Adams Family Correspondence, volume 13
st:June 1799.
I have your favor of the 15th: instt: and thank you for your kind solicitude respecting my
health, which is just passable and no more—1 The extremes of heat & cold have a sensible
effect upon my Constitution, and though I am tolerably free from rheumatics and
faintness, yet I have the old complexion, with a tinge of yellow less perhaps than when
I left you. My feverish habit still hangs about me, in spight of exercise &
abstinence, and I am pretty often hypp’d, as the saying is,
though I try to shake it off. I intend to pass some days in the Country at the place
belonging to the lady I board with, when the Court, which is now holding, shall
adjourn.2
Mr: & Mrs: Otis sat out yesterday on their journey to the Eastward. I shall feel the want of their society and attentions in which they were very kind to me. I stayed a fortnight with them as a matter of favor and they would receive no compensation—
You ask, what has become of the Countess? The Countess has been
sold by the loving Count her liege lord, to her parents for the sum of 10000. Dls: to him in hand paid—10,000 Dls: by a Bill or draft upon England & five hundred guineas for & during
the Counts natural life— In consideration of which sum, he forever renounces & quits
claim his beloved Maria Matilda & consents to depart the State & Country in a
specified time; on failure whereof the contract to be void & of no effect— Other
conditions of less moment are further annexed tending to foreclose all future claims on
his part to his late wife—who since this bargain is much surprized to find, that the
Count would give her up for vile coin instead of suffering martyrdom in the cause of
love. The lady has since regained her natural liberty, rides out with her mother and in
the course of the next season, we may expect to see her set up again, with a new Capital
& married, like enough, to some gander of a fellow, who may not think her the
grayest goose in the flock when her plumage is well gilded.
The Count most generously advertises to pay his debts; he had in
fact disappeared without thinking of so plebean a custom, but his creditors
understanding his fortune had not been withdrawn from the Bank, took the insolent
liberty to attach it where it was, which drew forth the advertisement, without which he
could not release the surplus of his money when his creditors were satisfied.3 He talks 491 of the calumnies of
his enemies, leagued to destroy his good name & fame; wishes his debtors were as
honest as himself &ca: &ca: O thou universal cobler of worn out conscience, whom some have stiled self
love— What rogue is there so base, that he will own his infamy?
“This is the excellent foppery of the world, that when we are sick in fortune, (often the surfeits of our own behavior) we make guilty of our disasters, the sun, the moon & stars, as if we were villains on necessity; fools by heavenly compulsion; knaves, thieves & treacherous, by spherical predominance; drunkards lyars & adulterers by an inforc’d obedience of planetary influence; and all that we are evil in, by a divine thrusting on.”4 Shakespear! Hem!
Another case in point to the foregoing is Blair McClenagan He has applied for a discharge from confinement
under the insolvent law of this State, and his case was argued a few days ago— The old
grey headed hoary sinner was brought up to Court in a severe fit of the gout, and in the
course of his examination, he observed in a faltering voice; “I have been forty years
& upwards an inhabitant of Philadelphia and I trust,
have always maintained & deserved the reputation of an honest man, that paid his
debts“— Judge Chief Justice told him “Mr: McClenagan, there’s no such thing as absolute vilainy in this
world; every action must be tried by its own merits or demerits, that’s the only
criterion by which it can rightly be judged.” In fact, his hypothesis went so far as to
maintain that no actions are, as the lawyers say, mala in
se evil in themselves, but only mala prohibita, evil
by being forbidden.5 This is a specimen
of the morality of our bench.
I now & then hear from William, some of Boylston bon mots, and
they divert me much; the one you write me is from the stock, I know it well. The place has long wanted some acquisition of ornament, or in
other words, it was high time the Presidents cattle were
better lodged.
I am sorry to hear of Breisler’s illness— please inform him that I went into the great house a few days since & found all things as he left them—in perfect good order.
Present me kindly to all— Farewell.
