I received two kind Letters from you since I had the pleasure of writing to you.1 I regreet that both you, and your Family have experienced so much ill Health Since you arrived in this Country. I feel for you as a stranger; and wish you were near enough to me, that I might have it in my power, to return to you, and your Family, Some portion of the kindness and Hospitality which I experienced myself, and which others of my Family received, long before we had an Idea of a closer connection subsisting between us.

My Heart was filled with tenderness and anxiety, for our Dear Daughter at the recital of Her danger, and the situation she found herself in, with the circumstances attendant upon it, as described by my son’s. I inclose to you their Letters.2 the President has one to the 30 Jan’ry in which Mr Adams writes that they were then all well. I will thank you to return them to me as soon as you have read them—but my dear Madam you must not think it oweing to want of duty or affection that you have not received Letters. at the period when these Letters were dated, Your arrival in America was unknown to them

I wrote in Nov’br & in December, as you will See by Mr Adams’s acknowledgment, but you were not then arrived. I embrased the first opportunity of communicating to them the pleasing intelligence as soon as it reachd me, but have no Letters that inform me those have been received, and I never write my son, without letting him know your welfare as I have had the pleasure of hearing frequently from you. I wrote to Mrs Adams twice this winter. I have inclosed the Letters you sent for her in one to my Son, and Mr Liston has been kind enough to take Charge of it for me. the other Letters have been put into the Bag, as you desired it will give me pleasure at any time to forward Letters for you.3

Your intelligence respecting mr Cranch gives me pleasure. I do not hesitate to say, that I believe mr Johnson will find him every way worthy his confidence.4 I rejoice to find an other Friend raised up to him, to compensate the one whom he lost in mr Deakings and of whom he spoke to me with a filial affection— Mrs Cranch is an amiable domestick woman, seperated too, from all her connections, and renderd very unhappy by the misfortunes which have befallen some of them. I have felt much for her. she is one of a very large and amiable Family I wish her to cultivate an acquaintance with your Family. With mr Daltons Family I have been for Years acquainted, and in habits of intimacy. with Mrs Law, I never was acquainted untill I had the pleasure of seeing her here this winter. I was then much pleased with her. she appears to me, an agreable Benevolent unassuming woman— I hope my dear Madam the Country will become more agreable to you as you become more acquainted with its inhabitants. it requires time to assimilate ourselves to any place, and I can make many allowances for a person educated in England, not finding the customs manners and habits in America agreable at first. the domestick arrangement of our Families is very different, and we 9 have much of the spirit of Equality. you will find more of that the further you come Northward.

You ask My opinion respecting the Removal of the Seat of Government. I do belive that it is the design of Congress to remove at the period stated, provided the accommodations at the Time are such as to warrant it—. For myself it is matter of very great uncertainty whether I shall ever reside there. the Period for which the President is Elected will expire near the Time of Removal, and God only knows what will take place in our Country. we are in a very critical Situation tho I think as the danger approaches, we become more united, and firm more determined to resist our Enemy. War is a dreadfull scourge to any Country, most devoutly to be deprecated, but subjugation is worse, and more particularly so to France, Who in her Revolution has broken down all the Barriers which united other powers, and with a besom of destruction, appears to be let loose as a scourge to the whole civilized world. that she early formed a party in this Country, we have painfull evidence of. they have obstructed the measures of our Goverment. they have intruded themselves into the counsels of our Country. they have sowed the seeds of discord amongst us, vilified and abused our best and Fairest Characters, and endeavourd to subvert our Religion— in short there is not any evil which they have not devised against us, and as far as they have been able executed against us. but America is now roused. she sees the Hand raised to shed her Blood, and I trust she will not shrink from the contest if compelld to it for the preservation of her Liberty and Independance

Some dispatches have been received from our Envoys in France up to the 6th of Feb’ry they will be made publick, but they do not give us any prospect of an accomodation with them.5 If they are Serious in their intended invasion of England, I think they must not delay the attempt much longer. I am sanguine that they will not succeed. I pray Heaven they may not. I consider England the only Barrier remaining, against universal domination— I shall tire you I fear with politicks.

As the young Ladies are musisians I inclose the New song now in much repute. the portrait I do not think a likeness—

Present me affectionatly to Mr Johnson to the young Ladies and to your son. My Nephew, his Classmate inquires affectionatly after him— I now fear I shall not have the pleasure of seeing you before I go Northward, which I hope to do, as soon as congress rise if you find 10 your Health suffering, come to Boston and you will find a journey to the Northward very agreable in the month of June— You must not however look for English turnpike Roads or Inns but you will find much of true English Hospitality, in N England we have few Foreigners, and most of our inhabitants are descended from English Ancestors.—

adieu My dear Madam / and believe me at all times / Your obliged and affectionate / Friend

I have a day or two since received your favour of 10. Feby: by which I perceive that my last Letters from London, had reached you, though I know not what was the fate of several that preceded them, and none of those which I wrote from this place had come to hand.1 I have not however since my arrival here been altogether negligent, and I hope that before this time you have received the proofs of it.— I have always endeavoured not only to make my correspondence frequent but as expeditious in the conveyance as possible. For this however I have never been well situated, and at this time am worse so than ever. The circumstances of the times too render an unusual degree of caution necessary.— I propose for the future not to sign my letters as you will know very well from whom they come: nor to name any date of the place except in case of removal.

My wife has received letters from her mother and brother of 19. January, the latest we have from America, excepting this last of 11 your’s.2 She is now thanks to God, in good health, as well as my brother.

