University of Virginia Library

TO JOHN ADAMS.

I received your obliging favor by Mrs. Morgan, with
the papers and the other articles you sent, which
were very acceptable to me, as they are not to be
purchased here. I shall be very choice of them.

I have, according to your desire, been upon a visit
to Mrs. Morgan, who keeps at Major Mifflin's. I
had received a message from Mrs. Mifflin some time
ago, desiring I would visit her. My father, who,
you know, is very obliging in this way, accompanied
me, and I had the pleasure of drinking coffee with
the Doctor and his lady, the Major and his lady, and
a Mr. and Mrs. Smith from New York, a daughter
of the famous son of liberty, Captain Sears; Generals
Gate and Lee; a Dr. McHenry and a Mr. Elwyn,
with many others who were strangers to me. I
was very politely entertained, and noticed by the
generals; more especially General Lee, who was
very urgent with me to tarry in town, and dine with
him and the ladies present, at Hobgoblin Hall, but I
excused myself. The General was determined, that
I should not only be acquainted with him, but with
his companions too, and therefore placed a chair
before me, into which he ordered Mr. Spada to
mount and present his paw to me for a better acquaintance.
I could not do otherwise than accept

it. "That, Madam," says he, "is the dog which
Mr.—has rendered famous."

I was so little while in company with these persons,
and the company so mixed, that it was almost
impossible to form any judgment of them. The
Doctor appeared modest, and his lady affable and
agreeable. Major Mifflin, you know, I was always
an admirer of, as well as of his delicate lady. I
believe Philadelphia must be an unfertile soil, or it
would not produce so many unfruitful women. I always
conceive of these persons as wanting one addition
to their happiness; but, in these perilous
times, I know not, whether it ought to be considered
as an infelicity, since they are certainly freed
from the anxiety every parent must feel for their
rising offspring.

I drank coffee one day with General Sullivan upon
Winter Hill. He appears to be a man of sense and
spirit. His countenance denotes him of a warm constitution,
not to be very suddenly moved, but, when
once roused, not very easily lulled,—easy and social,
—well calculated for a military station, as he
seems to be possessed of those popular qualities,
necessary to attach men to him.

By the way, I congratulate you upon our late
noble acquisition of military stores.[1] It is a most
grand mortar, I assure you. Surely Heaven smiles
upon us in many respects, and we have continually

to speak of mercies, as well as of judgments. I
wish our gratitude may be anywise proportionate to
our benefits. I suppose, in Congress, you think of
every thing relative to trade and commerce, as well
as other things; but, as I have been desired to mention
to you some things, I shall not omit them.
One is, that there may be something done, in a Continental
way, with regard to excise upon spirituous
liquors, that each of the New England colonies may
be upon the same footing; whereas we formerly
used to pay an excise, and the other colonies none,
or very little, by which means they drew away our
trade. That an excise is necessary, though it may
be objected to by the mercantile interest, as a too
frequent use of spirits endangers the wellbeing of
society. Another article is, that some method may
be devised to keep among us our gold and silver,
which are now every day shipped off to the West Indies
for molasses, coffee, and sugar; and this I can
say of my own knowledge, that a dollar in silver is
now become a great rarity, and our traders will give
you a hundred pounds of paper for ninety of silver,
or nearly that proportion. If any trade is allowed
to the West Indies, would it not be better to carry
some commodity of our own produce in exchange?
Medicines, cotton wool, and some other articles, we
are in great want of. Formerly we used to purchase
cotton wool at one shilling, lawful money, per bag;
now it is three, and the scarcity of that article distresses
us, as it was wrought up with less trouble
than any other article of clothing. Flax is now from
a shilling to one and sixpence per pound, sheep's
wool eighteen pence, and linens not to be had at any
price. I cannot mention the article in the English
goods way, which is not double; and, in the West
India, molasses by retail I used formerly to purchase
at one and eight pence,—now it is two and eight
pence; rum, three shillings; coffee, one and three
pence, and all other things in proportion. Corn is
four shillings per bushel; rye, five; oats, three and
eight pence; hay, five and six shillings per hundred;
wood, twenty shillings per cord; but meat of all
kinds cheap.

My uncle Quincy desires to be remembered to
you; he inquired when you talked of coming home.
I told him you had not fixed any time. He says, if
you don't come soon, he would advise me to procure
another husband. He,[2] of all persons, ought not to
give me such advice, I told him, unless he set a
better example himself.

Be kind enough to burn this letter. It is, written
in great haste, and a most incorrect scrawl it Is.
But I cannot conclude without telling you, we are all
very angry with your House of Assembly for their
instructions.[3] They raise prejudices in the minds of

people, and serve to create in their minds a terror at
a separation from a people wholly unworthy of us.
We are a little of the spaniel kind; though so often
spurned, still to fawn, argues a meanness of spirit,
that, as an individual, I disclaim, and would rather
endure any hardship than submit to it.