John Quincy Adams to Thomas Boylston Adams, October 12, 1798

12. October 1798.

My dear Brother.

We have received and been entertained with your letters from
Dessau, Magdeburg and Brunswic.— 1 We hope
to hear from you, to day or to-morrow, at Hamburg, where upon your arrival, you must
have found abundance of letters, either to, or for you.

You ask for news; but you are now so much nearer the sources of all
the important news, that it must rather come from you to us, than go from us to you.

Buonaparte, is neither dead, nor like to die— The newspapers may
say about him what they will. 2 That there
has been great sickness in his army might be presumed, without positive intelligence—
But as it is unquestionable that he is in possession of Alexandria, and of Cairo, there
can be no danger of his starving, and as little of his being overcome by Turks or
Egyptians, Arabs or Mammalukes. 3

Here, all goes on with us according to the old routine— We have
been out since you went away, only to the Princess Henry’s, and to Bellevue— 4 The Princess Ferdinand desired me to request you
upon your return home, to present her compliments to General Washington; for whose
character she has a great esteem.

We have not been to Charlottenburg since you left us; but M rs: A. is gone there this morning. And we have scarcely once
seen any of D r: Brown’s family; who when they come to town,
have not time to call.— They miss you very much.— I have heard, but not directly from
them, that William has obtained a Lieutenant’s Commission. 5

We have had no letters from America since your departure— The
public accounts announce the yellow fever again at Philadelphia.— I hope you will
conclude on your return to settle somewhere else, and should wish it might be at
Boston.

I find by letters from M r: Murray, that
Dandridge has left him, and that for the present M r: Mountflorence serves him, as Secretary. 6

God bless you! and give you a prosperous voyage!