Adams Family Correspondence, volume 13
ca. 15] January 1799.1
We received your short Letter of 19. November written just as the pilot from the mouth of the Elbe was about to leave you.2 Since that time untill this day, we have had almost incessantly Easterly winds blowing, and we hope that you enjoyed the benefit of them, and long before this, find yourself restored to the bosom of our Country and friends.
356Since your departure several circumstances have occurred within the circle of this Court, which from your acquaintance with it, you may think worth knowing.— I wrote you before you sailed, what had happened to Prince Radziwill—3 That affair however was immediately dropped.— For some weeks, the Courtiers all turned their backs to him, as a man altogether out of favour, and even yet he is treated with less apparent respect than formerly; but he seems not to take it much to heart, and more recent occurrences have contributed to efface the impression which that concerning him had made.
The Princes Ferdinand and Henry, believed, upon what grounds I am unable to say, that this affair, originated and was conducted by the instigation of Count Haugwitz, and from malevolence on his part either towards them, or Prince Radziwill— Prince Ferdinand of course forbad him his house, and Prince Henry sent word to the Princess, that if she admitted Haugwitz to appear again at her Courts she and her maids of honour should all be turned out of the Palace.— The Princess accordingly gave notice to Haugwitz of the orders she had received, and testified her regret at the necessity she was under of requesting that he would no longer appear at her Monday parties.— But the king upon being informed of this, ordered Haugwitz to go constantly every Monday.— The Princess embarrassed between two commands, neither of which she could disobey, was obliged to break up her Monday parties altogether, so that we have been for the last two months entirely relieved from attendance there.— The poor Princess however has been sadly distressed at the loss of all her State, and has been almost ever since ill.
About a fortnight ago, the Princess Louis, wrote a letter to Dr: Brown, requesting him to inform the king that she was seven
months gone, with child by the Prince de Solms, a Major in the Regiment of Gardes du
Corps, to whom she added she was married last April.— So the Major was removed from the
Guards, to a Regiment of Hussars in garrison at Auspach, and the Princess is gone there
to live with him.4
This incident has only served to occasion advancement among the
officers of the guards, and your friend Perponcher has already attained the rank of a
Lieutenant.— It has perhaps likewise contributed to postpone the commencement of the
Carnaval, which should regularly have begun on the 6th: of
this month, but was delayed untill the 14th:— The round of
amusements and dissipation is much more constant than it was last Winter, and leaves us
scarce a single 357 evening in the week to ourselves.— We are however
very intimate with Count Bruhl’s and Doctor Brown’s families, both of which desire
especially to be remembered to you.5
The most important political occurrences which since your departure have drawn the attention of Europe are the declaration of War by France against the kings of Naples and Sardinia, which in all probability was instigated by the misfortunes and losses which the french had been suffering for some months before.— To indemnify themselves they fell upon the prey that was nearest at hand, and most easy to be devoured— The king of Sardinia who had already delivered the Citadel of Turin itself into their hands, fell without a shadow of resistance. Joubert made him sign a capitulation ready prepared, by which all Piedmont was put under the authority of the french, and the king was allowed to retire into Sardinia—
It is now said that Joubert’s conduct has been disapproved by the Directory, as having granted terms too favourable to the king, and even that they have refused to ratify the capitulation.—6
The king of Naples began with some success and his troops advanced so far as to take possession of Rome, while another body of them landed under convoy of Nelson, and some English ships, and took Leghorn. But their stay at Rome was short: after several actions in all of which they were defeated, they fled before a number of french much inferior to themselves, and it is now the general expectation that Naples and Sicily very shortly will follow the fate of the rest of Italy.— The Emperor has not moved at all in support of his father in Law, though his force in Italy is great and daily increasing—7 He has met with the loss of a very valuable officer in Prince Frederic of Orange, who shortly since died of a bilious fever at Padua.8
