Thomas Boylston Adams to Abigail Adams, August 26, 1799

Germantown 26 th: August 1799

My dear Mother.

I have no letter from you later than the 4 th: which I mention only because the interval is a little longer than usual
between your communications and lest any you might have written may have miscarried.
From William I got a packet on Saturday, after my letter of that day was sent to town,
otherwise, I should have acknowledged its receipt. 1 In J Russells paper of the 15 th: which he enclosed me, I perceive a very handsome letter
addressed to Peter Porcupine by a New England man , on the
subject of expunging from the new edition of his works which he proposes to publish by
subscription, the illiberal, accrimon[ious] & unprovoked attack upon the character
of Joseph Priestly. I co[ncur] so fully in the sentiments of this writer on that
subject, that I hope [. . .] may take the whim of inserting the letter with his
“Observations on the Emigration” & ca: if he will not
adopt the advice of the writer in the other particular, which there is little reason to
think he will. Can you guess who the New Englandman is? 2

I have received the letter on the subject of my brother’s affairs,
which he refers to in his last to you. 3 It is very explicit & intelligible as a letter of instructions and I have the
satisfaction of having anticipated compliance with a great part of the injunctions. His
letter is dated April 29 th: at which time he had received
only my two first numbers, which contained little of the detail of my transactions in
his affairs; my two next letters were filled with little else. From one of your letters
he had collected information, which detected a considerable error in the account
rendered by his Boston Agent in July 1798, in which the instalments on the shares in the
Middlesex Canal are charged to my brother as paid ; that is,
the 30 th: instalment fell due 18 th: July and is charged—no payment was made subsequent to that
and the time of his delivering up the papers, but instead of two hundred dollars only
one hundred could have been due for four month’s assessments on five shares, of course
payments for four months prior to July must have ceased and yet they were charged as
paid— How to repair this mistake would puzzle wiser heads than mine, unless the
extremity of the law were put in force.

The Minister say’s to me, “You will never think yourself entitled
to betray my confidence, because I am your brother, or to ruin me, because I cannot take
the law of you.” Such an insinuation would have hurt my feelings, had I been less
acquainted with his character or my own— But he has had ample occasion to speak plain to
those whom he entrusts with his affairs.

The fever prevails in the City to an awful degree, considering the
earliness of the season—the mortality is equal to the same period of the last year. Our
house is full of fugitives, but we are entirely free from danger.

I have recently become acquainted in the family of M r: Hare, who has a pretty seat in this neighborhood. I dined
there last week and was much gratified with the conversation of the elder & younger
branches of the family. M r: Hare told me that I reminded him
of my Father as he was more than 20 years ago, when he lodged in the same house with him
at M rs: Yards in Philadelphia— “ I
recollect your father wore his hair then much as yours is now. ” Did he, indeed
Sir, said I, the information is very acceptable to me and shall not be lost, for I have
been somewhat persecuted since my return on account of the cut of my hair. Young M r: Hare observed, he supposed because it was democratic. 4 Mrs: Powell whom I saw last evening
desired me to present her best congratulations on the reestablishment of your health—
The widow looks as youthful & blooming almost as her niece Miss Hare. 5 The gift of tongue seems to pervade every branch of this family.

Present me kindly to my Father for whom the annecdote of the crop is particularly related & to whom you will
please to read it / for your Son

T. B. Adams 6