Thomas Boylston Adams to Abigail Adams, April 26, 1801

Philadelphia 26 th: April
1801.

Dear Mother

Ten days ago, I shipped your Carriage on board a Schooner called
the Hannah of Nantucket bound for Boston, and as there was no room below, I had to
consent to its being secured upon Deck. Since the vessel sailed, we have had, until this
day, a constant Succession of North Easterly storms, which has given me uneasiness on
account of your property on board, and in order to cover the loss, in case it should
happen, I have had serious thoughts of Insuring, at least the amount of four hundred
dollars, which may be done, I presume, at about 4 or 5 per cent. Should this intent be
realized, I shall inform you of it. The Bill of lading I enclosed to M r: Smith, to whom the Carriage is also consigned. 1

Your friends here are all well; D r: Rush is reading a course of lectures to some intelligent ladies of the upper order,
being extracts from his annual course delivered to Medical Students. Your friend, M rs: Bradford is among the number of his hearers, 2 & she told me, last evening, that the
Professor had been descanting upon the comparative qualities, merits, & excellences,
of the sexes; wherein he had attempted to make the discrimination which constitute their
appropriate characters. She said it was a fertile theme & had been pretty well
treated, though she differed from the D r: in several of his
positions; one of these was, “that men are more prone to disclose their own secrets,
than women; but women are most apt to disclose the secrets of others, which have been
confided to them.” I told her, that I thought the D r: was
right. She said we neither of us, knew the ladies.

I remember to have heard an Oration delivered before the Royal
Society at Berlin, by a french Emigrant of some distinction, whose name I have
forgotten— His theme was upon the influence which females have had in the affairs of
Empires, from the remotest periods & of their capacity to direct the Councils of
Nations.— 3 Of all the discourses I ever heard pronounced, this was the most eloquent. The style was
perfectly adapted to the delicacy of his subject—the sentiment, pure, correct &
refined; & the manner of the speaker was doubtless the more animated by the presence
of a few females, who were invited & selected for the refinement of their taste
& the culture of their minds. One of the most striking examples which he referred to
for the illustration of his subject, was the story of Pericles & Aspasia, which he
described in such glowing colours, that you almost saw the parties in your presence by
the magic of his pencil. 4 If D r: Rush could charm an audience, in this manner it would be an
entertainment, superior to the stage, to attend his lectures.

I have nothing more in point to the above subject to add, than to
inform you, that M r: Lewis, the celebrated lawyer, was
married to the widdow Durdon, an English-buxom lady, of whom might be said without much
exageration on the score of age—“fat, fair & forty,” as was said, on a former
occasion of another English lady— The Bishop performed the office on the 23 d: of January last, but for some unknown reason, the thing was
kept secret until a few days ago. 5

M r: & M rs: Bingham, Maria & Miss Willing, embarked a fortnight ago, for Lisbon, a
voyage prescribed by M rs: Binghams physician as the only
chance of her recovery. 6

I am dear mother, with best love to all / & duty to my father /
your son

T B Adams.