I received your obliging favour of April 7th on the 18 of this Month, for which accept my sincere thank—1 To hear of the Health, and Welfare, of old, and Esteemed Friends, gives pleasure to her, who sincerely rejoices, that the decline of Life, of all those, whom she highly values; is renderd agreeable by the enjoyment of Health, Peace, and Competance.— Blessing at all periods valuable but more particularly so, when active Life, yealds to the more tranquil and contemplative scenes of Age— A scene to which your Friends are as rapidly hastning, as time can carry them; and accelerated by the Burdens which are devolved upon them, when retirement from the “Worlds Mad stage” would be more consonant to their feelings, particuliarly as they have weather’d one political storm, and enterd the Harbour with Safety, it is hard to be calld again to engage in a Tempest,2 and with a power which defies all Laws, both humane and devine, whose Ambition knows no limits, and which seems to threaten universal Domination, and like an other Alexander, weep for new worlds to conquer—“in proportion, (to use the words of a celebrated writer) as we have been attracted towards the focus of illegality, and irreligion all the venomous, and blighting insects of our Country, have been awakened into life, and the promise of the years has been blasted”3

The olive Branch, tendered to our Gallic Allies, by our Envoys; has been rejected with scorn.— nor would the Military Despots, give to our Ambassadors, an opportunity of Presenting those liberal generous and Pacifick terms,4 with which they were Charged. they seemed to thing all negotiation useless, which possessd not the power of Midas— The haughtiness by which the proud repell us, has this of good in it; that in making us keep our distance, they must keep their distance too.5

having swallowd up all the Republicks with which they have contended, drained them of all their resources, they proceed from the same rapacious spirit, to imprison the Ambassador of a sovereign Power: not as alledged, for offering a Bribe, but having exacted from his court one heavey contribution, as the Price of Peace; and employd that very Money in establishing their late Military Despotism. they refuse to Sign the Treaty, which was a few days protracted, in order to obtain the consent of an Ally, against whom some articles 527 militated with their former engagements. having obtaind their consent, the Minister Presented the Treaty for signature, and was refused, unless a new Gift of a still more oppressive sum was given upon the refusal of his court to comply, the Minister, contrary to the Law of Nations is imprisoned, and Portugal threatned with an invasion—6

The dispatches from our Envoys which you have undoubtedly read; and which I now send you, will be prooff sufficient, to shew, what a pitch of venality Rapacity and avarice,7 the Present Rulers of France have arrived at. The confidence with which they boast of a powerfull Party in this Country devoted to their views, is daily experienced. their Emissaries are scatterd through all parts of this extensive union, sowing the seeds of vice, irreligion, corruption, and sedition. hence has grown up that spirit of Party, and of faction within those Walls, where wisdom and Patriotism alone should preside; where you behold Sophistory, Substituded instead of Argument, and Personal Reflection’s giving place to, National Dignity and Decorum. I wish however a veil to be thrown over the disgracefull buisness which occupied much too large a portion of the present Session; and that it may sink into oblivion with the party views which supported it—

The Nation appears to be rousing from the Lethargy, which has too long benumbed its powers, and rising to a Sence of its own Dignity, and concequence, with a firm resolution to repell the insults offerd her,8 too long a habit of humiliation, does not seem a very good prepartive to manly and vigorous sentiments, but the Reluctance which every American feels to engage in Hostilities with any Nation, and the desire they have to sacrifice all consideration to the preservation of Peace, short of their Independance, and security, has restrained them from expressing the full extent of their Indignation against a Nation, which they considerd as oppressed, and in the early stages of its Revolution, sincerely wished it success in obtaining and securing to itself equal Liberty & social Rights—but when we see them ifrom, being oppressed, become themselves the greatest of all oppressors, and usurpers, we can no longer wish them success.

If we become a united people, there is no doubt but we can withstand the storms which threatens us. united we stand—united we are formidable, and sufficent to ourselves, nor need we seek a Foreign Aid, or dread a Foreign Foe.

As Calumny, and abuse upon the Fairest Characters and the best 528 Men in France, was one of the most powerfull engines, employed, to overturn one set of Rulers and in sitting up others who in their turn shared the same fate, so have their Emissaries adopted the Same weapons in this Country,9 and the Liberty of the press, is become licentious beyond any former period. the Good sense of the American people in general directs them Right, where they can see and judge for themselves, but in distant and remote parts of the union, this continued abuse, deception, and falshood is productive of great mischief, and tends to destroy that confidence & Harmony which is the Life Health & security of a Republick.