P. S. I sent a letter of introduction to Captain Henry & his
lady for you. Mrs: Henry was lately Miss Sophia Duchée of
this place, a very aimiable accomplished young lady, with some innocent peculiarities
about her, which I think serve to create a greater interest in her 492 favor. I have not long been personally acquainted
with her, but I know Captain Henry to be a very genteel, well bred young Officer. He
is to be stationed at New Port R Island.6
RC (Adams Papers); addressed: “Mrs: A Adams”;
internal address: “Mrs: A Adams.”; endorsed: “T B A June
21. / 1799.”
In her letter to TBA of 15 June, AA reported the death of Gov. Increase Sumner and commented on TBA’s visit to Mount Vernon. She also agreed with TBA’s assessment of the commissioners for Washington, D.C., noted the completion of two “very stately” buildings at Peacefield, and reported the arrival from Europe of JQA’s books and TBA’s trunk (Adams Papers).
TBA spent the night in Germantown, Penn., on 19 and
24 June before relocating there on 15 July. He lodged at Rock Hall, the estate of
Benjamin Shoemaker, but occasionally slept in an old house on the property in order to
keep Martha Roberts “from harm & fear,” as he described it in his Diary. He
remained in Germantown until at least late October (TBA, Diary, 1798–1799, 19, 24 June, 15, 23–27, 28
July; S. F. Hotchkin, Ancient and Modern Germantown, Mount
Airy and Chestnut Hill, Phila., 1889, p. 77; TBA to William Smith
Shaw, 27 Oct., MHi:Misc. Bound
Coll.).
Jacques Pierre Alexandre, Comte de Tilly, advertised in the
Philadelphia Porcupine’s Gazette, 19, 20, 21 June, that
any who produced a “lawful claim” against him would be “instantly satisfied.” Tilly
also noted that rumors that he would not settle his debts before leaving the United
States were false, having been spread by people who were “indefatigable in their
attempts” to damage his character.
Shakespeare, King Lear, Act I, scene
ii, lines 129–138.
Blair McClenachan, for whom see vol. 10:313, spent time in debtors’ prison for owing
more than $400,000. On 18 March he applied to the Penn. Supreme Court to be discharged
as an insolvent debtor, but because he had conveyed property to his children the
application was denied, in accordance with recent Pennsylvania legislation, for which
see vol. 12:371 (Alexander
James Dallas, Reports of Cases Ruled and Adjudged in the
Several Courts of the United States, and of Pennsylvania, Held at the Seat of the
Federal Government, 4 vols., Phila., 1798–1807, 4:76–80, Shaw-Shoemaker, No.
12384; Bruce H. Mann, Republic of Debtors: Bankruptcy in the
Age of American Independence, Cambridge, 2002, p. 214).
TBA’s letter of introduction has not been found.
Capt. John Henry (ca. 1776–ca. 1820), an Irish immigrant, was by 1798 a naturalized
U.S. citizen and a captain in the 2d Regiment of Artillerists and Engineers. On 23 May
1799 he married Elizabeth Sophia Duché (1774–1808), the fourth daughter of Rev. Jacob
and Elizabeth Hopkinson Duché. Henry later settled in Canada and would play a key role
in the precipitation of the War of 1812 (
ANB
; Philadelphia Gazette of the United States, 28 May; The Correspondence of John Henry Hobart, ed. Arthur
Lowndes, 6 vols., N.Y., 1911–1912, 2:101–102).
th:June 1799.
I am favored with your’s of the 23d:
instt: and the enclosures—one of which is herewith
returned.1
The Lieutenant Governor’s address is quite
equal to my expectations, and there is little doubt with me, that he will rise a
peg higher, merely, or chiefly because the people would not be united in any man of more
capacity and talents.2 If any
considerable interval take place prior to a new election, other candidates will be
brought forward 493 and I think there will be some risk of a division
of the federal interest, which may turn the scale in favor of our General, who will
doubtless be found at his post on a new trial of electioneering strength. A suggestion
of this sort might be serviceable in the newspapers.3
I have nothing particular to communicate— The weather has been & still is intensely hot; for two days successively the thermometer stood at 92%, but since then we have had a thunder storm or two, which have cooled us a little. Reports are circulated almost daily of cases having already occurred of the yellow fever. The doctors deny most positively that anything so bad exists, though several very sudden deaths have occurred. We expect continual alarm, but no vessel has yet arrived upon which the burthen of importation can be thrown; about the beginning of August we may expect one. The heat is sufficiently intense to create a plague almost of itself.4
Our Court is still sitting— On monday another begins—in short there is very little intermission at this Season.
