Abigail Adams Smith to John Quincy Adams, June 10, 1787

London june 10 th 1787—

my Conscience really reprimands me for having so long omitted writing my Dear Brother,
for several months past I must plead in excuse the want of Health, in December last we
made an excursion to Bath and by going to Balls or Concerts every night for One week I
cought such a Cold—as Confined me for a long time, and indeed I did not wholy recover
till April. Mamma has already informed you 1 of the new relationship which commenced on the Second of April—and I have now the
pleasure to assure you that your Nephew is a fine Boy and grows Surprisingly— But I
allmost fear too fast for his Mamma to retain her strength— I have been troubled for
this Month past with tooth ack ague—and fever—and a long ectaera of ills too tedious to
particularize I only mention them as an appology for my too long Silence— I am at
present I hope recovering—from them all—and shall not fail of writing as often as
opportunities may present—

I have the pleasure to acknowledge the receipt of yours of Jany and Febuary. 2 I cannot but regret that you so very decidedly
judge that whatever you write must be uninteresting—from that want of variety which you
Suppose essentialy necessary to render a detail interesting however as I have been so
very deficient myself I cannot in reason—Complain of you— I do not doubt of your
dispasition to perform all the Duties which you consider yourself called upon to act in
and I have had too many and pleasing proofs of your attention—to doubt of your
dispasition to Confer favours upon your friends, when they may not be incompatiable with
your Studies or more important avocations

the reasons you have given for passing the vacation at Cambridge are Sufficient in my
mind— I had no doubt but your motives were good—before I knew them so particularly, I am
very much in favour of peoples parsueing those plans which appear to
themselvs the most advantageous or as the most probable means of promoting their own
pleasure, but you will very rarely find those, who consider themselvs entitled to judge
of our actions—disposed to be pleased with our Conduct unless—it exactly coincides with
their wishes— and they will stigmatize with the Character of eccentricity—those who from
the best motives dissent from them in jugement opinion or Conduct—

from the Characters you have drawn of the Two Ladies I can easily discern which is the
most amiable, and which is the greatest favourite—with you—however we may be amused and
entertained with that satirical tallent which you represent the former to possess. we
are all of us I beleive too Conscious of some imperfections—in ourselvs—not to fear the
Lash of satire— I have often admired this tallent—but have allways feard it and you
know—Love casteth out fear— 3 I am rather
inclined to beleive that most People are inspired with fear for such a character more
than Love—

Mamma and myself have been quite alone for this forght night past Pappa was obliged to
make a journey to Holland upon Business—and M r Smith has
been absent six weeks on his journey to Lisbon. I heard from him on the 22 d of May att Bayonne rapidly advanceing on his Tour. 4 I suppose he will be absent two or three Months
Longer— Congress acted with their Usual Wisdom in
Commanding M r S. to undertake this journey—attended with
such an expence as it necessarily must be—only to deliver a Letter—of acknowledgements
to the Queen of Portugall—for her having ordered her fleet to protect American Ships—and
to inquire after the Treaty—it appears to me that this respectable Body are deficient in Common Sence—in judgment they most assureedly
are— when there are two ways of doing things—they seem invariably to take the wrong— I
think they want some Wise Heads to direct their Counsells—

there has lately taken place an Event here which has made some Noise. M r Rucker was you know an agent from M r Morris’s house appointed to reside here to answer M r Morris’s Bills. M r M—— sent His tobacco to France
where it was sold, and le Couton was his Banker there, 5 by the last Ships and the April packett
there came Bills drawn by M r Morris to the Amount of 98
thousand pounds which have been noted for non payment. M r Rucker received to the amount of £15 thousand which he had not the means to answer and
early in the Month of May took himself off— where he is gone is yet uncertain—some
suppose to America—others to Germany—there to Continue till the
affairs blows over— the Board of Treasury had bought M r Morris’s Bills to pay the june Interest in Holland and when they arrived here they could
not be paid— the time was too short to send to America and had the Interest failed of
Being paid in Holland the Credit of the U States must have fallen. from matters standing
thus your father was obliged to Open a new loan in Holland and the money Lenders
insisted upon his going over to sign the Bonds—which obliged him to sett of at two days
Notice he took M r Cutting with him as a Companion—and last
Evening they returnd the disturbences which exist at present in that Country, render it
not a very pleasant residence, at this time

