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CONTENTS.

                 

vi

Page vi
                       

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1784. 
Page 
To Mrs. Cranch. 6–30 July. Journal on board ship
Active. Fellow passengers. Arrival at Deal. Mode
of landing on the beach. Journey to London. Seizure
of a highwayman. Visiters in London. Copley's
paintings. Mrs. Wright's wax figures. The Foundling
and Magdalen hospitals. Arrival of her son 
To the same. 5 September. At Auteuil. Describes
her house. Habits and expense of living in France.
Servants 
45 
To Miss Lucy Cranch. 5 September. Difference of
travelling in France and in England. Prefers London
to Paris. Dines with a French lady at Dr. Franklin's.
Her disgust 
53 
To Mrs. Cranch. 9–12 December. Her solitude out of
Paris. Expense of living. Visit to the Marquise de la
Fayette who dines with her. Manners and dress of
French ladies. Arrival of letters from home. Loth
to part with her son 
57 
To Mrs. Shaw. 14 December. Auteuil famous only as
the residence of learned men. French habits on Sunday.
Fondness for display. Great number of domestics 
67 
1785. 
To the Rev. John Shaw. 18 January. The churches in 
Paris. Auricular confession. Visits the Church of St.
Roch. Chorus of charity boys. The Abbé Thayer 
71 
To Mrs. Storer. 20 January. Climate of France. Dress
and manners of the ladies. Melodramatic pantomime.
Dancing Fashions in dress 
74 
To Miss Lucy Cranch. 24 January. Reproves her for
her handwriting. Twelfth-day cake. The way kingdoms
are obtained 
78 
To Mrs. Cranch. 20 February–13 March. Effect upon
her of opera dancing. It injures the public morals.
Dinners at the Marquis de la Fayette's and at home 
81 
To Miss Lucy Cranch. 7 May. Dines at Mr. Jefferson's.
Walk in the gardens of the Tuileries 
85 
To Mrs. Shaw. 8 May. Regret at leaving Auteuil.
Expense of frequent removals. Clothing injured in
travelling. Anecdote 
90 
To Mrs. Cranch. 8–10 May. Feels her absence from
home. Her son about to leave her 
93 
To the same. 24 June. Arrival in London. Looking
for a house. Expense of living. Impostors. Mr.
Adams presented to the King and Queen. A visit
from Lady Effingham. Ceremony of presentation indispensable.
Her own dress and that of her daughter.
She describes the scene. Want of female beauty at
Court. Tory abuse 
96 
To Mrs. Shaw. 15 August. Her dwelling well situated.
Illiberality of the English to other nations. Reasons
why she prefers America to Europe. English hostility
to the former 
106 
To Miss Lucy Cranch. 27 August. Letter-writing.
Value of Richardson's writings. Extract from Sir
Joshua Reynolds 
109 
To John Quincy Adams. 6 September. How she spent
Sunday. Arrival of letters from home. Joy and grief
near akin. Remarks upon the policy of England towards
America. The Cardinal de Rohan 
113 
To Mrs. Cranch. 30 September. Dislikes the Court. 
Attends a drawing-room. English not so handsome as
American women. Miss Dana. Reflections upon the
illness of her aunt 
116 
To the same. 1 October. Company to dine. The corps
diplomatique
. Visit from Madame de Pinto. English
feeling against America. Letter from Mr. Jefferson 
120 
1786. 
To Mrs. Shaw. 4 March. Mrs. Siddons in the character
of Desdemona; in Matilda and in Lady Macbeth.
Dislikes Shakspeare's play of "Othello." Effect upon
her of Colonel Trumbull's painting of the Death of
General Warren. Character of her son 
124 
To Miss Lucy Cranch, 2 April. America remarkable
for cultivating the social affections. Ball at the French
Ambassador's. Her own dress. Her daughter's. Describes
Lady N—and her daughter 
129 
To Mrs. Cranch. 6 April. Rout at the Swedish Minister's.
Cards. English ladies gamble 
134 
To the same. 21 May. Office of American Minister not
desirable. Improper notions of education for American
boys. Dines at the Bishop of St. Asaph's. Dr. Priestley 
136 
To Miss Lucy Cranch. 20 July. Duke of Northumberland
laid in state. Excursion to Portsmouth. Windsor.
The Castle 
140 
To Mrs. Cranch. 12 September. Visit to Holland. Its
friendship not appreciated in America. Amsterdam.
The Exchange. General impressions from the country
and the people. Return to London. Receipt of American
letters. Death of her aunt 
145 
To John Quincy Adams. 27 September–14 October. Visit
to the Hyde. Singularity of Mr. Brand-Hollis. His cabinet
of curiosities. His sister and his gardener 
152 
To Mrs. Shaw. 21 November. Visit from Mr.—.