I write to you my dear Madam with the Freedom and confidence of an old Friend, whom I am sure, will unite with me in sincere, and Ardent wishes, for the Peace security and prosperity of our common Country.

The President desires me to Present to Gen’ll Warren the Remembrance of an old Friend who would be much more at his ease, & happier in cultivating the usefull science of Agriculture with him, than, in the Arduous, complicated, turbulant and difficult task assignd him— he will however do his utmost, that the fruits of the Husbandman, and the Commerce of the Merchant shall be protected and Secured, and that the Liberty and Independance which we obtaind and secured from the Grasp of one Foreign Nation shall not be unjustly wrested from us by any other Power. if we are but just to ourselves, and in these endavours he hopes for the aid and countanance of all his fellow citizens—

when I return to Quincy, which I hope may be in the course of the summer, it will give me great pleasure to see and welcome you & Gen’ll Warren at Peace Feild—

My compliments to your son and daughter and to miss Marcia—

From Dear Madam Your Friend / and Humble servant

I inclose to you a National song composed by this same mr Hopkinson. French Tunes have for a long time usurped an uncontrould sway. since the Change in the publick opinion respecting France, the people began to lose the relish for them, and What had been harmony, now becomes discord. accordingly their had been for several Evenings at the Theatre something like disorder, one party crying out for The Presidents march, and yankee Doodle, whilst Ci era, was vociferated from the other it was hisst off repeatedly. the managers were blamed. their excuse was that they had not any words to the Presidents march— Mr Hopkinson accordinly composed these to the tune. Last Eve’ng they were sung for the first time. I had a Great curiosity to see for myself the Effect. I got mr otis to take a Box, and silently went off with mr & mrs otis mr & mrs Breck to the play, where I had only once been this winter. I meant now to be perfectly in cogg, so did not sit in what is calld the Presidents Box— 530 531 after the Principle Peice was perford, mr Fox came upon the stage to sing the song he was welcomed by applause.1 the House was very full, and at every Choruss the most unbounded applause ensued. in short it was enough to stund one. they had the song repeated— after this Rossina was acted.2 when Fox came upon the state after the curtain dropt, to announce the Peice for fryday, they calld again for the song, and made him repeat it to the fourth time and the last time. the whole Gallery Audience broke forth in the Chorus whist the thunder from their Hands was incessant, and at the close they rose gave 3 Huzzas, that you might have heard a mile— My Head acks in concequence of it. the managers have requested the President to attend the Theater, and twesday next he goes. a number of the inhabitants have made the same request, and now is the proper time to gratify them.3 their have been six differents addresses presented from this city alone; all expressive of the Approbation of the measures of the Executive. yet dairingly do the vile incendaries keep up in Baches paper the most wicked and base, voilent & caluminiating abuse—4 it was formely considerd as leveld against the Government, but now it is contrarry to their declared sentiments daily manifested, so that it insults the Majesty of the sovereign People. but nothing will have an Effect untill congress pass a sedition Bill, which I presume they will do before they rise— not a paper from Bache press issues nor from Adams Chronical, but what might have been prossecuted as libels upon the President and Congress. for a long time they seem as if they were now desperate— the wrath of the public ought to fall upon their devoted Heads5

I shall send a paper or two because your Boston papers cannot take in one half of what these contain. mr otis’s Letter is a very judicious sensible patriotic composition, and does him great honour—

You may rely upon it from me, that not a single line from our Envoys have been received but what has been communicated, and nothing has been received from them Since the last communication.

I received your Letter of the 20 this day. I am very sorry the closet should be omitted because it wanted painting very much and does not easily dry. I wrote to the dr and proposed having the out side of the house new painted, and the Garden fence also which never was more than primed, but I would not put too many Irons at once in the fire

if you have got cousin Betsys Box or she has, as I see the vessel is arrived, you will then find what a Drapery dress is, and the young Lady will teach how it is to be put on. a Cap for You should be made 532 as you usually wear yours, and as I wear mine, of handsome Muslin, with a pleated border or a lace— I wear no other but upon publick Evenings when I wear a Crape dress cap—

I do not wear the drapery dress myself as I consider it too youthfull for me. I have both Sides alike, but they both come forward upon the top & then fall away and are worn with a coat or the Apron lose—

will you desire mr Porter to get some slips of the Quince Tree and sit out in the lower garden

adieu my dear sister. my pen I think is scarcly ever dry. yours in Love affection