William Smith Shaw to Abigail Adams, December 12, 1798

Philadelphia Dec 12 th 1798 Wednesday
morn.

My dear Aunt

The president received two letters the latest dated 3 d of Dec from you last Evening with a letter inclosed for
your son at Berlin which, I shall superscribe and deliver to Mr Pickering with your
respects with a great deal of pleasure. 1 I am very sorry to see that you were not so well as you were when you wrote the
25 th of Nov. You do not write in half so good
spirits.

I find Mr. Otiss family very friendly to me— I go and return when
I please. I drank coffee last evening at a Mrs. Willings & there I heard Love
defined in such a farcical manner by a lady, that I must tell you. 2 Love she said was a very difficult thing to
define, but she understood by it “a certain dizziness which kept one from minding his
business.”

Mr Brisler and family are all well— he has a most excellent
servant to supply Johns place & does not know what he shall do with Dexter. James
the coachman has a legacy left him by a man who died with the yellow fever of fifteen
hundrend pounds.

It would do you good to hear the affectinate enquires made after
you by gentlemen and ladies, even Dr Logan was extremely sorry, he said that we were
not to have the pleasure of Mrs Adams company this winter

I enclose to you with this, two of the Auroras, which is more
inveterate than ever against the federal goverment—an excellent charge of Judge
Cushings &c &c. 3

I have been called below a dozen times since I began to write
you, I have but little time as my own as yet. Please to excuse the carelessness of the
writing &c &c & remember me to all who enquire after me. Where is Cousen L
Is she so precious of her love that she can’t send a little at least to me.

Your affectionate nephew

Uncle is in tolerable good spirits