London
july 23. 1784.
Osbornes new family Hotel, Adelphi at Mrs.
Shffields No. 6
My dearest Friend
At length Heaven be praised I am with our
daughter safely landed upon the British Shore after a passage of 30
days from
Boston to
the Downs. We landed at
Deal the 20 instant, rejoiced at any rate to set our feet again
upon the land. What is past, and what we sufferd by
sickness and fatigue, I will think no more of. It is all done away in the joyfull
hope of soon holding to my Bosom the dearest best of Friends.
We had 11 passengers. We travelled from
Deal to
London all in pany, and tho thrown
together by chance, we had a most agreeable Set, 7 Gentlemen all except one,
American, and marri'd men, every one of whom strove
to render the passage agreeable and pleasant to us. In a more particular manner
I feel myself obliged to Mr. Foster who is
a part owner of the Ship, a modest kind obliging Man, who
[paid] me every Service in his power, and to
a Dr. Clark who Served his
[time] with Dr. Loyd and is now in partnership with him.
took a kind charge of Nabby in a most Friendly and
Brotherly way shewed us every attention both as a
Gentleman physician and sometimes Nurss, for we all
stood in great want of both. My Maid unfortunately sick the whole passage, my
Man servant was so sometimes, in short for 2 or 3 days the
Captain and Dr. who
had frequently been to sea before, were the only persons who were not sick.
Capt.
Lyde is a Son of Neptune, rather rough in his
Manners, but a most excellent Sea man, never leaving his deck through passage
for one Night. He was very obligeing to me. As I
had no particular direction to any Hotel when I first arrived a Gentleman
passenger who had formerly been in
London advised me to
[Lows] Hotel in
Covent Garden, where we stoped. My
first inquiry
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was to find out Mr. Smith, who I
presumed could inform me with respect you. Mr. Spear a
passenger undertook this inquiry for me, and in than half an hour, both he and
Mr. Storer, were with me. They kindly provided
lodgings for me to which I removed in the morning, after paying a Guiney and
half for tea after I arrived and lodging and Breakfast a coach included to
carry me to my lodgings. I am now at lodgings at 34 and 6 pence per week for
myself
daughter and two servants, my Man
servant I left on Board the Ship to come up with it, but it has not yet got up.
I drew upon you before I left
America one Bill in
favour of
Dr. Tufts of an hundred pound
Lawfull Money, 98 of which I paid for our passages. This
Bill is to be paid to
Mr. Elworthy. I
drew for two hundred more in
favour of
Natll. Austin to be paid in
Holland. One hundred and 80 pounds of this money I Shall bring
with me to
the Hague as I cannot use it here without loss, it being partly
Dollors partly french crowns and French
Guineys. Mr. Smith has advised me
to this and tells me that what money I have occasion for he can procure me
here. My
expences in landing travelling and my
first Nights entertainment have amounted to 8
Guineys. I had a few english
Guineys with me. I shall wish to shelter myself under your
wing immediately for the
expences frighten me. We
shall be dear to you in more senses than one.
Mr.
Jefferson I left in
Boston going to
Portsmouth where he
designd spending
a week and then to return to
Newyork to take passage from thence
to
France. He urged me to wait his return and go with him to
New York, but my passage was paid on Board
Capt.
Lyde, the Season of the Year was the best I could wish for, and I had
no desire to take Such a journey in the Heat of summer. I thanked him for his
politeness, but having taken my measures, I
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I was determined to
abide by them. He said
Col.
Humphries the Secretary to the commercial commission had sailed before
he left
Philadelphia, and that he did not
doubt I Should find you in
France. I have a Letter from him which I
inclose and Several other Letters from your Friends.
Mr. Smith thinks
Master John will
be here
to Night from the intelligence he forwarded
to you before I arrived. I do not wish to tarry a day here without you, so that
if he comes I shall immediately set out, provided I have not to wait for the
Ship to come up. How often did I reflect during my voyage upon what I once
heard you say, that no object in Nature was more
dissagreeable than a Lady at sea. It
realy reconciled me to the thought of being without
you, for heaven be my witness, in no situation would I be willing to appear
thus to you. I will add an observation of my own, that I think no inducement
less than that of
comeing to the tenderest of Friends
could ever prevail with me to cross the ocean, nor do I ever wish to try it but
once more. I was otherways very Sick, beside Sea Sickness, but you must not
expect to see me pined, for nothing less than death will carry away my flesh,
tho I do not think I eat more the whole passage than
would have sufficed for one week. My fatigue is in some measure gone of and
every hour I am impatient to be with you.
Heaven give us a happy meeting prays your ever affectionate
A Adams
[No transcription available -- see page image]
[This notation is by John Quincy
Adams.]
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[Endorsement -- see page image]
