Louisa Catherine Adams to John Quincy Adams, October 7, 1804

Washington Oct br. 7 th 1804

More fortunate than yourself my beloved friend I last night
received your very kind though somewhat too philosophical
letter 1 when we are distant and a
beloved & suffering object is not constantly before our eyes imploring for relief we
find it impossible to afford it is easy to advise, reason has full power to act and we
are not exposed to those dreadful alarms excited by every
change & produced by excessive tenderness. I would it were possible fore me to reap
advantage from your advice but you know I cannot yet my beloved friend should it please
the Almighty to inflict on us so severe a punishment to that God in whom I put my whole
trust I look for strength and support and he will in his great mercy enable me to bear
such a dreadful calamity with fortitude and resignation

My Dear Sister is safe in her Bed and has a fine large Boy it was
Born yesterday morning after an illness of ten hours 2 poor Nancy was in so delicate a state of health
we were apprehensive it might terminate unhappily either to herself or child but she is
now as well as can be expected and I make no doubt will soon regain her strength for the
little Gentleman he is as strong as George was and three times as large—

M r. Hellen requests M r. Shaw or yourself will purchace a cask of the best Sherry
wine and send it on by the first Vessel for which M r. H says
you may draw on him at sight or he will pay you here the Alert was advertized to sail
three weeks since and there is a Vessel called the Hope that trades between George Town
and Boston 3 I know you are not fond of
trouble and your constant residence at Quincy prevents your learning of frequent
opportunities M r. Hellen has been uniformly polite and
affectionate to me and mine during my residence here I therefore make it my particular request that you will attend
to this commission I know little of the world but it appears to me that to pass our
lives in comfort it is necessary to reflect that we are not the only beings in it and
that attentions which are in themselves trifling sometimes prove of more consequence
than might be expected in the acquirement of friends.

I am very solicitous about a letter I enclosed to you for M rs. Whitcomb and I sent her a couple of letters by the Post
which I wish you to mention to her— 4

Adieu my best & most esteemed friend the time approaches fast
which will reunite us yet I cannot help feeling some degree of terror lest some
unforeseen circumstance should occur to delay your return and prevent my enjoying the
extreme felicity of clasping you to a heart devoted entirely to you

L. C. Adams

P.S. M r. Hellen has purchaced the
horse for me at fifty three Dollars