From the french army in Egypt there are no accounts of any
authenticity since the 19th: October, when the General and
troops were all safe— Since then something has happened, but it is not yet precisely
known what— The Turkish accounts boast of it as a very important advantage on their
side, but are vague, indistinct and confused, without dates, and without any thing
precise in the circumstances.— No french official accounts of it have been published—
Private Letters speak of it as a riot among the populace at Cairo, (according to
Buonaparte, la plus vilaine populace du monde,) in which the french troops were obliged
to fire upon them, and kill some thousands of them.— I consider it, as an affair of no
consequence, which the Turks have swelled into importance, for the sake 358 of a boast, and which the french are content to have so considered for the sake of
crying up their future success over it, as another wonderful work of Buonaparte and the
great Nation.9
We have had scarce any news from England since you sailed. The
Easterly winds, which in this quarter of the world, are those that bring extreme cold in
Winter, have obstructed the mouth of the Elbe with such a mass of Ice, that at this
moment nine English mails are due here.— A new English Minister, Mr: Thomas Grenville, an elder brother of Lord Grenville has been for some time
expected, and has hitherto been detained by the same cause which prevents the arrival of
the mails.— Lord Elgin is appointed Ambassador to Constantinople.10
I wish it were in my power to give you a better account of your
concerns which you left here.— Your lottery ticket came out a blank, and your horse
remains yet upon Whitcomb’s hands.— He says he has taken all possible pains to put him
off, but can get nothing like the price which You expected.— They tell him that now is a
most unfavourable time to sell horses, because provender is excessively dear; but for my
part I believe all times unfavourable, excepting for professed jockies, or for those who
possess their talents.— Poor Whitcomb finds people enough willing to try the horse, but upon the return from their ride, some find
him vicious, and others though they like him very well do not want a horse exactly of
that kind.— Perhaps the Spring, may bring a purchaser, and if not, I believe I shall
have him sold at auction, for otherwise instead of producing you any thing, he will
prove a real expence.
I am your ever affectionate brother
RC (Adams Papers); internal address: “Mr: T. B.
Adams.”; endorsed: “J Q Adams Esqr: / January 1799 / 7th: June Recd: / 26 Do Answd:”; notation by
ECA: “A piece of / Scandal”; filmed at Jan. 1799. LbC
(Adams Papers); APM Reel 133.
The dating of this letter is based on the placement of the LbC in the Letterbook.
Not found.
See JQA to TBA, 13 Nov. 1798, and note 4, above.
For more on Frederica Sophia Carolina of Mecklenburg-Strelitz,
Princess Louis, and her secret marriage to Frederick William, Prince of
Solms-Braunfels, see LCA, D&A
, 1:100–101.
Berlin’s carnival ran from 13 Jan. 1799 to 13 Feb. and included
operas twice a week, which JQA described as “all entirely at the king’s
expence” with “boxes appropriated to various persons of distinction—one for the
Cabinet, and foreign Ministers.— But the queen holds a sort of Court in her own box,
at which the foreign Ministers make their appearance in the course of the Evening. …
The house very handsome, but poorly lighted. No applause is permitted”
(D/JQA/24, 13, 14 Jan., 13 Feb., APM Reel 27). For Count Karl von Bruhl and Hendrik
George Perponcher-Sedlnitzky and for LCA’s recounting of carnival, see
LCA, D&A
, 1:79, 103–104, 132.
Gen. Barthelemy Catherine Joubert (1769–1799) was named commander
of the French Army of Italy in Aug. 1798. In need of 359 further war
supplies, and prior to declaring war, the Directory sent Joubert in December into the
Piedmont, where he secured the citadel of Turin and forced the abdication of King
Charles Emmanuel IV on 9 December. The document of capitulation placed all Sardinian
subjects under French command but permitted the king to peacefully retreat. Joubert’s
feud with the Directory resulted from attempts by the Directory four days before
France finally declared war to rein in its generals’ behavior in occupied territories,
and Joubert ultimately resigned his commission over his belief that the Directory’s
orders offended military honor (Hoefer, Nouv. biog. générale
;
Cambridge
Modern Hist.
, 8:654; Ross, Quest for Victory
, p. 206; Paris Gazette nationale ou le moniteur universel, 16, 21
Dec.).