You have doubtless heard much of the Coldness that has subsisted for the last year
between the King and the Prince of Wales—you are also I suppose acquainted with the
Measures taken by the Prince this time last year—such I mean as giving up his Household
appropriating a Certain sum to the payment of his Debts—and Living upon 10 thousand a
year quite in the Stile of a private Gentleman, the last Sessions Alderman Newnham was
going to bring forward a Motion to Sollicit an addition to the Prince’s income—but this
was much objected to and by some means or other it brought on a reconciliation between
the Sovereign and the Heir appearant, the former Calls upon his faithfull Commons to pay his debts and Grants him ten thousand in addition to
his former Income. 6 all this has made
much Subject for Conversation of Late, and great rejoiceings were anticipated upon the Birth day— But the week before last the
Prince was seized with a violent fever—for which on the Last Sunday he was let Blood for
the Seventh time—and has been extreemely ill— on Thursday last his Phisicien pronounced
him out of danger—but he Continues very Low—

Horn Took has Published a Letter to a friend—in which he asserts that the Prince is
Married to M rs Fitzherbert—that although it is Contrary to
some acts of Parliament yet it is not Contrary to Law—that he had a right to Marry a
Subject and that it must be Considered a happy Marriage and a fortunate one for the
Country—that M rs F. can be considered in no other light than
as her Royall Highness the Princess of Wales— 7

Madam de Poligniac you know I suppose—has been dismissed from the Government of the
Royall offspring—the Cause Why; is Said to be from a difference in opinion to the Queen
who ordered to the Duke of Normandy a portion of physic which had not been prescribed by his Physicien, and Madame de P—— refused to administer it upon which a
dispute arrose—the King Comeing into the room when the Subject was in debate decided
upon it against the Queen—but Madam de P—— was dismissed— She has lately arrived in this
Country and is now att Bath accompanied by her favourite the Count d’—— who still
Continues at this Court— thus you see, that from trivial causes
great Events arrise 8

Mamma has sent you by Callihan—your friend Murrys Publication—addressed to your father,
he called upon us yesterday and looks in Better Health than I have seen him for a long
time I think he neglects his own advantage by staying from America— in Short there
appears to me some facinating power which holds some of our Young Men here—they had
rather Live in Europe unknowing and unknown than to return to their own Country where they might be Loved and
respected, to me it appears astenishingly Strange— they are not of the ambitious Mind of him who prefered being the first Man in the Village to
the Second at Rome— 9

I suppose Mamma has informed you of Pappas having written to Congress requesting his
recall— he is Now I beleive in earnest—and wishes to return, although I beleive he will
do more good in America than he can possibly do here—yet I Confess the Idea of his
returning gives me pain— you my Brother know, from what Cause it arrises—and will feel
it with me—it springs from a scource which we know aught
not to exist—

july 16 th 1787—

Barnard Davis and Scot have arrived and not a Singe line from either of my Brothers we
have been a little anxious upon the Subject Aunt Cranch in her Letter to Mamma mentions
my Brother Thomas as being Well and of yourself that your Health was suffering from your
neglect of exercise 10 Why my Brother will
you trifle with this inestimable blessing—your Health! when once you are deprived of
it—it is not easily regained and without it you Can enjoy no other,—but no body
mentioned our Brother Charles—which has made us fear that he was sick—or that this
silence respecting him was to Conceal some misfortune or other, the imagination ever
fertile in invention has furnished us with this supposition—but I will Still hope that it was otherwise

