I received your Letter yesterday of May the 28th and the Sermons you were so kind as to send me, which I have read with much 85 pleasure.1 I have received ten from different Gentlemen, and I design to have them bound up in a vol’m—

You observe that a uninimity prevails throughout the Country. it does so in a wonderfull degree, and I consider it as a kind interposition of Providence in our favour; which if properly improved may be a happy means of preserving to us, our Liberties and our Religion & Country, but we have a bitter Strugle yet to encounter. the astonishing success of the French in overturning every Country into which they have carried their Arms, has not satisfied them, but only proved a new stimulous to their Greedy ambition of becomeing Masters of the World; England alone appears capable of making a stand against them. Ireland appears to be in a state, battle of short of actual Rebellion. Martial Law is proclaimd, and renderd necessary by the fermented State of the Country. it appears to me that England is the only Barrier remaining between France and America, and that their attempts upon us, will be measured by their success, or defeat upon Her—

They have a strong and powerfull Party in our Country who oppose and obstruct every measure both for the defence and security of it— they are to be found in the senate, in the House within & without doors, in every city, and in the remotest parts of the union— Here is a dead weight, a Govenour, well known a secretary of the state Subtle and Enemical, a chief Justice closely united with French politicks, and making use of the power and Authority of his office, to Spread sedition, & anarchy where ever the tour of his duty leads him—2 the unwarlike Proportion of Quakers are numerous, but upon no former occasion have they made so little opposition as at present. even two of them who are Members, voted in Congress for the Bill of Armament, and the Federilists who did not expect it, cryd out well done Quakers!3 They say as I have been informd that they consider the opposition right, that we have not offended, and that we ought to defend— when you consider all these obsticals in the way to oppose the energys of this State; and that the President did not obtain one vote here the present uninimity appears almost a supernatural work,—No state has been So numerous with their addresses and none more full and expressive of confidence in the Executive and this in spight of all the fire Brands which are scatterd amongst them by Baches paper, which was never more dareing and abusive, false and Malicious—but we have one dire misfortune! I mean the strange, unaccountable, and improper continuence of our Envoys in France. I dare not say to whom it is solely oweing— yet if he does 86 remain after his Collegues retire, he will disgrace himself his Country & the P——t who certainly appointed him against the opinion of many of his Friends, because he believd him a Man of strickt honour and integrity, of known & tried Probity— my only hope is that all the winds of Heaven will conspire to waft the vessel safe which carried positive orders—and arrive in season to save the honour of our Country— the President is distresst beyond measure, but will not utter a word as yet; there are no publick dispatches from them, since those which have been made publick, but there is a private Letter from Genll Pinkney to mr King—a copy of which is Sent in confidence. this you will say nothing of at present, but you may with safety say that nothing from our Envoys has been received from them to Government. we are waiting with the utmost anxiety. I doubt not insinuations will creap out—and You will hear rumours from others, beside what the publick papers announce, but I would not have them reported from me— our envoys ought not to have staid any longer than 2 days after their last Letter, if no notice had been taken of it but that vile intriguer Tallyrand—I fear has entraped him whom I should have supposed the most wary— like the serpent he has charmd him—and like him, he will destroy his prey—

What do you think of Thomas Welch’s going to Berlin to mr Adams? mr Malcom declines, and Thomas has written that he must positively return in the fall, and wishes me to send some person to take his place.4 I think it might be the best thing Thomas could do at present. he may study Law in his leisure hours if he wisht it, and it may keep up his spirits which must be crampt by the misfortunes of his Father. the President and I have talkd the matter over and thought to write you upon the subject. he can embark for Hamburgh and go immediatly from thence. we would Provide for his Voyage. if you think it will do you may propose it. he will take his degree at College, and go immediatly after if the thing suits—

I am as you suppose most sincerely afflicted at the distress and misfortunes of a Family that I have loved, and esteemed with a most cordial affection I know not what to say to alleiviate their distresses. I hope this provission for Thomas may be some releif to them. if he Should decline, the President says he will place him in the Navey or Armey. I fear my dear sir Your Friendship for your connections will injure your circumstances. You will not I hope exert yourself to the essential injury of your own young and increasing Family, to whom present the affection of

