Adams Family Correspondence, volume 11
What you will say, or think, I know not at the Wages I am obliged to give. they are not higher than mr Black and others are obliged to give, for I was determind not to be deceived by report, and Made inquiry of him Myself Bass & Savile give the same which is no less than 14 Dollors pr Month. things can never go on at this rate. I hired a Man on the 15 for one Month. he did not incline to engage further untill he had tried, his place, and I was easy, for such wages must command help. he is from plimton & lived two years with judge Sever of Kingston.1 as to Copland I know not yet whether he will remain, nor Do I care, only that perfect Strangers render it difficult for me, as I can not mount on Horse back as you can and direct. the Stone Wall you wrote about and which you left in Charge to Dr Tufts, he cannot get Done for 2 Dollors pr Rod Billings who is with Captain Beals is to come to me in three Weeks, and will build the wall himself. I think I had better hire him for one two or three Months, as he is so good a hand at such buisness & get it Done in that way.
Your Brother came to inform me that mr Jonathan Marsh had the care of the Land belonging to the Heirs of Hayden who own the Land You improve, and that they are of Age & offer it at Seven pounds pr acre 13 acres they say if you do not purchase it is to be 256 sold at Auction. I shall get Dr Tufts to see mr Marsh, and wish to receive your orders about it. our season is rather cold and Dry our people are plowing upon the Hill in order to sew as soon as they can. the peice before the House for corn must be twice Harrowd, in order to break it to sufficiently. I shall go on as well as I can; you see the difficulties—
return our sons Letter.2 the Throat distemper has abated. I do not know any person sick with it. I forgot to tell you that after repeated Tarrings in various places, & at different times, not a Millir or Slug appears—
Yours as ever—
I am much better
RC (Adams Papers); addressed by Louisa Catharine Smith: “The Vice President of the / United States / Philadelphia”; endorsed: “Mrs A. Ap. 18. Ansd 24 / 1796.”
William Sever (1729–1809), Harvard 1745, lived in Kingston, Mass., and was a judge on the Court of Common Pleas for over thirty years (
Sibley’s Harvard Graduates, 11:575–578).
That is, JQA to AA, 6 Jan. 1796, above, which AA enclosed in her letter to JA of 15 April (Adams Papers).
th1796
Mr Van Persyn the bearer of this; is a Dutch gentleman the brother in law of Mr Jean Luzac by whom he has been recommended to me He proposes to settle in this Country and to lay out his Capital in a farm Mr Luzac and my brother Thomas have requested my advice and assistance for him. He has also letters for you.1
We are exceedingly anxious to know what will be the result of the disposition of The House of Representatives Our Merchants are alarmed at the present appearances business is at a stand There are to be meetings this evening of the Merchants and underwriters to consult for the Common good.2 Flour fell on Saturday from twenty five to twenty shillings such are the blessed effects of Southern dishonesty. What would be the consequence should The Representatives refuse to appropriate? An idea is entertained by some people here that The treaty may be carried into effect by individual subscription I beleive that idea is falacious Nor do I see how the difficulty is to be surmounted. Our Legislature adjourned last week to meet again in November to Chuse Electors and I dare say 257 everything will go on smoothly. The last session has been remarkably harmonious and the majority will be greater the next election.3
My last accounts from My brothers are not later than the 30th of December they were then in good health.
I am Sir your affectionate son
sAdams
RC (Adams Papers).
Govert Jan van Persijn was probably carrying two 11 Dec. 1795 letters to JA, one from C. W. F. Dumas and one from Jean Luzac (both Adams Papers). Van Persijn spent a few days with JA in Philadelphia in late May or early June 1796, but it is unclear if he delivered any other letters to JA, who received this letter by post on 19 April.
The meeting of the merchants and traders of New York City took place on 19 April. The group resolved to present an address to the House of Representatives on the execution of the Jay Treaty and to correspond with other New York counties and American trading towns on the issue. According to the New York meeting, the treaty was “a point of the greatest consequence to this young and rising country—affording a prospect of durable peace; and of an uninterrupted progress … which will enable us to defy the enmity of foreign powers, without those immense sacrifices which war in our present situation, must inevitably produce.” In a 24 April letter to Rufus King, Alexander Hamilton noted that the address “went yesterday by express. It had more than 3200 signers. … Nothing can more clearly demonstrate our unanimity & I feel no doubt of equal or greater unanimity throughout the state” (New York Journal, 22 April; Hamilton, Papers, 20:136).
The New York legislative session ended on 11 April and would reconvene on 1 Nov. with a Federalist majority in both houses after substantial gains were made during the spring 1796 elections (N.Y. Senate, Jour., 19th sess., 1796, p. 110, Evans, No. 30871; 20th sess., 1796–1797, p. 3, Evans, No. 32554; Young, Democratic Republicans, p. 465–466). For the apportionment resulting from the 1795 state census, see vol. 10:474.