I have duly received all your Letters, and thank you for them. your last of May 20 came on the 30th. the answer to the address from the students, I presume they must have received. it was addrest to Your clasmate Welch, as one of the committe. it would have been jointly addrest; but mr Malcom had mislaid the Letter which accompanied it, and their Names could not be recollected in order— the Address was handsome, and will make a valuable part of the collection which it is designd to publish when they are all collected together as I am informd.1 the call which the answer makes, “of to Arms” [“]to Arms” was not made but upon the maturest deliberation, and the fullest conviction, that the rising generation will be necessitated to use them, or submit to a similiar degradation with other Revolutionized Countries

In a Letter yesterday received from a distant Friend, dated the 4 March, T B A, he observes “if the progress of Jacobinism is to be arrested at all, it is by fighting it. it will not be treated with upon peacable terms, and if there be a Nation on Earth capable of going the necessary lengths, and making the proper Sacrifices to stop its course,—it must be one that is already possesed of substantial Liberty, that knows how to appreciate it, & how to distinguish between it, and that Sort of Liberty which France is trying to propogate 80 throughout the World. To every other Nation & people, the french liberty is perhaps equal, if not superiour to their own, at least the difference is not worth contending for. When therefore it is offerd accompanied like the pistol of the highwaymen with the alternative of surrender or death who shall dare to reject it?[”] Speaking of the late decree of the directory agains Neutrals, he asks “will the house of Representitives persist in their refusal to authorise arming of Merchantmen least it should interfere with, and influence the negotiation with France? they may persist! but not from those motives, for the negotiation they talk of has never commenced. they may continue to repeat that defence will be hostility, but if such arguments are received in lieu of facts if such treatment of their suffering Countrymen produce no resentment—no indignation, I shall begin to believe, that the syren song of Liberty equality and of fraternity has captivated all minds, and prepared both Governours & governed to receive a French garison as soon as it can be made, to reach the Continent. From that moment—come when it will—I have no longer a Country!! I professedly belong to mr Burk’s class of obstinates and can never consent to a compromise with Jacobinism, even should it be disposed to pardon my herisies”2

Tho absent from his Country for near four years he has not lost his American feelings, and justly appreciates the spirit of his Countrymen. he will indeed rejoice when the accounts reach him, of the determined stand which American are resolved to make. Rely upon it my dear Nephew, and impress upon the minds of your young Friends, that France has setled her plan of subjugating America: her system is fully known. She will aim at getting possession of Louissana and the Florides and of Cannady.3 from thence she can pour in her Armies upon us.— she can as she has done, Arm the slave against his Master, and continue by her Agents and Emissaries, whom with truth & reason she bosts of having thickly scatterd through our Country, saving her Principles, her depravaty of Manners, her Atheism in every part of the united States. by these means she will seduce the mind & sap the foundation of our strongest pillars, Religion & Government. these are not visionary Ideas of future events, they are now active. they have already proceeded to a most allarming height. it becomes every individual to rise, and unite, to stop the progress, to arrest the poison before it contaminates our vitals. let not the Question be ask’d what can I do? but what may I do? unite, unite

Form Voluntary Corps, let every citizen become a soldier, and determine as formerly on Liberty or death! let them seek the blessing of the most High, and acknowledge God in all their Ways:

I cannot answer you when Congress will rise. they are but beginning to do Right. I hoped to have had the pleasure this Year of being at Commencment but I do not now expect it— our Envoys were at Paris on the 4 of April!! what infatuation—but hush—they know not how they have tyed the Hands here—

How is your dear sister Betsy? I am very anxious for her. your uncle will call for You as soon as we reach Quincy. my Heart aches for the Distress of the Family you mentiond. I had no Idea of the thing. it comes very near my Heart and affects me much. I could not sleep after I heard it—

You must let me hear from you when you get to Atkinson. if I do not always write you in return; attribute it to my having many correspondents to attend to, and other occupations which necessarily engrose much of the time / of your ever affectionate

I received on saturday Yours of May 28th I wrote you on saturday previous to my receiving yours I am very sorry if the Box I sent should be lost. it was a square Box coverd with canvass, the same you sent my cap in last summer, addrest to mr smith— the dress in it together with the handkerchief Ruffels &c was of 30 dollors value. I intended it for Betsys wedding dress— the vessels Name the Sally & Polly cap’ Bradferd

