Abigail Adams to Mary Smith Cranch, May 10, 1798

May 10 th 1798 Philadelphia

my dear sister

Rumour at a distance magnifies, and seldom reports truth. I have
not written you a word upon a subject which I know would have made you at least very
uneasy. about three weeks ago, a Letter was sent, or rather brought here of a sunday
Evening by two young women of the City, one of whom said passing the House a few day
before She took up a paper in a small alley which runs between our house & our
Neighbours. it was wet by lying at the Edge of a gutter which passes through the
passage. the Girl finding it in this way opend the Letter, and read it, but being
allarmd at the contents knew not what to do. her mother who was absent at the Time,
returning & finding what she had done, directed the Girl to bring it herself &
relate the circumstances. the purport of the Letters was to inform the President that
the French peeple who were in this city had formed a conspiracy, with some unsuspected
Americans, on the Evening of the day appointed for the fast to sit fire to the City in
various parts, and to Massacre the inhabitants intreating the President not to neglect
the information & the warning given, tho by an Annonimous Hand, signd a Real tho
heretofore a misguided American. the President conceived it to be an incendary Letter
written to allarm & distress the inhabitants. an other Letter of the same purport
was sent ten days after, thrust under the door of mr Otis’s office. 1 these with some Rumours of combinations got
abroad, and the Mayor Aldermen &c kept some persons upon the watch through all
parts of the City, & the Govenour gave orders privately to have a troop of Horse
in case of need. the Young Men of the city as I wrote you, on Monday to the amount of
near Eleven Hundred came at 12. oclock in procession two and two. there were assembled
upon the occasion, it is said ten thousand Persons. this street as wide or wider than
state street in Boston, was full, as far as we could see up & down. one might have
walk’d upon their Heads—besides the houses window & even tops of Houses. in great
order & decorum the young men with each a
black cockade marchd through the Multitude and all of them enterd the House preceeded
by their committe, when a young Gentleman by the Name of Hare, a Nephew of Mrs
Binghams read the address— 2 the
President received them in his Levee Room drest in his uniform, and as usual upon such
occasions, read his answer to them, after which they all retired. the multitude gave
three Cheers, & followd them to the state House yard, where the answer to the
address was again read by the Chairman of the committe, with acclamations they then
closed the scene by singing the new song, which at, 12 oclock at night was sung by
them under our windows, they having dinned together or rather a part of them; this
scene burnt in the Hearts of some Jacobins and they determined eitheir, to terrify, or
Bully the young men out of their patriotism. Baches publishd some saussy pieces, the
young men resented and he would have felt the effects of their resentment, if some
cooler Heads had not interposed. 3 yesterday was observed with much solemnity the Meeting Houses & churches were
fill’d. about four oclock as is usual the state House Yard which is used for a walk,
was very full of the inhabitants, when about 30 fellows, some with snow Balls in their
Hats, & some with tri coulourd cockades enterd and attempted to seize upon the
Hats of the young men to tear out their cockades a scuffel ensued when the young men
became Conquerors, and some of these tri coulourd cockades were trampled in the dust.
one fellow was taken, and committed to Jail, but this was sufficient to allarm the
inhabitants, and there were every where large collections of People. the light Horse
were call’d, out & patrold the streets all Night. a Gaurd was placed before this
House, tho through the whole of the Proceedings, and amidst all the collection, the
Presidents name was not once mentiond, nor any one grievence complaind of; but a
foreign attempt to try their strength & to stire the inhabitants if possible was
no doubt at the bottom. Congress are upon an Allien Bill. 4 this Bache is cursing & abusing daily. 5 if that fellow & his Agents
Chronical, and all is not surpressd, we shall come to a civil war I hope the Gen’ ll Court of our state, will take the subject up & if
they have not a strong sedition Bill, make one— 6 Before I close this I shall send to the post
office

Quincy address and a Letter from Brother Cranch News papers but
not a line from my sister. 7 well I
trust the next post will bring me some;

I must now close my Letter or the post will be gone. the Nurse
& childern and Nabby Hunt are all going on Board this morning. Nabby holds me to my word that I would let her go home
this Spring. no difficuly or uneasiness on either part. she is wrong for herself— I
have given her a dollor pr week ever since she has been with me paid her doctor, and
she is now going to ——— she will find the difference. I suppose she thinks she may get
a Husband—at home. here there is no chance— your ever affectionate

A. Adams— 8

mr Black was here & well to day—