Adams Family Correspondence, volume 12
I received your Letter by this days post1 I began to be anxious to hear from my Friends at Quincy. I cannot but say that I was astonishd at some of its contents. I could not believe that any Gentleman would have had so little delicacy or so small a sense of propriety as to have written a more vague opinion, and that of a Lady too, to be read in a publick assembly as an authority. the Man must have lost his Senses I cannot say that I did not utter the expression, because it has always been my opinion that the people would not be willing to support two ministers, but little did I think of having my Name quoted on any occasion in Town meeting. if he had respected my publick Character only, he would have had some Scruples upon that Head I should have supposed. I shall always consider it as a want of Delicacy in him, and a real breach of confidence to make use of my Name on the occasion. I am mortified to find a Gentleman of whom I had formed so favourable an opinion, guilty of such a Want of Decorum. it will however serve as a lesson to me, to be upon my guard, & to be very close mouthed. I have not any remembrance of saying so, tho I think it very probable that I did— by your account of the whole transaction, he has not behaved like a Gentleman. I hope however we shall not be loosers in the end—
I rejoice to hear our Farm looks well. the president is very desirious of seeing it. a journey some where will be absolutely necessary for him. Such close application for so long a period without any relaxation but a ride of a few miles, is too much for him & I see daily by a langour of his countanance that he wants rest. I fear he will not sustain himself unless congress rise so that we may quit this city during the Hot season—
I long for my rose Bush my Clover Field, and the retirement of Quincy, and the conversation of my Dear sister and Friends—
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to Day is post day to Quincy, and yesterday we had the Chronical. I think impudent as Bache is the Chronical has more of the true spirit of satan, for he not only collects the Billingsgate of all the Jacobin papers but he add to it the Lies, falshoods calumny and bitterness of his own. for what other purpose could he design that 143 paragraph, that the President was to receive one hundred & 14 thousand Dollors for four years. the sallery every one knows is the same Nominal sum granted to President Washington without half its value. the 14 thousand Dollors is no more the Presidents than the money voted to Rigg one of the Frigates building. Every dollor of it, is laid out for the use of the united states, and accurate Books kept accounts kept & vouchers taken, all of which will be regularly renderd in at our quitting the House. the son too, of 23 years old receiving this sallery of ten thousand dollers pr year. these salleries are all setled by Law. a minister Resident has 4 thousand 500 Dollors pr year, a Minister plenipotentiary Nine thousand2 this he is not pickd out to receive more than any other, but his fault is being the son of the President. this wretched party are sinking very fast; but the mischief of these publications arises from their circulating amongst persons and in places where no inquiry is made into facts. Bache will publich on both sides— I wish mr Cranch would make a true Statement and see if the wretch would publish it. we give for this very House a thousand pounds a year— President Washington never gave more than 500, and every thing else in the same proportion, nay more than double— but enough of this. I expected to be vilified and abused, with my whole Family when I came into this situation. strickly to addhere to our duty, and keep ourselves unprejuced, is the path before us and the curse causeless shall not come. I feel most sincerely for mrs Greenleaf and her situation. I know it will do no good to look back but you well know how anxious I was when it might have been of use to her. mr James Greenleaf it is said, is absconded mr Morris is confind to his House. each Party criminate the other, as you have no doubt seen by the Washington paper. I regreet that there should exist any occasion for it, but know not the state of Facts, to judge between the parties—3 as soon as it is in my power I will endeavour to render cousin William some assistance to enable him to purchase some Books. Say nothing about it. I will not forget him.
The time for the post to go out prevents my adding more. tell mrs Howard that I think Betsy is getting better. she begins to look more like flesh and Blood. Nabby has been sick from some imprudence of her own, but is about again.4 Becky well, but I have a Lad who has been Sick a week, and that from eating Ice creeme when he was making it & hot. he brought on such a cramp in His stomack, that his Life has been in danger ever since.