I was rejoiced to learn that mrs Blacks little Girl was safely arrived. she is not very fair—nor do I think her So pretty as she was when younger, but she was tand with the water no doubt. I did not have any conversation With Mr Black respecting mr Whitman. I thought as he had been so constant and determined in his opposition, that it would be to no purpose, and if the thing cannot work its own cure I do not believe persuasion will. a prudent discreet conduct on the part of mr Whitman will have the greatest effect yet we must suppose that mr Whitman has his feelings—& that he cannot go to mr Blacks without a new invitation after having been so much opposed by him. I think the first step should be taken by those in opposition towards mr Whitman, unless affliction assails any of them. then the Man should forget his feelings, and the true spirit of Christianity induce him to do good even to those who have despightfully used him. when mr Black lost his Brother & Sister mr Whitman should have visited them—then was the time for him to have won them. mr Black has a tender feeling Heart, all alive to distress, and actively benevolent— I will however when I return use my good offices to unite them.—

I have not heard from your son nor from mrs Johnson Since I wrote you last. Mr Johnson I understand has sufferd very much Since the War, between France & England and he is obliged to attend very closely to his affairs here, where he had large Sums oweing to him—

Dr Welch and Family are never out of my mind. I know not what to say to them by way of comfort or consolation— I have written to mr smith asking his opinion of sending Thomas to Berlin to Mr Adams, in lieu of T B Adams who is determined to return home this fall, and who begs me to send some body in his Room—1 Thomas is a solid Lad; Loves mr Adams was brought up with him, and it will be a living for him for a year or two, and prepare him for future buisness, and I should suppose the Proposal would be agreable to him at this time, when he must be dejected with his Fathers situation I would have him go to Hamburgh—and from thence, he may soon proceed to Berlin— I would have him go directly after taking his degree

we are distrest at the stay of our Envoys who seem to be in a delirium. they will assuredly suffer in some way or other; if the knowledge of the dispatches arrives there, and the concequent temper of the Pople reaches, before their orders arrive for comeing away. my only hope is that the Winds of Heaven were propitious in carrying 83 their orders to them, but my astonishment is, that after the decree past the Directory for seazing all Nutrals who should have any kind of British Manufactor on Board, 24 hours should not have past before pasports had been demanded. they ought not to have hesitated a moment what part to have acted. do not however repeat these censures from me. they may be asscribed to a higher source; but I greatly fear the delay occasiond by the obstinacy of one Man; you will hear reports, I suppose, but they shall not come from me, nor will I give Ear to them, untill more solid proof, more demonstration, obliges me too— the News Papers say that dispatches have arrived from our Envoys to the 4 April. it is not so. there are dispatches from mr King, & from mr Adams but not a line to Government since those which have been made publick from our Envoys in France. there is a private Letter from mr Pinckney to mr King, which mr King has sent a copy of, but it is not publick, but a private Letter from one Gentleman to an other.2 by some means or other this has leakd out—and given rise to the report of publick dispatches

I think our next accounts from England must be highly important. God Grant the fate of Pharoah & his Hoast, to those who attempt to cross the channel— England is the only Barrier between France & universal domination. there I trust is some true Religion, & piety; some respect to Law & Government Some Rational Liberty Benevolence & Philanthropy for whose sake I hope & trust the Nation will be saved—

Braintree address is received, and answerd So is Cambridge & Medford which last is an admirable one who drew it? it is out of the common stile.3 it is designd by some Gentlemen to collect them all together & publish them in a Vol’m I pray you present my kind and affectionate Regards to all my Friends. how many of my acquaintance I shall miss when I return! Mrs Field is relieved from the infirmites under which she sufferd, and having acted well, very well her part in Life will I doubt not have her reward. as a Neighbour I loved valued & esteemed her—& all who belonged to her, as I have fully proved by my connection with so many Branches of her Family considering her Education few women have exhibited more Prudence; industery, patience under trying afflictions equinimity of temper, and indeed every christian Virtue I experienced her kindness from my first becomeing her Neighbour, when I was young and unexperienced her Benevolence was always manifested without any boast or expectation of reward. I never wanted help, eitheir in Sickness or Health, when some one of her Family was not ready to 84 afford it, and that long before I was in a station to do more for them than others. I shall ever revere her memory—

How is Brother Adams, Suky & Boilstone? not a word of them, or from them have I heard but by mr Black. mr Adams wrote to his Brother & told him he must write him word about his Farm and Town affairs—but he has not.4 You say we must not Sit our Faces towards you this Month. I fear it, I do not expect to get from here untill the last of June. I hope all will be accomplishd then—

My Love to mrs Black, & kind Regards to dr Welch and Family. I would write if I knew what to say—

I do not hear from Haverhill atkinson I mean. the Children write to their Parents which Letters I forward; but not a line to me. Louissa is quite out of Patience with Betsy She has had but one Letter from her, since she left Quincy my Paper says—leave off. Yours as ever