Your Father and Mother propose setting out this week upon an excursion into the County
of Devonshire—and propose being absent three weeks or a Month—and they have persuaded me
to Accompany them during the Absence of M r Smith I hope we shall have an agreeable Tour but I shall not
be disappointed if we do not— 11

Barnard and Scot are to Sail before our proposed return—so that my time is now wholy
employed in writting my friends who have been too long unattended to—

I Suppose that at this time you are very busy in prepareing for Commencement—which if I
am not mistaken takes place within a few days— M r Cranch
informd Your father that you were to Speak the English Oration, I hope you will Send it
to me by the first opportunity—do not forget how interested we feel in every thing that
respects your rising fame. before Mamma received her own Letters by the late Ship—she
received a Letter from M r John Cranch Containing a very
agreeable Account of M r JQA ’s—quarterly performance which had been sent to him by Miss Betsy Palmer
of which, no mention was made in any Letters to this family from Boston— 12 indeed I must tax you with being very negligent—
Our Father however says you are perfectly right, but he is I think too favourable to you
in this decission—

M r Morris’s Bill which I mentioned in the former part of
this Letter are like to be paid regularly as they become due— those for May and june are
already paid—and M r R—— is sensured by some persons for going away— he was either deceived by the then appearances—or he formed his resolutions too hastily
I hope that the issue will not prove injurious to him as I beleive him to be a Worthy
Man and I esteem M rs Rucker very much—

We have another American family arrived here since their departure a Genral Stewart who
is a Native of Ireland—and served in the American Army—the last War—Married a Lady in
Philadelphia—and intends to settle in that Country they have been two Years in Ireland
upon a visit to his relations— they spend a few Months more in England and then return
to America— 13 M rs S—— is an intimate friend of M rs Bingham—and in some respects a Simular Character— there are not at
present many Americans here—and I do not recollect any from Boston—except J—— Appleton—
it is a matter of surprise to know what has brought him here again— he knows his own
affairs best I presume— he told me that he called upon you at Cambridge a few days
before his departure from Boston — M r Barret has lost his Wife in France, She has been extremely discontented ever
since her arrival there—as I am informed— M r Jeffersons
other Daughter arrived here from Virginia about three weeks ago—and on Wedensday last
set out (with Petit whom M r Jefferson sent for her) for
Paris. Poor little Girl almost broke her Heart at Leaving
us—and a more amiable Child I never saw—intelligence and sensibility sparkle in her
eyes, She is only eight years old. She is quite as amiable as her Sister and much
handsomer 14

We have since our residence here made Several very agreeable acquaintances—in families
where we are treated with friendship without Ceremony;— we are to spend this Evening at
Sir George Stountons, he has uniformly been in favour of Our Country—An Irish Man by
Birth and Created a knight after his return from India with Lord Mackartney 15 —for his Services Whilst their, there are a few
of such Liberal Minded People—but it is supprising that there are not more this Man
seeks an Acquaintance with every American of whom he Can get any knowledge—goes to the
American Coffe Houses—after an Arrival and reads the News Papers—and makes inquiries
respecting that Country of every one he can find—and when he meets such a Simple One as a M r Moses Gill who has come here to Study in the
Temple—he does not receive a very favourable account of us—

M r Barclay has been imprisoned at Bordeaux upon account of
goods—sent to America by the House of Barclay Moilon &c—but the parliament of
Bordeaux released him upon account of his being in Commission as a Minister Plenipo—to
Morroco— he is certainly a most dilatory Man he left Madrid last December and arrived at
Bordeaux in April—the same distance M r Smith went lately in Eleven days Poor M rs B—— is
at St Germains as unhappy as a Person Can be— I Grieve for her Situation it is the most
deplorable that I can have an idea of— adieu my Dear Brother write often to your affect.
Sister

A— Smith

Pappa & Mamma desire to be remembered to you— I dont know whethey they will write
by this opportunity— My Son desires his respects to his Uncle— 16