The arrival of the french Army in this Country, as the friends and allies of the Batavian People, and the Revolution, which has abolished the Stadholdership, the nobility, the former States of the Provinces, and the Regencies of the Cities, will undoubtedly be a subject of considerable attention in our Country; perhaps it may give occasion to many groundless rumours and reports, and possibly you may feel more than usually desirous to hear from your children, though there was no occasion for anxiety on their account.

You may therefore rest assured, that every thing here is in perfect tranquility; that personal liberty, individual property, and private opinions have not ceased for a moment to be respected. That with 385 seventy thousand french Republicans in the Province, the Streets of the Cities are as quiet as those of Boston. That among the People even the partizans of the former Government are not injured, molested or insulted, but only disarmed, and in short that all the external appearance of an alteration is a three coloured instead of a yellow ribband.

But we seem to be entirely secluded from the rest of the world. All the foreign communications are interrupted; even that with France is not yet restored.1 Intelligence from America therefore has become more uncommon, and more inaccessible than ever.— In the course of five months since we sailed from Boston, one short Letter from the Secretary of State constitutes, the whole receipt of our Correspondence from our Country.2 We hope you will not miss the opportunity of any vessel from Boston to Amsterdam or Rotterdam; and indeed as the communication with England from hence, may continue to be interrupted, We wish our friends also to write us by the way of Hamburg or Bremen; enclosing their Letters in the former case, to John Parish, & in the latter to Arnold Delius, Consuls of the United States in those two Ports.3

The Winter has been very unusually severe, but appears now to be breaking up. With respect to ourselves, the best information we have to give you is that we are in good Health and Spirits; we can hardly imagine a greater pleasure than we should receive in hearing the same from you.

Tilly is well too, and has got to be very serviceable. His Honesty makes him extremely valuable to us, for that quality has not become more common among the Servants to be had in Europe, than it was seven years ago.

The Messrs: Willink will send you the Articles, for which you sent as soon as possible; but there has hitherto been no opportunity to Boston, and we can scarcely foresee when there will be.

Please to remember us in duty and affection to our venerable Grandmother, and to our other relations and friends at Quincy and Boston.

From your affectionate Son

It is peculiarly unfortunate that the Treaty has not yet reachd Ameria. on the 19 November it was sign’d, and the vessel which brings the King of Englands speach left London 5 Jan’ry in that he announces the conclusion of a Treaty with America, and that the States General of the united Provinces were carrying on negotiation with France for Peace.1 I believe he will find however dissagreeable that his Ministers must enter into negotiations with the ruling powers—or have the whole Force of France leveld against his kindom

I inclose our Sons Letters to you [I wo]uld have done it before, but I thought as JQA mentiond publick [dis]patches by this vessel from Rotterdam, that it was likly he had written to you, and then I wishd to keep them to answer them by a vessel going to Hamburg which I have done. just as you are about to rise a flood of Buisness will pour in upon you. Col Humphries’s arrival portends some matters of concequence

I should have been exceeding happy to have had you here at the time mentiond, but think your reason just, and judicious for remaining at a Time of such expectation as you will not be here, I shall go to Town, and accept one or other of the pressing invitations I have received from thence to keep thanksgiving there. You cannot but remark that each of our Thoughts run in the same channel. in many instances we have been expressing the same sentiments at the same time as may be calld the Tellegraph of the Mind— if it were not for the altercation which the Jacobin clubs occasion, we should have an unruffeld scene throughout the united states. all our Country growing Rich, except the publick Drudges, and the Ministers of the Gospel.

I have so little interesting to communicate to you in my Letters, that your anxiety to receive them, can arise from no other Scource than a desire to know weekly that I am not Sick. even the canker worm and Caterpillar do not yet furnish a Subject. I believe our 387 388 present Tennants mean to remain an other Year I have directed them to cut & cart to each House two cords of pine wood which they have nearly compleated. that with the Brush they may get will supply them for the Dairy Buisness

Dr Tufts meets with difficulty in procuring the fenceing stuff, as the Swamps have not been sufficiently frozen to get it out. there is a vessel now going to Philadelp[hia] the Abbe captain Davis, by which mr Brisler may ship such things as I wrote for2

I yesterday received yours—29 Janry Febry 1 & 2 together with mr Jays Letter. the contents are agreable

The Weather here is mild the Ground Bare. Febry has been a cloudy Month ever since it came in. my Love to mrs otis cousin Betsy &c—and my Respects to Mrs Washington

Your ever affectionate