I received your kind Letters of Janry 28 & 30th 1 I well recollect receiving a Letter from mr Gerry soon after you went first to France informing me of your being Elected a member of the Phylisophic society in Philadelphia and when you received the volm in England of their transactions, I never could account for not finding your Name with the Members.2 the loss of the Records at that time accounts for it. you will hear before this reaches you of the Transactions in England which I consider the begining [of] Trouble. God only know where it will end, and whether we in this Country shall not be involved in the same whirlpool

Febry 18

Thus far I wrote and was prevented from proceeding last night our son came up from Town with the joyfull tyding of the arrival of the col mrs smith & Family. I received a Letter from her at the same time dated Nyork the col you will have seen before this reaches you, and from him you will learn more particulars Relative to the threadned overturn of England, but I will say no more upon politicks at this Time, as I am not able to write much, and a few domestick concerns occur that I wish to mention. dr Tufts desires me to mention to you Clover seed. he wishes Brisler to inquire the price & if it can be purchased as low as 10 pence or a shilling pr pound to procure a Barrel of it & ship it round tis 18 pence here and he says we shall want some & he will take the rest. an other article I would mention is some Porter & some segars for your comfort and the last is whether it would not be adviseable to purchase a strong Farm Horse in conneticut & let Brisler take home the chaise. our great oxen have performd pretty well while they could be used in the Cart, but in the snow without any leader before them they cured & Hawl, is the carters term in such a manner that they cork themselves and have been useless unless when I could prevail with Faxon to let me have a yoke from the Farm to go with th[em] which he has done when we have sent to the Ceadar swamp [. . .] that broke his two Teams which he keeps constantly employd. Shaw was much 405mortified & begd me to buy him a yoke as he had Hay enough to keep them & could not possibly accomplish the work unless I did. I sent him out to see several yoke, but they were too low in flesh & 55 dollors a pr. he solisited me to let him go to Abington & try I consented and he last night brought home a yoke comeing seven years for which he gave 58 dollors— he says they are right Handsome cattle used to make stone wall kind & smart in very good flesh &c. I hope what I have done will meet your approbation—which will always recompence me for what ever exertions I may make.

I was taken sick on that day twelve month that I was the last year. I have been confined to my Chamber for a week, but have not the Rhumatick complaints which I had last year. the fever rather tends to an intermitting I have been Bled which has lessned the inflamitory symtoms and I hope it will terminate without any long confinement. I have very good Nursing, and tho a deaf I believe a safe Physician3

Mrs smith is desirious of comeing on to pass a Month with me before she goes to Housekeeping perhaps she may so contrive it as to come with you. you will see her soon and settle the accommodation. mr Cranch is well again as usual & sends his Love with many thanks for your kind expressions towards him. I caught the opportunity of writi[ng] whilst sister was gone down to dinner but she schools me for it.

adieu in hopes to see you soon / most affectionatly yours

We have had Such falls of Snow and rain that I Suppose the Mail has been retarded and I have no Letters; and you may be in the 406same Case. I have written however as regularly as usual. I have no Letters nor Message from our dear Family at N. York Since their arrival excepting a Line from Charles the next morning announcing it.1 another fort night and I shall sett out on my return home I shall make a short stay at N. Y. for fear of worse roads as well as from a zeal to get home. Indeed I have so little affection for that southern State as it has lately become, that the sooner I get thro it the better.

I have a great Mind to send home our furniture. My Salary has become ridiculous, sunk more than half in its Value and about to be reduced still lower by another Million of Paper to be emitted by a new Bank of Pensilvania.2 Before I was aware I got abominably involved in debt and I shall not easily get out.— by I will be no longer a Dupe. The hospitality of Philadelphia would have kept me, the whole Winter at Dinner with one Family and at Tea and Cards with another: but I have made it a rule to decline all Invitations excepting Such as came from Families where I had never dind before, and excepting once with the senators who have families here, once with our Ministers of State and once with foreign Ministers. It has been Employment enough to write apologies in Answer to Invitations. I should have been down with the Ague long before now if I had accepted Invitations to Evening Parties. I never dine out without loosing the next nights Sleep, which shews that there is still a disposition to a fever.

I live in terror least the State of Europe should force the President to Call Congress together in summer. I am not without hopes however that the national Convention of France will give England Satisfaction about Holland, the Austrian Netherlands and the Scheld, that We may still be blessed with Peace: but if there should be war We shall be intrigued into it, if possible.

The Personal hatreds and Party Animosities which prevail here, have left me more in tranquility than any other Person. The Altercations between the humble Friends of the two or three Ministers have done no service to the Reputation of either. The S. of the Treasury has suffered as much as the Secretary of State. Ambition is imputed to both, and the Moral Character of both has Suffered in the Scrutiny. They have been sifted by Satan like Wheat and all the Spots that have been discoverd have been circulated far and wide. I am afraid that Hamiltons Schemes will become unpopular, because the State Legislatures are undermining them and Congress will be obliged either to let them fall in the Publick opinion, or to support them by measures which will be unpopular. Hamilton has been 407intemperately puffed and this has excited green Eyed Jealousy and haggard Envy. Jays Friends have let Escape feelings of Jealousy as well as Jeffersons. And it is very natural. Poor me who have no Friends to be jealous, I am left out of the Question and pray I ever may.

Yours tenderly