In November King Ferdinand IV of Naples led an attack on the
French outpost at Rome while Napoleon was distracted by defeat in Egypt. The assault
was made on the advice of his wife, Queen Maria Carolina, the daughter of Holy Roman
emperor Francis II, and British rear admiral Horatio Nelson, in the hope that it would
draw the Austrian empire into the Second Coalition; however, Francis II, despite the
May 1798 Austro-Neapolitan defensive alliance, refused assistance. In response to
Ferdinand’s aggression, the French declared war against Naples on 13 Dec., and
Neapolitan forces were soon defeated and the king escaped to Sicily under Nelson’s
protection. Napoleon declared the Neapolitan Republic on 21 Jan. 1799, pending the
approval of the Directory, which never arrived (John A. Davis, Naples and Napoleon: Southern Italy and the European Revolutions, N.Y., 2006,
p. 23, 73–75, 80–81;
Cambridge Modern Hist.
, 8:645, 650–653; Paris Gazette nationale ou le moniteur universel, 16 Dec.
1798).
William George Frederick, Prince of Orange (b. 1774), was the son
of William V and Frederika Sophia Wilhelmina, Prince and Princess of Orange, and was
serving as commander of the Austrian Army in Italy when he died in Jan. 1799 (Gentleman’s Magazine, 69:165 [Feb. 1799]).
A revolt against French rule broke out in Cairo on the morning of
21 Oct. 1798 following news of the Ottoman declaration of war against France in early
September. The rebellion was short-lived once Napoleon began bombarding rebel areas,
leading to about 3,000 civilian deaths (Philip Dwyer, Napoleon: The Path to Power, 1769–1799, New Haven, 2008, p. 402–404).
For Thomas Grenville and his mission to Prussia, see LCA, D&A
, 1:107, and JQA to AA, 16 March 1799, and note 7, below. Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin,
arrived in Constantinople in November (LCA, D&A
, 1:72;
Repertorium
, 3:179).
th1799 Tuesday Eve.
I have received your letters of Jan. 3d & 6th with all that pleasure & gratitude
which so much good counsel deserved. I do love to read your letters.
Before this reaches you, you must have heard of Cousen Thomas’s arrival at N York, from whence he wrote to you.1 He arrived in this city this afternoon, & is very well. It would do you good to see how happy it has made Uncle. I wish Aunt was here.
“The political green house” I have read and admired. You will see by the papers which I sent you this morn, that a part of it has been read in the house of Rep. by Nicholas and more by Mr Dana.2 Have you seen “Guillotina” for this year? It is much better than the last.3 In the green house, I think the description of the battle between Nelson & Buonaparte is equal to any of Homer’s battles.4
360I wish I could think with you with any reason “that congress seem disposed to do any thing” they have not I believe passed a single bill as yet.5 The bancrupt bill—the bill on Mr Griswolds motion & Blounts impeachment have occupied all their time. & neither of the bills have passed the house & it is very doubtful whether the bankrupt bill will pass the house.6 The Senate after spending nearly a fortnight on Blounts impeachment have declared it null & void—that a senator is not an officer of the United States & therefore unimpeachable. I tremble for my country if it has not energy enough to punish a man “guilty of crimes & misdebeanors.”7
The meeting of the president & his son was to me very affecting. He took him in his arms the tears all the while running down his cheeks and said I thank, my God, my son that you have returned again to your native country. I would not wish to live, if I could have seen such a scene and not have been moved.
Turell Tufts is apointed consul to Surrinam Please to mention it to Uncle T.
The dispatches are not yet published I have been to Mr—s office a number of times in order to get them to carry to the house & Senate, but he says he wishes to make some comments &c. There are some very hard things said against him. You must have seen G—ns motion requesting the president to send them in.8
I wrote to my mother by this mornings mail but will write in a few days again & send the letter to you. I have received no letters from her as yet.
Love to Louisa
Your
mS S—
There is no one who enquires after you with more affection than Mr Tracy Senator from Conn. I love to have him come & ask me.
