Abigail Adams to John Adams, August 5, 1782

August 5th 1 [7] 82

My dearest Friend

I know not any pleasure equal to that which arises from feeding the Hungry, cloathing the
Naked and making the poor prisoners Heart sing for Joy. All the Honours which your Country has
conferd upon you has never excited in my mind half the Satisfaction which your Benevolent
exertions and generous aid to the poor prisoners which I recommended to you, has given me. I
am sorry not to have learnt any thing from your own pen with regard to them, but they have not
been deficient in manifesting their gratitude to you, and making mention of your kindness, to
their Friends here by every opportunity, nor could I help feeling the Lamentation of a Milton
prisoner to his Friends, that it was his misfortune not to be a Brain­ tree Man. Your Benevolence would lead you to do all in your power for
the releaf of all those unhappy persons who are in confinement, yet those who were your towns
Men and Neighbours have a particular claim to your attention. 1 I expect a Letter to inclose from the Father of Lewis Glover. If you
could forward it to him they will consider it as an additional favour and further let them
know that all their Friends are well, which I suppose may be done through the commissary of
prisoners. They frequently send Letters to their Friends here, but how I know not.

I yesterday saw Mr. Foster, as I hope he will tell you in a months time, I gave him Letters
which he has promised to deliver safe. You so seldom acknowledge the recept of any Letters
from me, that but for many of the vessels arriveing safe, I should suppose they never reachd
you. There are Letters in Boston from Mr. Ingraham I am told so late as May, by the Ship
Thomas from Nants. How happy would it have made me to have learnt by a line from you that you
was well. What greater hazard would your Letters meet with by way of France than mine,
especially coverd to the Consul Le Etomb.

You will find in one of the Letters a memmorandom for [ , Start insertion, i.e. from , End, ] Mrs.
W [arre] n the articles of china which she has mentiond she supposes may be
purchased for 20 dollors. 2 I think she must be
mistaken. She has given a different direction as you will see per the inclosed. I should like
to prog 3 a little too
if I thought you could afford it. I will not disown having already done it in some things, but
tis but a little. I sent for a compleat set of china for a dining table some time ago, I know
not whether you received the Letter and if you did whether you will know what a set is. Now I
take it to consist in a doz. of dishes 6 different sizes, 3 doz. of table flat plates and 2 of
Soup, 6 pudding dishes, 2 pr. Butter Boats, to which I should like 2 pr. of double flint cut
Salts—all to set my table “neat and trim” when dear Collin returns. 4 Perhaps you are house keeper enough allready to know what is necessary
but I fancy you must have been often imposed upon before you got your Learning. They tell me
you have purchased a House at the Hague and some have gone so far as to say you have sent for
all your family. I wish you were with your family. I hear Mrs. Jay 5 is unhappy. Is Mrs. A [dams] happy? No. Is Mrs.
D [ana] happy? The world say she is, but I believe she would say no. She is
younger than Mrs. Adams and does not think it so necessary to domesticate herself 6 nor has she learnt a lesson the World will soon
teach her.

Thus far I wrote with an intention of sending by the Amsterdam vessel, but she has given me the slip. I laid by my paper but tho I do
not know of a present opportunity I feel a new Inducement to write. Dr. Waterhouse yesterday
made me a visit. He tell [s] me he has written to you by the late vessel 7 so it will be unnecessary for me to say any Thing
concerning his Situation. The pleasure which I received from his company and conversation was
next to that of seeing my dear absent Friend. He has lived in so much Friendship and intimacy
with you, with Mr. T [haxter] and my dear Boys, related so many anecdotes,
appeard to enter into all your feelings even of the tender domestick kind that he attached me
more to him in a few hours than he could otherways have done in half a year, tho his manners
are of that frank, open, unreserved kind which are universally pleasing. He wished me
exceedingly to go to you. He was sure it was necessary to your happiness and he could see no
prospect of a peace. Even if one took place you certainly was the most suteable Man to reside
at the Hague, the Dutch had a Friendship for you and a confidence in you, you was on every
account the best calculated to do essential Service to your country there. Your character was
high throughout Europe, even the tories respected it, but you was not happy abroad. You sighd
for domestick tranquility, you longed for the peacefull shades of Brain tree and the kind

fostering
care of Portia.

Thus did this gentleman run on whilst I had not a wish to stop the musick of his tongue for
the sweetest of all praise is that which is given to those we best love. Had my dear Friend
been half as earnest with me to have taken passage with him as this Gentleman has been that I
should go to him, he would have prevaild over my aversion to the Sea. But great as I feel the
Sacrifice is I believe he 8 judged best that I
should remain where I am.

But will you can you think of remaining abroad? Should a peace take place I could not
forgive you half a years longer absence. O there are hours, days and weeks when I would not
paint to you all my feelings—for I would not make you more unhappy. I would not wander from
room to room without a Heart and Soul at Home or feel myself deserted, unprotected,
unassisted, uncounseld.—I begin to think there is a moral evil in this Seperation, for when we
pledged ourselves to each other did not the holy ceremony close with, “What God has joined Let
no Man put assunder.” Can it be a voluntary seperation? I feel that it is not. 9