justice than any which I have before read. the Characters who have been most active against you, are many of them such as a Man would rather chuse to be in opposition to than upon terms of civilitity with. the misfortune is that they have their weight and influence in society. possessing some talants and no principals they are fit agents for mischiefs of the blackest kind. by the candidate they have opposed to you, they have come forward and openly declared themselves opposed to the Government. mark their measures, watch their movements and we shall see them strugling whenever they dare shew themselves, for the assendency. the late success of the Arms of France against their Enemies, seems to give much satisfaction to the half thinking politicians, as tho the Retreat of the King of prussia was to give Peace to France and heal all her internal wounds, establish a quiet Government and build up a Republick in a Nation shaken to its center, and Rent to Peices by Faction. when I read citizen President, & citizens Equality, I cannot help feeling a mixture of Pitty and contempt for the Hypocrisy I know they are practising and for the Tyranny they are Executing. I was visiting at mr Apthorp the other day. he mentiond to me the surprize he was in when he read Pains Letter and the account he gave of the treatment he received from the custom house officers who Searchd his papers, to find that the P——t had any correspondence with a man whom he considerd as an incenderary and a Character unfit for to be trusted. he could not but consider it as degrading his Character and doubted the Authenticity of the Letter. tho it struck me in the same manner when I read the account, I was determind not to say so to him. I only observd to him that the passage publishd could not do any injury to any Character, tho no doubt mr Pain took pains to have it known Publickly that he had the honour of a Letter from the President in order to give himself weight & importance—1

Inclosed are a few lines which pleasd me from a symplicity of stile as well as for the truth they contain. the Author I know not they are taken from the Centinal.2

You inquired of me in a late Letter3 whether I had any prospect of hireing a Man by the year. a Young Man of a good countanance has 366offerd himself this week. he lived the last year with a mr Williams at Roxburry. he is from the state of N Hampshire and has lived four years at Roxburry in different places a year at a time. he talkd of 30 pounds by the year. I told him that would not do, I did not hear that more than 24 was given by any body the last year, and that it must be a very extrodinary hand to earn such wages— I told him we did not want a hand till the first of march he said he wishd to let him self immediatly—but we fi[nally] came to these terms if upon inquiry his character would answer and you approved I would hire him from the 1 of Feb’ry & he came down to 26 pounds, which you will think too high perhaps—but I am not bound to take him if you do not chuse— I mentiond the first of Feb’ry that I might have time to write to you, and in the mean time I shall inquire his Character.

present my Love to mrs otis, and Regards to all inquiring Friends from your ever / affectionate