I thank you my dear Nephew for your last agreable Letter.1 you have too sensible and feeling a heart not to participate in the pleasure which the Return of your cousin gives to his Parents and Friends. your account of his reception from his Father was too tender and interesting to my Heart, not to flow to my Eyes; I hope you will derive both instruction and improvement from him. you have a mind formed for both.

I am surprized that mr should so long detain mr Gerrys correspondence. the world know that the President is not accustomed to be thus dilatory. yet the blame will fall upon him, by those who know not the cause; as the Senate have decided that they cannot impeach one of their own Body, they cannot have Authority to impeach a foreign minister I presume; the truth is that when these papers appear mr Gerry will not sink in the estimation of his Countrymen—for sick as I was I took a peep at them; we all condemn his seperating from his Colleagues, his remaining after they came away, and his submit ting to be once thought more yealding than the Honor of his country required. he is very tedious in making communications, but his honesty & his Integrity I cannot call in Question.

you did not give me any account of your Lady dinner, nor a word about the Ball, two subjects very interesting to our solatary fire side—

I have not seen this years Guillotina. send it me—

When you see mr Tracy present my Respects to him. I have a sincere esteem for him. mr Hillhouse too & plain honest Rough mr Goodhue Mr Foster the Rep. & mr Foster the senator. I think how ever that he ought to Change seats with his Brother but, the House would be the loosers: Mr dana, too.2 in short most of the Federalis of senate and House, I feel a relative attachment to, and once I esteemed and loved as a Friend, him, whom I have too much reason to fear is an apostate, so that his Change is a painfull reflection as il respects my self, but more so, as it affects my Country.

mr Peabody writes to inquire after Richard. I suppose his Friend wish to hear from him— I am my dear Nephew / your affectionate

In my solitude in Markett street, I find nothing so sociable as your Letters— those of 18 & 20th. are this moment recdd.— 1 Your health & Spirits are a great Improvement of mine.

I have avoided the Epithets perfidious and unprincipled as much as I could, but neither they nor any that could be borrowed from the Hebrew & the Greek would be too strong, for the House of Mass to Use.—

My Religion you know is not, exactly conformable to that of the greatest Part of the Christian World. It excludes superstition. But with all the superstition that attends it, I think the Christian the best that is or has been. I would join with those who wish ecclesiastical Tyranny abolished, and the frauds of the Priesthood detected: But in this Country We have little of this. If my feeble Testimony has done any good, I rejoice & have my reward.

The V. P was a poor Correspondent and the P. is a worse, but I cannot help it.

The salt Marsh you may buy but it is too dear. The Ceedar swamp too is vastly too dear. My Gout for Land is much abated.— They hold it at such a Price that it tastes too Silverish.—

I will be no part of Taxes of any kind, nor of Blacksmith’s Bills,—I will have a Rent clear of all deductions. It may be let for 3 years. But I must have the salt Marsh at the farms and Quincys Meadow & Belchers Place.— The Rent must be the less.

I am glad the 20 foot Posts are to be sent for.— I have made Turrell Tufts a Consul at surinam.

Thomas, to my sorrow, but for your Joy will sett out this Week for Quincy. He will stop [at] N. York sometime. He dont relish the Idea of settling at Quincy.