Adams Family Correspondence, volume 13
st[
11] 1799 Monday Eve.1
With this I send you two more copies of the dispatches— A defence of the Alien & sedition bills Divernois letter, Giffords address to the Loyal association &c the pamphlet setting forth the pernicious effects of stage plays.2 The last mentioned pamphlet was sent to the president the night after he went to the theatre and another quaker sent two more the Evening after.— they are grieved to the soul that the president should go to balls & theatres.3
A most infamous fracas took place here yesterday. Reynolds and three or four more went to the Roman Catholic church in fourth street in the forenoon and placed themselves in conspicuous places— Reynolds on one of the monuments in the church yard and made an harangue against the two bills—the Alien & sedition and then invited the congregation to come and sign a petition to congress for their repeal. but he could not gain a single proselyte not even there. A young fellow went up to him & knocked him down Reynolds got up, 401 took a loaded pistol from his pocket & pointed it at his breast, it was snatched from his hands. The rascals were taken up and caryed before the Mayor and were bound over for two thousand pounds for which they soon found bail. While they were at the Mayor’s office that infernal rascal of a democratic Judge went to the Mayor— treated him in a most scandalous manner—said the bail was excessive fifty dollars would have been enough and was oveheard telling them to take their hats & go out & he would bear them out in it.4 The president would insist on his being invited to dine here the other day.
Have you read Dr Morse’s thanksgiving sermon In the appendix he has published some things that never were published before.5 If you have not read it you will be gratifyed in perusing it. You will know the writer of the greater part of the letters.
Long before this will reach you Mr. T. A. will have arrived—to whom please to kindly remember me.
With affection / your
RC (Adams Papers); endorsed: “W Shaw Feb’ry 12 /
1799.”
The dating of this letter is based on the date of the St. Mary’s Church incident, for which see note 4, below.
The publications sent by Shaw were probably: Observations on the Alien & Sedition Laws of the United
States, Washington, Penn., 1799, Evans, No. 36001; Francis d’Ivernois, D’Ivernois on the Downfal of Switzerland, [Phila.?, 1798?],
Evans, No. 33929; John
Gifford, A Short Address to the Members of the Loyal
Associations, on the Present State of Public Affairs, London, 1798; and Lindley
Murray, Extracts from the Writings of Divers Eminent Authors …
Representing the Evils and Pernicious Effects of Stage Plays, and Other Vain
Amusements, Phila., 1799, Evans, No. 35852.
British Quaker Mary Pryor was in Philadelphia on a tour of
America when she wrote to JA on 8 Feb. to implore him “as far as may be
in thy power to suppress every specie of Vice and immorality” so that “thou may by thy
example be instrumental in the Lords hand to promote Righteousness wch exalts a Nation” (Adams Papers).
Dr. James Reynolds, the organizer of the American Society of
United Irishmen, helped draft the petition from Irish immigrants that was submitted to
Congress on 12 February. Echoing the language of Democratic-Republicans, the petition
claimed that the Alien Act was unconstitutional and an infringement of states’ rights.
It also declared the law particularly offensive to the Irish, who had supported the
American Revolution. On 10 Feb. as Reynolds and others gathered signatures on the
petition from parishioners exiting St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Philadelphia,
an altercation broke out with Federalist parishioners. The Irish petitioners were
brought before the city’s mayor, Robert Wharton (1757–1834), who ordered them held for
trial. Thomas McKean intervened later in the day, siding with the accused and
expressing outrage at the arrests. Reynolds and his fellow petitioners were later
acquitted of assault charges (Irish Immigrants in the Land of
Canaan: Letters and Memoirs from Colonial and Revolutionary America, 1675–1815,
ed. Kerby A. Miller, Arnold Schrier, Bruce D. Boling, David N. Doyle, N.Y., 2003, p.
594;
Annals
of Congress
, 5th Cong., 3d sess., p. 2884; Nigel Little, Transoceanic Radical, William Duane: National Identity and
Empire, 1760–1835, London and N.Y., 2016, p. 139–141;
ANB
; Boston Columbian Centinel, 20 Feb.;
DAB
; Charleston, S.C.,
City Gazette, 16 March).
