John Quincy Adams to Abigail Adams, May 30, 1798

30. May 1798.

I have received within these few days your letters of the 17 th: and 29 th: of March, together
with the books and pamphlets mentioned in the former. 1 The last was forwarded to me from England by
M r: King, and at the same time one from the Secretary of
State of the 10 th: ult o: — 2 I had long been without letters, and they
have now been pouring in by floods at once. I have written to you and elsewhere so often
by the way of Hamburg, Holland and England, that I think some of the Letters must have
arrived ere this

M r: King to whom I am very much
indebted for the kindness with which he constantly forwards to me the most recent
intelligence From home, has sent me a pamphlet, republished in England from the
communications made to congress on the 3 d: of April.— 3 It is equally surprizing to me, as to you,
that our Envoys continued at Paris so long, after the transactions unfolded in their
dispatches, and it redoubles the mortification which I felt upon hearing, that one of
them consented to remain alone, after all the indignities to which they had been exposed
and had submitted, were crowned by an order commanding two of them to quit the Republic—
I rejoice to find that they have been formally recalled because I believe firmly, that
the one left could have done by remaining any longer, nothing but mischief.— I know not
how the Directory will conduct upon the publication of the dispatches in France;
probably they will exhibit a complication of perfidy and violence, attempting to cast
upon the American Government, and especially the President by name, the blame of the
rupture. Their newspapers, before the arrival of the last accounts announced, that
Mess rs: Pinckney & Marshall, had shewn surliness , and an affectation of dignity in their
proceedings; appeared ignorant of the circumstances of the
Government, with which hey were sent to treat, and had upon rejecting the proposals made
o them by the Directory, received Passports to return home: while M r: Gerry, who was more
accommodating , remained to continue the negotiation. 4

There has been lately published in England some intercepted
Letters, written by one Stone and Helen M. Williams at Paris, to Doctor Priestley and B.
Vaughan in America; I dare say you will see the pamphlet before this letter reaches you.
It is interesting on many accounts, and among other things you will find the writer
telling his friend that the Directory will hear of no reconciliation with America in John Adams’s time.— He urgently invites the Doctor back to
Europe, and I most heartily wish he may accept the invitation— If such are his intimate
correspondents, he is indeed misplaced in his present situation.— There is another fact
disclosed in these Letters which contributes to discover the real state of the french
Government.— The writer says that François de Neufchateau was to go out of the Directory at the next election— The Letters were written in
February.— It is but a fortnight, since they met with great solemnity and drew their
lots with numerous precautions tending to shew their extreme caution to preserve the
constitutional decision of chance.— The member that went out was— François de Neufchateau.— The very same circumstance took place last year, when
it was announced several days before the lots were drawn, that Letourneur would go out,
as he accordingly did.— Such is the french constitutional rotation by lot. 5

The elections for the Legislative Councils have been managed with a
similar attention to representative principles.— They began by decreeing, two or three
months ago, that the validity of the elections should be decided by themselves; that is,
as if our present Congress should declare themselves the judges of the elections for the
next.— They decreed likewise that the new Director should be appointed before the
renewal of the Legislature.— In many of the primary assemblies, and electoral assemblies
seissions occurred, and two setts of members were returned; among the rest in the
Department of Paris. The Legislature acting constantly under the controul of the
Directory have now passed a Law whereby they have declared null and void the elections
of many departments; in several other instances have admitted the members chosen by the
partial fragments of electoral assemblies, and in others have confirmed the elections
but with individual exceptions, excluding persons by name, without giving any reason for
so doing. In cases of seission where the choices were double, they paid little
attention, where the majority of votes rested, but often received the choice of the
minority, and rejected that of the majority.— In the department of the
Seine (Paris) the choice of more than two thirds of the electors was excluded; that of
less than one third admitted.— This is representative democracy. 6

The preparations and menaces against Great-Britain are still
continued, and she on her part has taken every possible precaution to defend herself.
The expedition is apparently to commence from Toulon where a large embarkation has taken
place, the destination of which is kept secret, and concerning which the conjectures
have been numerous. That, most prevalent is, the junction with the Spanish fleet at
Cadix, and of both with the fleet preparing at Brest. The french papers announce, that
the object is a point where England is altogether unprepared, and where all her
defensive means will be unavailing. 7

One 74 gun ship has lately been taken after a very obstinate
action, and one has been burnt in the port of l’Orient— An attack has been made upon the
little isles of Marcouf, only five miles from the french Coast, by fifty gun-boats,
which were repulsed with a loss differently stated by the two parties. 8

The little Republic of Geneva has been swallowed up at once by the
great Nation— The Swiss Cantons after a bloody contest, which their want of union alone
rendered fruitless have all submitted to the Constitution one and indivisible imposed on
them.— The Cisalpine Republic remains in what they call the statu quo : that is, the french generals under the orders of the Directory,
appoint all the members of its Government, Legislative and Executive, and displace them
at their pleasure— Two instruments called Treaties, the one of alliance offensive and
defensive, the other of Commerce, were prepared at Paris, and sent for ratification to
Milan.— Such was their character, that even the men who held their authority as rulers
of the Cisalpine Republic, under the appointment of Buonaparte, would not ratify them.—
The french Directory then declared that the ratification of these Treaties was a
preliminary without which the Cisalpines were to be considered, not as an Independent
Nation, but as a conquest, and General Brune, commanded and received the resignation of
two Cisalpine Directors, and appointed in their stead, two others more accommodating , or as he describes them himself “ excellent subjects. ” 9

The proceedings in the Batavian Republic, are nearly of a similar
nature— Citizen Stone tells Doctor Priestley, that the Batavian Government has all along
shewn a most ill-timed spirit of Independence , and it is
certain that if they have ever shewn any spirit of Independence since May 1795, it has been ill-timed,
because it could not be supported.— However on the 22 d: of
January last the refractory party were turned out of
office, and the National Assembly purged of all its independent Spirits, reduced to half
its numbers, and as obsequious and submissive as the excellent Cisalpine subjects.— A
constitution was rapidly prepared, and presented to the adoption of that part of the
People, which approved the present order of things—and especially to the army and navy,
consisting almost entirely of foreigners. This constitution was adopted by a great
majority of the voters, and on the 4 th: of this month the
assembly as it then remained, changed itself into a legislative Assembly under the
Constitution, and divided into two branches.— This has given some dissatisfaction to the
People, but it was avowedly done by the french Minister there, Charles Delacroix, who is
soon to quit that station, having been newly elected a member of the Council of
Elders. 10

The new french Director is Treilhard, and a Paris newspaper,
published by Poultier, hitherto a member of the Legislature, says that he will prevail
upon his colleagues to reform, that monstrous corruption and venality, which prevail in
every department of the administration, which is of public notoriety and well known to
Treilhard, though the other Directors are not acquainted of it. 11

I have here written you a long letter upon politics, which perhaps
would have been much more acceptable if it had given you a detail of our domestic
affairs, and mode of life here— You have already been informed how we passed the winter—
Since the approach of the fine Season, and especially after the king’s departure this
place is very much deserted, and we are left with as little society as we could wish.—
The residence of all large towns in the Summer is unpleasant, and this is attended with
more than usual inconveniences; but I cannot leave it.— We are all well. I endeavour to
persuade my wife to write you, and hope she will before long.— , Start deletion, I am out of all Patience with my brother Charles, from whom
I have had not one line for near a twelve month, not one upon my business for nearly
two years. , End,