It is probable that before this letter can reach you, Mr: Marshall will have returned home. Genl: Pinckney would have done the same, but for the illness of his daughter, which has induced him to go to the South of France, where he has a permission to remain only one hundred days. Mr: Gerry stays behind alone!—3 It would not perhaps become me to give all my sentiments upon this extraordinary measure, as I have not heard from himself upon what grounds he thought it justifiable.— Of this however I am confident. He will gain nothing for his Country by staying. There is not a Nation upon Earth with which France has chosen to differ, but she has degraded and oppressed in making arrangements of settlement.— She has indeed deeply injured her enemies, but she has utterly and irretrievably ruined her friends.— If Mr: G stays to put his hand to such a Treaty as was forced upon the Batavian and Cisalpine Republics, or to subscribe to such terms, as the unhappy Swiss have been compelled to submit to, he stays to the unspeakable misfortune of the American Union; if it is only to protract an unavoidable rupture untill the time shall exactly suit the Directory, and to keep the United States in that state of listless impotence, which will soon make them the fable of Europe, they will have little reason to be satisfied with his obsequiousness to their implacable enemies.— One thing in my own mind is clear as a midday Sun.— Under the present Rulers of France, no settlement of our affairs there consistent with our national honour and safety can be made. Mr: G. ought long since to have been unequivocally certain of the same thing; and if he was, he is much to blame for such a desertion of his colleagues, and for throwing out such a new apple of discord in the midst of his countrymen, the People of America.— The policy of temporising, will not answer with men of such character as those with whom he has to deal. It was tried by Venice, by Genoa, by Geneva, but most especially by the Swiss Republics—4 They trusted to professions of friendship, and gave up one point of controversy after another, without making adequate preparations for defence, until the enemy was at their very gates.— What has been the consequence: they were left only the option of accepting a Constitution made for them at Paris simply without alteration or amendment, or of defending their Independence by force of arms.— They fought, but it was too late— Their antagonist had palsied all their strength by division, and to complete the conquest had only to butcher some thousands of their 12 People.— The victory has been followed by every species of tyranny, of depredation and oppression. The only free and happy Country in Europe, has been turned into a field of desolation, wretchedness and servitude slavery, forced to take the mockery of a Constitution made for them at Paris, and to hymn the deadly gloom of their servitude as the new dawn of their freedom.— After such an example as this, a Citizen of a free Republic, who places any sort of dependence upon the generosity or Justice of France must be the veriest dupe on Earth, and cannot even claim the privilege of ignorance or stupidity.

The expedition against England which has so long been threatened, is yet unattempted, and by many People it is yet a doubt whether it ever will be. You will see much in the public Papers about a great armament upon the mediterranean, principally at Toulon, and the numerous conjectures as to its destination.— Egypt, Greece, Sicily, or Portugal.— General Buonaparte who has been appointed to the supreme command of all the forces both by Land and sea, employed against England is said now to be gone to embark at Toulon, and his wife goes with him.— Toulon is by no means in the direct way towards England, and so they say that Buonaparte and his army are going to Egypt; to cut a canal between the mediterranean and the red sea. Then to march over land and attack the british settlements in India— But extravagant as the undertakings of the french Republicans are, this report is ridiculous.— Others say that the object is to reestablish the Grecian Republics; this would easily be effected, but in that Country there is little plunder, and therefore few inducements for the great Nation to carry its fraternity to them. The island of Sicily or Portugal may be more inviting. But time only can decide.5

Since the definitive Peace between Austria and France, the Directory had sent General Bernadotte as their Ambassador to Vienna.— On the 13th: of last month, he fixed a three coloured flag in the balcony of his house.— The People of Vienna were not accustomed to such a sight— A large crowd of People gathered round the house and insisted upon its being taken away. Upon the refusal of the Minister, they pulled down the flag and burnt it in the street, broke the windows of the house; broke into it, and destroyed the furniture and carriages of the Ambassador. It was several hours before a large body of troops could disperse the mob. Two days after, Bernadotte left Vienna, and is now waiting for further orders from his Government, at Rastadt.6

In England every preparation has been making to meet the case of an invasion, and it is generally wished by the friends of the 13 Government that the attempt may be made. Several members of the opposition in Parliament have declared their determination to give all their support to the Ministry upon this occasion; the overpowering influence of the public opinion appears to have forced this measure upon them. The Habeas Corpus act is suspended, and great numbers of suspected persons have been imprisoned. Several are now upon trial for treason. All Ireland has been declared in a state of rebellion and put under martial Law.—7 But you will undoubtedly have English-news, more directly from that Country, than I can give them you, at this distance.

This Country is in a state of perfect apparent tranquility, though rumours of approaching War are freely circulated.— I believe them unfounded. There is an army of two hundred thousand Men, always on foot here, and they are now ready to march at a week’s warning.

I have written to you heretofore, how much of our time was indispensably engrossed by the necessity of frequenting the continual rounds of Court company. This inconvenience is now over for this Season, and we are left as much to ourselves as we desire. The king and queen are at Potsdam, about twenty of our miles from this City, and will not return to reside here untill the Winter.— The king is to go on the 25th: of this month for Prussia (here you know, is the electorate of Brandenburg) to receive what is called the homage of his subjects there. He is to return here for the same ceremony by the last of June, and spends the remainder of the Summer at Charlottenburg, about three miles from Berlin.8

I wrote you some time ago, proposing a mode whereby I could place in safety my library, which is now at Lisbon, causing me constant expence for storage; I cannot send for it to come here, for the voyage would be as long and more dangerous than to America; and by the time of its arrival I should have to pack it off again.9

Mr: Pitcairn is now at Hamburg, and you may safely direct to him any Letters for me, which upon receiving, he can forward by the Post every day. You can also enclose letters for me under cover to Mr: Bourne at Amsterdam from whence the Post is only five days coming here. I will thank you to mention this circumstance to my brother Charles from whom I have not heard these many months.

I am your ever affectionate Son.