I should have answer’d your kind letter of 16th. ulto. before this time, but I have only this morning return’d from the General Court at Annapolis.1 I thank you most sincerely for the interest you take in my affairs, and for the parental advice you have given. I have already suffer’d enough by becoming surety for others, to know how to prize that advice, but it requires a kind of hardness of heart, which mine had not yet fully acquired, to keep myself totally free from every kind of responsibility for others. But the Considerations which you have suggested, will tend to give fortitude to the Resolutions I have made on that subject, and I hope will render me obstinately inexorable in my determination.—

Upon the whole I am satisfied with the propriety of my fathers selling his farm; but I agree with you, that not one farthing ought to be spent of the Principal, and I pray God that I may have it in my power, to lend them such assistence as may prevent it, which I have no doubt of doing if I could once get clear of the Consequences of Mr. Morris’s delinquencies.— I have engaged a house just on the other side of the bridge which seperates this town from the City of Washington, and is about half a mile from my office—the Rent 275 dols. per Ann The house is large and airy with a good stable &c Mr. Thos. Peter who married Miss Custis lives in the adjoining house, & it is also near Mrs. Dalton.2 I expect to move my family into it in about a week.—

My Richard has had the small pox finely, although he was cuting teeth at the same time, & is perfectly recover’d.— William has recover’d his health & spirits & begins to look quite ruddy again.— Nancy & myself seem to enjoy perfect health.—

The true American Spirit seems now to be perfectly rouzed. Not a single french Cockade is to be seen in our neighbourhood. I am told that in Fredericksburgh Colo. J. F. Mercer has opposed the Address, and has actually carried through a set of resolutions in direct opposition to the prevailing sentiments of the Nation.—3

Please to thank the President for his letter to Mr. Carroll— Unfortunately Mr. C. had left Annapolis again before I recd. it, & is gone to spend the summer at his Country seat at Elk-ridge—

Mr. & Mrs. Johnson are mortified that you should disapprove of their taking their son from Cambridge, but I imagine you will justify them upon the Reasons they give.— Young Mr. Johnson is now 18 years old, he would have to spend 18 months more at the University before he could get a degree—which when obtain’d is never heard of afterwards in this Country. It is necessary by the practise here that a student in Law should have read law 4 or 5 years before he is consider’d as qualified to be admited into the Genl. Court, or indeed into any of the Courts— this would have made him nearly 25 years old before he could begin business; and the name of an Education at the University is nothing here. It is the wish of his Parents that he should live in this state, and indeed the Interest of the family Estate, would absolutely demand it, in Case of his father’s death. Mr. Johnson has a great many old concerns yet to wind up, and much of his Estate depends upon a proper settlement of his old partnership affairs in this Country. It was an object therefore with Mr. Johnson, that his son should become acquainted with People here, & accustomed to their manners. He has therefore sent him to a lawyers office in Annapolis, where he has been pursueing the study of the Law for some time past; But Mr. Johnson had no Idea of sending him to the College there—for it is not more respectable than our Country accademies in New England. Mr. Johnson entertain’d no Disrespect for the President or Government of Harvard University, but acted simply on the grounds I have mentioned, which added to Parental fondness, appear to me a sufficient apology for taking his son home.—

I thank you for the Copy of the last Dispaches from our Envoys— & feel alarm’d at your fears for their safety.— It is the general opinion that three vessels were dispatched by the President to order them home, before the late first Dispatches were disclosed to Congress; and under that Idea I felt easy.

It is said that some officious person had informed Mrs. Marshall 89 that her husband had been arrested by the Directory & thrown into prison—& that this information had such an Effect on her as to deprive her of her senses, and that she has remained delirious ever since. I do not know what reliance to place on this report, but I have heard it often repeated and never denied— It is now a month or 6 weeks since I first heard it.—4

Mrs. Johnson has been for some days much troubled with bilious Complaints— I shall dine with them to day. With my affectionate Respects to the President & Love to Louisa, I am most affectionately your grateful Nephew—