Jedidiah Morse, A Sermon, Preached at
Charlestown, November 29, 1798, on the Anniversary Thanksgiving in
Massachusetts, Boston, 1798, Evans, Nos. 34151, 34152. In a 402 51-page appendix,
Morse reprinted excerpts of several 1782 and 1783 letters from French officials,
JA and other U.S. diplomats, and members of Congress to show that the
clergy had a moral obligation to oppose French influence: “Anarchy is fatal to the
religion and morals, as well as to the political health and prosperity of a nation;
and so, I believe, for the same reason, is French influence. To develope and oppose
it, therefore, is to espouse the cause of the Church as
well as of the State” (p. 30).
ry14 1799
upon the 12th, our dear Thomas reachd Quincy to my no small Joy! I am as happy in his company and Society, as you have been before me, and I bless God that he has returnd to his Native Country, an honest sober and virtuous citizen I hope he will continue an honour and a comfort to his Parent’s tho it is allotted them to experience different sensations with respect to one, of whose reformation I can flatter myself, with but faint hope’s. it is so painfull and distressing a subject to me, that what I suffer is in silence. I cannot write upon it, but to him; and that I consider my duty; a painfull one it is— I wish however some means could be devised to save him, from that ruin and destruction with which he must soon be overwhelmd, if he is not allready—
I endeavourd as early as possible to save the Property of JQA; that is as soon as I knew he had entrusted any to him, and I also endeavourd to get out of the hands of Dr W— what was in his. I have not written to you before upon it, because I did not wish to add private and domestic troubles to those of the public with which I knew you must be fully oppressd
Early in the Month of december I was informd that two Hundred dollors were due upon the shares in the Canal, that the dr had been frequently requested to make the payments, had always promised, but had not performd, and that the shares must be advertized immediatly for sale. I wrote dr and requested the papers and a transfer of the power to dr Tufts as I found immediate attention must be given to the buisness Still I got no answer. I then wrote to mr smith, and stated to him the buisness, requesting him to obtain the papers for me he did so, and finally I received them, but not till after the quarters Rent of December was received by him, for the House with the papers no Receits appear, of monies paid by him, or any account. a Letter accompanied them, stating; that an account had been renderd mr Adams by his son when he went to Berlin. I was indebted to mr Adams 25 Guineys which I had withheld not chusing to pay it, to 403 either of his Agents. this money I immediatly paid to dr Tufts, and made up the remaining sum which he paid to the treasurer, & stop’d the sale of the shares in the canal I find however by the account stated by mr Adams, that exclusive of three quarters of a years Rent of the House which the dr has since received, there was a balance due to him of 200 90 dollors in the hands of the dr, which with the House Rent will amount to between 4 & 500 dollers, for all of which, he will never see as many pence; Comments are unnecessary—
I received by the last Mail yours of Feb’ry 1st I have made inquiry respecting the light in
which the report of the Secretary is viewd in this quarter—and find it is highly spoken
of.1 it is considered as a measure
approved and warrented by the President, but if you will permit a sausy women to make
her comments, she will say, that upon reading of it the sentiments & Remarks are
such as the dispatches, and the duplicity and knavery of citizen Minister, fully
warrant, the conclusions are just; and if the Legislator approve them, it may save them
some long speeches—the subject being amply discust ready to their Hands; but the Qustion
which occurs to me is, was it a part of the secretarys buisness, thus to teach the
National Legislature what to think, and how to think upon matters of fact. was not this
implied, “you are not competant to judging of this buisness—without my Aid—[”] I never
have heard any person make an observation of this kind, I only say how the buisness
struck me—
Have you any thoughts of going to the city of Washington before your return Home; it is said your Presence is indispensable—
Inclosed is the Report of our senate & House, upon Virgina resolves and Kentucky resolutions—2
I am with the utmost / affection your
RC (Adams Papers); addressed by TBA: “The President of the United
States / Philada:”; endorsed: “Mrs A. Feb. 14. Ansd 25 / 1799.”
Timothy Pickering’s report to Congress on Elbridge Gerry’s
correspondence was printed in a supplement to the Boston Columbian Centinel, 6 Feb., which on 9 Feb. offered, “Whoever has read the
excellent report … can justly estimate the motives of
those Members of Congress who opposed its printing. The apologists of French chicanery
have ever had much to fear from the eagle-eyed ken, indefatigable industry, and
unshaken patriotism of the Secretary of State.”
The enclosure has not been found; however, the Boston Russell’s Gazette, 14 Feb., printed the 13 Feb. resolve of
the Mass. General Court, which stated that the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions and
their defiance of the federal government would foment unrest if “the people convulsed
and confused by the conflict between two hostile Jurisdictions enjoying the protection
of neither would be wearied into a submission to some bold Leader who would Establish
himself on the ruins of both.” The Alien and Sedition Acts, the legislators declared,
were “not only Constitutional, but Expedient and necessary” to protect against
uprisings by foreigners and ensure the security of the government (Mass., Acts
and Laws
, 1798–1799, p. 257–263).