Adams Family Correspondence, volume 3

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Elizabeth Smith Shaw to Mary Smith Cranch

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Abigail Adams to John Adams

John Adams to Abigail Adams, 6 April 1780 JA AA John Adams to Abigail Adams, 6 April 1780 Adams, John Adams, Abigail

John Adams to Abigail Adams

My dear Portia April 6 1780

There is a great deal of hatred against the Govt. in England as you 320will see by the song inclosed. They are going on, with County meetings, Petitions, Committees, Correspondences, Associations &c. in our mode.1 What it will come to, I dont know.

They talk in London about withdrawing the Troops, &c., but I suspect, We had better take em, least they should alter their minds.

At last a Vessell has arrived at Bourdeaux from Baltimore, brings two or three newspapers, as late as 17 feb. but no Letters.—You have had a hard Winter, but I hope you had a good fire. I had a harder, without any fire, in Spain.

I am so taken up, with writing to Philadelphia that I dont write to you so often as I wish. I hope you wont complain of me this time for not writing often enough, and long enough whatever may be the worth of it.

I hope you will advertise me, if there are any Machinations going forward. All well.

Adieu.

RC (Adams Papers). Enclosed anti-ministerial “song” not found.

On the “Association” movement that had begun during the past winter under the leadership of the Yorkshire clergyman-reformer Christopher Wyvill, see Ian R. Christie, Wilkes, Wyvill and Reform . . ., London, 1962, especially chs. 3–4. In his letters of 3 and 11 April to President Huntington, JA furnished details on the Associators' aims and current activities (RC's in PCC, No. 84, I; LbC's in Adams Papers; printed in Wharton, ed., Dipl. Corr. Amer. Rev. , 3: 593–596, 610–611).