RC (Adams Papers); endorsed: “W S Shaw Janry / 15th / 1799.”
Not found.
Shaw likely sent AA the Philadelphia American Daily Advertiser, 14, 15 Jan., which covered the
10 Jan. debate in the House of Representatives over the Logan Act, where John Nicholas
and Samuel Whittlesey Dana both read from The Political
Green-House, For the Year 1798, Hartford, Conn., [1799], Evans, No. 36133.
The “Guillotina, For the Year 1799” was published in the Connecticut Courant, 7 January. The poem recapped the
previous year’s major political events from a Federalist viewpoint, in particular the
passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts, the appointment of George Washington as
commander in chief, and Dr. George Logan’s unauthorized mission to France. The poem
accused Thomas Jefferson of instructing Logan to go to France and in Jefferson’s name:
“‘Tell them, to make impression far, / That they would fain avoid a war; / Such demo
plans must surely thrive, / In spite of our Executive. / ’Tis thus they’ll raise our chop-fall’n party, / And gain a host
361 of friends full hearty— / Fly, speed your course,
and Satan bless, / Your Mission with complete success’” (lines 285–292).
The Political Green-House, For the Year
1798 described the Battle of the Nile, in part: “The Gallic navy foil’d and
torn, / With pale discomfiture forlorn, / Wide scatter’d o’er Rosetta’s bay, / In
prostrate ruin helpless lay; / Two shatter’d fly; the rest remain / To wear the
valiant victor’s chain; / While o’er the wreck-obstructed tide / The British ships in
triumph ride” (lines 721–728).
Shaw was quoting from AA’s letter to JA, 6 Jan., above.
Congress had tried throughout the 1790s to pass bankruptcy
legislation without success. The issue gained urgency, however, after the financial
failure and imprisonment of Robert Morris. Debate on the most recent bill, which dealt
with large commercial debtors, hinged on ideological differences between Federalists
and Democratic-Republicans over whether the country was primarily commercial or
agrarian. Despite a Federalist majority in the House, the bill failed by three votes
on 15 Jan. 1799 (Bruce H. Mann, Republic of Debtors:
Bankruptcy in the Age of American Independence, Cambridge, 2002, p. 168–169,
205–214, 327).
For the Blount affair, see vol. 12:x–xi. William Blount refused
to appear at his trial before the Senate on 3 Jan. and instead was represented by
Jared Ingersoll and Alexander James Dallas, who argued that the Senate lacked the
jurisdiction to try him. James Asheton Bayard and Robert Goodloe Harper,the managers
from the House, argued that Blount was subject to impeachment as a civil officer as
the term was used in the Constitution; however, Ingersoll and Dallas prevailed, and
after three days of debate a motion to overrule Blount’s plea was rejected, and the
case was dismissed on 14 Jan. (William H. Masterson, William
Blount, Baton Rouge, La., 1954, p. 339, 341–342;
Annals of Congress
,
5th Cong., 3d sess., p. 2245–2319).
In his 8 Dec. 1798 speech to Congress, JA said he
would submit dispatches on French affairs that had been received since the close of
the previous session. Despite this assertion and JA’s repeated requests,
Timothy Pickering had been holding the papers, primarily Elbridge Gerry’s
correspondence with Talleyrand, ostensibly because he was drafting a report to
accompany the dispatches. Unaware of the reasons for the delay, Albert Gallatin on 8
Jan. 1799 introduced a resolution requesting the dispatches because he did not believe
the House should consider legislation on Franco-American relations without them. On
Harper’s belief that the information was forthcoming, the resolution was laid aside
until 16 Jan. when Gallatin repeated his motion but again agreed to postpone it. The
dispatches were finally submitted on 18 Jan. (
Annals of Congress
,
5th Cong., 3d sess., p. 2421, 2572–2573, 2677, 2725;
Amer. State Papers, Foreign
Relations
, 2:204–229; Elkins and McKitrick, Age of
Federalism
, p. 613–614). For Pickering’s report, submitted on 21 Jan.,
see Shaw to AA, 21 Jan., and
note 2, below.