Great preparations are making for the 4th: by all the military gentlemen. I am invited to dine with the Cincinnati.5
What has become of the answer you expect, I cannot conjecture. It was sent nearly a month ago, but I believe by a private hand.
I should have sent you Fries’s trial, but it has never been published; a new trial having been granted by the Court, the publication would have been improper.6
Give my regards & love where due and accept the best esteem / of
PS. I am very sure you will thank me, for reminding you that your
Orthography grows worse & worse. I know my own to be incorrect occasionally, but I
use a dictionary for the most part when writing. “Do thou likewise.”8
RC (MWA:Adams Family Letters); addressed: “William S. Shaw / Quincy”; internal
address: “W. S. Shaw.”; endorsed: “Phila June 29th / T B.
Adams / rec 6 July / Ansd 7th.”; docketed: “1799 / June
29.”
Not found.
Following Gov. Increase Sumner’s death, Lt. Gov. Moses Gill
addressed the Mass. General Court on 13 June, emphasizing the necessity of reciprocal
cooperation between Massachusetts politicians and the federal government. He stated
that in his new role as acting governor he would nominate only qualified people for
public office and also commented on the importance of religion and education in
upholding the “spirit of our Constitution of Government.” The speech was printed in
the Boston Columbian Centinel, 15 June (Mass., Acts
and Laws
, 1798–1799, p. 637–64:).
The next election in Massachusetts was held in April 1800; Federalist Caleb Strong was elected governor, defeating Elbridge Gerry. Gen. William Heath, whom Sumner defeated in 1799, received only a few votes in 1800 (A New Nation Votes).
On 23 June 1799 Joseph Ashmead died 494 “of an Inflammatory bilious fever,” and three
days later John Parker died “suddenly,” possibly prompting rumors that yellow fever
was circulating in Philadelphia. On 1 July TBA noted that the disease had
“made its appearance in Penn Street” with a vessel in the city’s harbor alleged to be
“the container of the original seeds.” The ship and its cargo had been sealed, and
when they were opened, “a dreadful stench proceeded from the place, and several people
very shortly after sickened.” TBA added that it was “not yet pronounced
an epidemic, tho’ it has excited very great alarm” (Philadelphia Gazette, 24 June; Philadelphia Gazette of
the United States, 27 June, 5 July; TBA, Diary, 1798–1799).
Philadelphia’s Fourth of July celebrations were marked by
military displays and “rational pleasure and social intercourse.” TBA
attended an event hosted by the Pennsylvania branch of the Society of the Cincinnati
at Oeller’s Hotel. Its attendees included cabinet members Timothy Pickering, James
McHenry, Benjamin Stoddert, and Oliver Wolcott Jr., as well as Edward Shippen (Philadelphia Gazette, 5 July; TBA, Diary, 1798–1799).
John Fries was sentenced to hang on 13 May. Two days later,
William Lewis, one of Fries’ defense attorneys, presented evidence that one of the
jurors, Northampton Co. resident John Rhoads, held a prejudicial opinion of Fries
prior to the trial. Judge James Iredell subsequently declared a mistrial (Newman, Fries’s Rebellion
, p. 172–173). See also JA to AA, 11 March, and note 1, above.
TBA also wrote to Shaw on 16 and 22 June. On 16 June (MWA:Adams Family Letters) he discussed European military affairs, the successful transportation of JQA’s books from Lisbon, and the prospects for his law practice, and he commented on Sumner’s death. In his 22 June letter (MHi:Misc. Bound Coll.), TBA reported his attendance at the Court of Nisi Prius in Philadelphia and noted that Capt. John Henry and Elizabeth Sophia Duché Henry planned to visit Boston.
Luke, 10:37.