His unlucky observations to Mr. Adams. Reflections
upon general benevolence. Mourning for Princess
Amelia 
158 
1787. 
To Mrs. Cranch. 20 January. Visit to Bath. Story of
Bladud. Describes the place. Its dissipation. Riots in
America. Tuscarora rice 
162 
To the same. 25–27 February. Disturbances in Massachusetts  170 
To the same. 28 April. Insurrection of Shays. Tory
malignity 
174 
To the same. 16 July. Uneasy for want of letters, and
anxious respecting her son's health. Mr. Jefferson's
daughter. Commencement day 
176 
To the same. 15 September. Journey into Devonshire.
Winchester. Family of Quincy. Southampton. Weymouth.
. Exeter. Plymouth. Kingsbridge.
Cranch family. Effect of attending public
places upon female character 
180 
To Miss Lucy Cranch. 3 October. Visit to Blenheim  191 
To John Quincy Adams. 12 October. Enjoins moderation.
Affairs in Holland. Desire for war in Great
Britain 
197 
1789. 
To Mrs. Shaw. 27 September. At Richmond Hill,
N. Y. Describes her residence. Organization of the
government 
201 
1790. 
To Thomas Brand-Hollis. 6 September. The same
subject 
204 
To Mrs. Smith. 21–28 November. Arrival at Philadelphia.
State of her house. Compares Philadelphia to
New York 
207 
To the same. 26 December. Attends at a drawing room.
Her distance from Philadelphia 
210 
1791. 
To the same. 8 January. Advises retirement. Visits
the theatre 
212 
To the same. 25 January. News from Europe. Agreeable
society. Value of parents 
215 
To the same. 21 February. Dines at the President's.
Education of children. Dr. Watts' "Moral Songs for
Children." 
217 
To Mrs. Shaw. 20 March. Excuses her not writing.
Describes her residence near Philadelphia 
220 
1794. 
To Mrs. Smith. 3 February. Fond of society. Reflections
upon the execution of Marie Antoinette 
223 
To the same. 8 March. Illness of Mr. Adams's mother.
Old age. Seneca 
225 
To the same. 10 March. Cautions respecting foreigners.
Value of religion and attendance upon public
worship 
227 
1796. 
To Thomas B. Adams. 8 November. Difficult prospect
in the Presidency. Party invective against her husband.
Against Washington. Extract from Dr. Priestley.
Changes during his absence 
230 
1797. 
To John Adams. 8 February. Congratulation and good
wishes 
235 
To the same. 26 April. Effect of funeral rites in her
family. Ready to join him 
236 
1800. 
To Thomas B. Adams. 13 November. Result of the
election of President. Proposed return to Quincy 
237 
To Mrs. Smith. 21 November. Arrival at Washington.
Inconvenience of her new situation. Meeting of Congress 
239 
To the same. 27 November. Want of wood. Answer
of the House of Representatives to the President's
Speech. Difficulty of returning visits 
243 
1801. 
To Colonel W. S. Smith. 3 May. Acknowledges the
receipt of plants at Quincy. Has returned to her dairy 
245 
To Thomas B. Adams. 12 July. Invites him to Quincy  246 
1804. 
To Thomas Jefferson. 20 May. Condolence upon the
death of his daughter 
247 
To the same. 1 July. Replies to his letter. Mr. Adams's
last appointments to office justified. Complains in turn
of the remission of Callender's fine. Of one other act
of his Administration 
249 
To the same. 18 August. Acknowledges the receipt of
his letter. Sedition Law justified. Explains the act
alluded to in her preceding letter. The removal of her
son 
254 
To the same. 25 October. Has received his letter.
Further discussion of her son's removal. Differs in
opinion with him and terminates the correspondence 
257 
Memorandum by John Adams subjoined to the letter of
the 25 October. 19 November 
260 
1805. 
To Mrs. Packard. 11 March. Condolence upon the death
of her mother, Mrs. Quincy 
261 
1809. 
To Mrs Shaw. 5 June. Has been ill. Effect of old
age and loss of friends. Duty of an American wife.
Mrs. Grant's "Letters from the Mountains" 
263 
1811. 
To Caroline A. Smith. 26 February. Grateful for blessings.
Snow. Love me, love my dog. Juno well 
266 
1812. 
To Caroline A. Smith. 19–27 November. Journal of a
day. Reflections upon her birth-day. Thanksgiving
day 
268 
1814. 
To F. A. Vanderkemp. 3 February. Learned ladies.
Madame de Staël 
273 
To Mrs. Shaw. 30 December. Reflections upon the past
year. Death of friends. Of Mrs. Warren. Elbridge
Gerry. Approves the course of Mr. Gore 
275 
1816. 
To Mrs. Dexter. 12 May. Condoles with her upon the
death of Mr. Dexter. Mr. Adams's opinion of him 
277 



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