Abigail Adams to Mary Smith Cranch, May 16, 1797

Philadelphia May 16 1797

My Dear sister

most cordially welcome to me was your kind Letter of May the 4 th , yet I have not found time since my arrival to thank you
for it, or even to write a Line to any Friend. my Journey was as pleasent as my
thoughts upon what was past, and my anticipations of what was to come would permit it
to be. we reachd East Chester on thursday noon and found mrs
smith and Children well. my reflections upon prospects there, took from me all
appetite to food, and depresst my Spirits, before too low. the col gone a journey, I
know not where I could not converse with her, I saw her Heart too full. such is the
folly and Madness of speculation and extravagance. to her no blame is due. Educated in
different Habits, she never enjoyd a life of dissipation. the Boys are fine Lads, I
wish they were at Hingham under your care. I tarried one day & a half, and then
went into Nyork. Charles lives prettily but frugally. he has a Lovely Babe and a
discreet woman I think for his wife, quite different from many of the Family. a Number
of Ladies and Gentlemen visited me there. on Monday the 8 of May we left Nyork to
persue our journey. on Wednesday morning about 25 Miles from Town, I was met by my
Friend who clameing his own, I quitted my own carriage, and took my seat by his side.
we rode on to Bristol where I had previously engaged a dinner, and there upon the
Banks of the Deleware, we Spent the Day, getting into the city at sunset. I found my
Family of Domesticks had arrived on Saturday without meeting any accident, which was
very fortunate for 40 miles through the Jersies was the worst Roads I ever travelld
the soil is all clay. the heavey rains & the constant run of Six stages daily, had
so cut them up, that the whole was like a ploughd feild, in furroughs of 2 feet in
deepth, and was very dangerous. to me you may well suppose such roads were more
peculiarly distressing. they were so much so, as to confine me to my Room & Bed
the greater part of Two days—by some applications I have in a great measure recoverd,
tho I am still a sufferer.

Yesterday being Monday, from 12 to half past two I received
visits, 32 Ladies and near as many Gentlemen I shall have the same ceremony to pass
through to Day, and the rest part of the week. as I am not prepaird with furniture
[for] a Regular drawing Room, I shall not commence one I believe as the Summer is to
near at hand, and my Health very precarious. at the Winter Sessions I shall begin— 1 Mrs Tufts once stiled my situation,
splendid misery, She was not far from Truth. To Day the President meets both Housess
at 12 to deliver His speech. I will inclose it to you. 2 I Should like to learn the comments upon it,
with a veiw to discover the Temper and sentiments of the publick mind. we are indeed
as Milton expresses it, “Thrown on perilous Times”

We have Letters from the Minister at the Hague as late as 23
Feb’ ry . 3 I will send you in my next some extracts from them. they are in the Same strain of information and
intelligence with the former. the decission as it respected the Election here, was
well assertaind in France & England & Holland, and it had its influence upon
all those powers.

I pray you to Remember me affectionatly to all my Friends &
Neighbours. I rejoice in your unanimity as it respect mr Whitney, who you know is the
Man of my choice without any prejudice or dissafection to mr Flint the union was
however unexpected, but not the less agreable. the hour approaches to dress for the
morning. My Love to cousin Betsy. I wish she could run in as formerly. I do not
however dispair of seeing her Here, Some future Day.

I can say nothing to you of future prospects of returning to my
own Dear Home. that must be governd by circumstances. my pens are so bad I know not
whether you can read. I am most affe’ ly / Your sister

A Adams

Evening 8 oclock.

The day is past, and a fatiguing one it has been. the Ladies of
Foreign Ministers and the Ministers, with our own Secretaries & Ladies have
visited me to day. and add to them, the whole Levee to day of senate & house
strangers &c making near one Hundred askd permission to visit me, so that from
half past 12 till near 4 I was rising up & sitting down— mr A will never be too
big to have his Friends.