Adams Family Correspondence, volume 14
I have recd yours of 24th and thank you for your relation of our little
domestic affairs at Quincy. Brisler did not arrive last night as you
callculated. His Children may detain him longer than you expected.— some of
the public Offices are about removing to Phyladelphia this Week. I can Send
James with my Horses and Charriot to meet you at Hoebucken Ferry or
Elizabeth Town or any other Place you may appoint and at any time you will
appoint, if you can be Sure of your Planns and measures. If Mrs Smith and Caroline come on, you will want
more room and more horses. write exactly your determination.
I have been forenon and afternoon to Church to hear
Parson Waddell, who gave Us two Discourses good and wholesome for soul, Body
and Estate. He is a good Picture of “Stalled Theology” and is Said to have a
good Estate.1 Last sunday I
went to the Presbyterian Church and heard Mr
Grant an ingenious young Gentleman. There is something more chearful and
comfortable in an Episcopalian than in a Presbyterian Church.— I admire a
great Part of the divine service at Church very much. It is very humane and
benevolent, and sometimes pathetic & affecting: but rarely gloomy, if
ever. Their Creeds I could dispense with very well because, the scriptures
being before Us contain the Creed the most certanily orthodox. But you know
I never write nor Talk upon Divinity. I have had more than I could do, of
Humanity. Benevolence and Beneficence, Industry, Equity & Humanity
Resignation and submission, Repentance and Reformation are the Essence of my
Religion. Alass! how weakly & imperfectly have I fulfilled the Duties of
my own Religion! I look back Upon a long Life very poorly Spent in my own
Estimation. Busy as it has appeared to some, to me it appears to have been
very much too idle, inactive, slothful and sluggish. I fear it is too late
to amend.— My Forces are far Spent and by too much Exertion I should soon
exhaust them all. I am not in the Vapours but in very good Spirits
notwithstanding this penetent Confession of my faults. Write me every
day.
RC (Adams Papers); internal address:
“Mrs A”; endorsed: “J A octbr 27th / 1799.”
Rev. Henry Waddell (ca. 1746–1811) was pastor of St.
Michael’s Church in Trenton, N.J., from 1798 to 1811. Despite Waddell’s
salary being in arrears by £67 in 1801 and $1,079 40 in 1808, he continued to serve as
pastor until his death. JA was quoting Edward Young, The Complaint; or, Night Thoughts, Night
IV, line 73 (Hamilton Schuyler, A History of St.
Michael’s Church, Trenton, Princeton, N.J., 1926, p. 139, 141,
143, 144).
th1799
what can you expect me to write you from this
village; where I hear & know no more what is passing in the world,
than if I was wholy secluded from it. I have not seen a Newspaper since
I came and but one gentleman from N york. I can tell you that the leaves
wither and fall, beautifully varigated by the frost with all the
coulours of the Rainbow, that the tide Ebbs and flows covering the
meddow from the window of the Chamber where I write, which enhances the
Beauty of the rural Scene, that I walkd out on Saturday. the day was so
fine and mild, that the Birds Sang like spring, and I picked some new
blown flowers from the Grass— Mrs smith has a Pear tree at her window,
which has the Blosom of spring & the fruit of Autum now upon it;
what from the dark and intricate feild of Politicks can you relate gather so charming, so simple
as even the decaying verdure of summer presents to my view. The state of
Pensilvania is a strange medly I regreet that any of My Family should
have a prevailing attachment to it. their late Election has withered all
the laurels they ever had to boast off. the minister from Berlin says,
that such is the purity of pennsylvania Elections, that he shall not be
surprized to hear, that the Independent spirited candidate is Chosen
Govenour—1
Some of our Quincy Neighbours regreet your absence
very much, particuliarly the Greenleafs, and Boylstone— I received a
Letter from Your Aunt Cranch by Brisler.2 she writes me that mr D
Greenleaf and Family were going to reside in Boston Mr Apthorps Family
were removing, and Quincy seemd quite deserted. I believe they all miss
Me—
I hope since the President has discoverd such a soft and kindly method of getting rid of a cold, that you will not suffer one to hang about you, coughing half a year together. Send me some News papers—even tho it be peters impudence.
Yours affectionatly—
unless you promise me that you have burnt this Letter, I will not write you an other—
RC (DLC:Shaw Family Papers); addressed: “Mr
William S Shaw / Trenton”; endorsed: “rec 31 Oct / An 31 O” and “Mrs.
Adams / rec 31 Oct / An 31st.”
JQA made this observation in his letter to AA of 3 July, for which see vol. 13:502.
Mary Smith Cranch to AA, 19 Oct., above.