144Remember me affectionatly to all Friend’s particuliarly to dr Tufts to whom I mean soon to write. my conscience accuses me that I have not.
Your affectionate sister,
RC (MWA:Abigail Adams Letters); endorsed by Richard Cranch: “Letter from Mrs / A: Adams (Pha:) / June 6th. 1797.”
Cranch to AA, 29 May, above.
After misrepresenting the salaries for JA and JQA, the Boston Independent Chronicle, 1 June, asked, “Did ever two men of these States of the same family receive from the public so much?” Like other ministers plenipotentiary, JQA received a salary of $9,000 per year while he was in Prussia plus $9,000 for travel and household costs. JA, like Washington before him, received a salary of $25,000 per year, a rate that remained unchanged until 1873 (vol. 8:370;
Annals of Congress
, 1st Cong., 2d sess., p. 2292;
Congressional Globe
, 42d Cong., 3d sess., p. 258). For the $14,000 appropriated by Congress to accommodate the president’s household, see vol. 11:543.
For the dispute between James Greenleaf and Robert Morris over Washington, D.C., land sales, see vol. 11:xvii, 483. In the winter of 1796–1797 Greenleaf had been jailed briefly in Boston, but he had returned to Philadelphia by the spring. In 1797 Morris avoided arrest by confining himself to his country house near Philadelphia where he continued to conduct business. Between March and May the Washington Gazette carried a series of notices written by Greenleaf on one side and Morris and John Nicholson on the other, maligning each other’s conduct and warning buyers not to purchase land from their adversary. See, for example, the 29 March and 12 April issues (Bob Arnebeck, Through a Fiery Trial: Building Washington, 1790–1800, Lanham, Md., 1990, p. 420, 436, 658; Bruce H. Mann, Republic of Debtors: Bankruptcy in the Age of American Independence, Cambridge, 2002, p. 28).
Abigail (Nabby) Hunt (b. 1779) was the daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth Thayer Hunt (Sprague, Braintree Families
).
t[
h1797]1
Blessed are the Peace makers, says [a Good] Book, for which you and I, entertain the highest respect and reverence. I quote this benidiction to reconcile you to the appointment of your Best Ffriend, as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the French Republick.2
An appointment which all true Friends to their Country, and real Americans will rejoice in out of 28 Senators, there were 22 approving voices, as the Yeas and Nays were taken. I commit no transgression in Communicating this to you. Two Senators were absent, & two have not been here this Session. amongst the Six, Massachusetts has the Misfortune to have one. my Situation forbids my expressions of indignation! The French Faction are not less insolent or less sparing of their abuse upon the President, than they were upon his Predcessor; but I can read Bache every morning with Cool contempt. I think this a Proof of Phylosphy. you too my dear Madam, 145 must arm yourself with the same shield for you will find occation for the full exercise of it. But the Curse Causeless, shall not hurt us—3
You know well, that I can sympathize with you in all those trials which have call’d our dearest Friends, to the Post of Danger and difficulties;4 they have heretofore been fellow Laboures together in the arduous, and Perilious Conflict for Freedom and danger independance, having thrown of the Shackles, and shivered the fetters as of one dominering power,5 we must not now permit them to be forced upon us, by a more insolent and assuming Hands with pretentions less founded, aiming not only to wrest from us our Freedom and Independance, But our Religion also—6
The Prospect is truly allarming, and threatens but our Country [with] nothing less than the Subversion of all, which our [Friends] have Mutually aided each other in obtaining, and [whic]h we had good reason to Expect would be transmitted [a] fair inheritance to our Children.
As your Friend is again Calld upon by his Country to take an active part, in a Mission of a highly interesting and very important Nature, on the isssue of which is involved the Peace of our Country, I cannot permit a doubt to arrise respecting his acceptance of it. Mr Marshall who is joind with him supports a very fair and Honorable Character, and is sayd to be truly American, and to this Opinion, the Six Votes against both the Gentlemen, will be a standing Record.
