I have received the things you sent me by Townsend and my Aunt Cranch with your letter of this morning and the shirts, for which please to receive my thanks.1 I find this town so very noisy and the present situation in which I am so very different, on many accounts from any in which I have ever before been, that it will take some time before I shall become naturalized. This circumstance and not having any thing interesting to tell you are my reasons for not writing to you.

There has yet been no change of officers by Mr Jefferson in this state, excepting the appointment of Mr Brown, who does not except of the office, in the place of Mr. Higginson, Mr. Blake is not appointed to the exclusion of Mr Otis as was reported—although the probability seems to be that he will. Mr. J. reinstating Gardner and Whipple of N Hampsire is to me demonstrative proof of his determination to wage war against all the wise measures of the preceding administration. The marshall and district Attorney of Vermont have had their commissions taken from them. I am told they are both excellent men and that nothing can be alledged against them, than that they did their duty in the prosecution of the U States against Lyon2

The Galen arrived here yesterday—but brings papers to 7 of March only two days later than we had before received, nothing new.3

I send you Monday and todays paper—also Hardgraves law tracts, 55 which the P.t asked me to purchase for him.4 I shall speak to Ben Russell as you request. He has always been like the Desdemona of Othello’s distempered immagination, “who could turn and turn and yet go on, and turn again.[”]5 I hope to have the pleasure of seeing you at Quincy on Saturday

With every sentiment of respectful attachment / I am yours &c.

I enclose herewith the second number of my Gazette, which completes the Journal for the month of March. By the last post I sent to Hamburg a letter for my mother with the information, that on the 12th: instr: my wife was delivered of a son.1 But she was then extremely ill, & I wrote under the impression of great alarm on her account. She has since very much recovered, & as I am assured quite out of danger. I hope this will reach you at the same time with my letter to my mother, & relieve you from an interval of anxiety & suspence, which if proportioned to my distress, the three days succeeding the 12th:—must be painful in the extreme.

An armistice of fourteen weeks has been concluded between the 56 English & the Danes. It has settled nothing as to the main question between the parties, but secures to the english the free passage of the Sound, which to be sure is nothing at all, & cuts off the co-operation of Denmark to the military & naval measures of the other northern powers. The english fleet will proceed, it is said, up the Baltic, & the Swedish ports being inaccessable, & the Swedish fleet not very likely to run the risk of coming out, will direct their second visit to the port of Revel, where there are ten Russian ships of the line. They will surely however not venture this attack, after hearing of this change in Russia, without further & precise instructions from their Government. The english might perhaps have imposed more burthensome terms upon the Danes. But it is not the interest, nor the policy of England to press them too hard. The convention will apparently give the English the command of the Baltic for this season, & promote the pacific disposition of the northern powers. Perhaps even of France.2