Papers of John Adams, volume 20

461 To John Adams from William Smith, 16 January 1791 Smith, William Adams, John

From William Smith

Dear Sr. Boston. 16 Jany. 1791.

By one of the last Posts, by direction of the Boston Marine Society, I forwarded you a number of Papers respecting a Marine Hospital. I now forward you by the Bearer Mr Adams a Plan & Elevation of the Hospital that wou’d be erected by the Society cou’d they obtain permission you will please to make what use of it you may think proper.1 this Building on the place that is propos’d wou’d add greatly to the Beauty of the Harbour & relieve a great number of distress’d objects— In a time of Warr wou’d give spirits to Seamen in the public service to know that if any misfortune happen’d to them, they had an Assylum for the remainder of their Days. The Society have a handsome Capitol at Interest, which they wou’d Invest in such a Building, to receive the Interest of their Money untill the Revenue of the Hospital was sufficient to return it.—

Mrs. Smith joins me in Affecte. Regards to you Sr. & Mrs. Adams and we are happy to hear that she has again recover’d her Health—

I am with Respect / Yr Most H Sert

Wm. Smith

RC (Adams Papers); internal address: “His Exy. John Adams Esqr.”

The enclosure has not been found, but for JA’s role in the creation of these hospitals, see the Boston Marine Society’s letter of 3 Jan., and note 1, above.

To John Adams from Thomas Jefferson, 17 January 1791 Jefferson, Thomas Adams, John

From Thomas Jefferson

Sir Philadelphia. Jan. 17. 1791.

I have the honour to enclose you a Postscript to the Report on Measures, Weights & coins now before your house. this has been rendered necessary by a small arithmetical error detected in the estimate of the cubic foot proposed in that report. the head of Superficial measures is also therein somewhat more developed.1

Nothing is known, since the last session of Congress of any further proceedings in Europe on this subject.

I have the honour to be with sentiments of the most profound respect sir / Your most obedient / & most humble servt

Th: Jefferson

RC (DLC:Jefferson Papers); internal address: “The honourable the President of the Senate.”

462 1.

Adhering to a 15 Jan. 1790 resolution of the House of Representatives, Jefferson set to work in April drafting a uniform system of weights and measures meant to regulate trade and currency. He worked on the project with singular focus for several months, battling intense headaches caused by spending long hours on complex calculation. Along the way he consulted Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, Philadelphia watchmaker Robert Leslie, and astronomer David Rittenhouse. Jefferson sent the final report to the House on 4 July, and it was printed in several New York newspapers during the first week of August. Sensing popular interest in Jefferson’s great effort, George Washington urged Congress to take action on 7 Dec. and again on 25 Oct. 1791, but it was not until 1792 that senators began to debate the report (Jefferson, Papers , 16:604–607, 614–616).