Having been Whitness to your fortitude and Patriotism upon a more trying occation than the Present, as the Circumstances of our Country were then more distressing I flatter myself you will persevere in the sane line of Conduct, which led you then to Sacrifice, every personal Consideration to the Welfare of our Country—7
FC in Louisa Catharine Smith’s hand (Adams Papers). Dft (2, both Adams Papers). Text lost due to a torn manuscript has been supplied from the Dft dated 5 June.
AA drafted this letter twice after Francis Dana’s 31 May nomination as special envoy to France but before his appointment on 5 June. An undated Dft, presumably the first of the two, is four pages in length and comprises a complete draft on the first and second pages and then a partial redrafting that begins on the fourth page and concludes on the third page. The second Dft, dated 5 June, is a single page. Meticulous at the start of the letter, AA paid close attention to her penmanship, clearly intending this to serve as the final copy. Halfway down the page, however, she began to cancel text. The FC, printed here, includes additional details regarding Dana’s appointment.
The complete, undated Dft reads from this point forward: “I do not expect you will give him your thanks for this nomination, but My Dear Madam You will recollect that my Husband and yours have been fellow labourers in the Great Cause of Building up the goodly Fabrick which has become the envy of Nations, but which still requires able
146
and skillfull Artist to shield and protect it from being sapped at Home, and overturned from abroad. he will not, he must not refuse his aid to the pilot when the Ship is threatned with a storm. it is in full confidence of his known, tried and long experienced attachment to his Country, and his pure American Sentiments that he is now calld to this important embassy and however painfull it may be to you to be again seperated, I hope you will reassume your former magnininity which supported you in times more perilious than the present, and under circumstances still more distressing to you as your Children were then all young.
“To the judge taking for granted that he will not refuse I have only to request that he will consider this house as his Home when he comes on here and if you would accompany him it would be an additional pleasure and satisfaction / to Your Friend / and Humble Servant / Abigail Adams.”
A paraphrase of Proverbs, 26:2.
In the undated Dft, AA redrafted the start of this paragraph, “As it personally respects you, I can sympathize in all your feelings, having had My full share of those trials” and referred to Elizabeth Ellery Dana and herself as “sister Sufferers” in the nation-building process.
In the redrafted portion of the undated Dft, AA concluded this paragraph, “We must not submit to the Iron Rod of a more Insolent and assuming Hand.” The balance of this version mirrors the contents of the final three paragraphs of the FC. AA initially closed this version, “Be so good as to present both the Presidents and my Regards to the Judge With our request that he would consider this House as his Home,” but she emended it to read, “I presume the judge will lose no time in making his arrangments and that we shall have the pleasure of seeing him here previous to his Departure. if you would accompany him & consider this House as your Home during your stay it would give great pleasure to Your old and constant / Friend / A Adams.”
In the Dft of 5 June this paragraph reads: “I know very well as it personally affects you, that You will feel much pain and anxiety at the prospect of being again seperated from Your Friend, having past through one tempestuous Season as fellow Laboures, and Friends, having weatherd the storm, it might have been expected that my Friend and yours might have enjoyd the Evening of Life in a calm, but no Man liveth for himself. the prospect now opening to us, requires the abilities, & firmness of the ablest and firmest Patriots, and most experienced Patriots, it was natural for the executive to turn his Thoughts to a Gentleman personally known to him and whose truly American Sentiments and Principls would bear the Strickest Scrutiny.”
Elizabeth Ellery Dana’s reply, dated 19 June, states that her husband could not accept the appointment owing to “his nervous complaints.” She worried that the rigors of negotiation might “incapacitate” him “from aiding the Mission” and could possibly “render him useless to the public and his family” (Adams Papers). In a letter to Francis Dana dated [June], AA offered assurances that the president was not upset with his refusal of the appointment, as JA “had his doubts with respect to your acceptance … knowing Your suffrings at sea & the present delicate State of your Health” (Dft, Adams Papers).