PHILADE Feb 12 -79
MY DEAR SR
Will you be so kind as to present my due Regards to Mrs Warren and let
her know that immediately on my receiving her Letter for Miss Wray I
deliverd it to the Care of my worthy Friend Colo Laurens who has since
informd me that he has forwarded it in his own Packet to South Carolina.
I have lately written several Letters to my Friend Dr C & have informd
him that you & he & Mr S are my only confidential Correspondents in
Boston. I have other trusty Friends there, but I have not Leisure to
write to them all. I have expressd my wish that the honest & virtuous
Friends of our Country would cultivate a cordial Esteem for each other.
I am affraid there are little Jealousies among them which prevent their
uniting their Councils and Efforts against that Inundation of Levity
Vanity Luxury Dissipation & indeed Vice of every kind which I am
informd threatens that Country which has heretofore stood with
unexampled Firmness in the Cause of Liberty and Virtue. This Torrent
must be stemmed, and in order to do it effectually, there must be
Associations of Men of unshaken Fortitude. A general Dissolution of
Principles & Manners will more surely overthrow the Liberties of
America than the whole Force of the Common Enemy. While the People are
virtuous they cannot be subdued; but when once they lose their Virtue
they will be ready to surrender their Liberties to the first external
or internal Invader. How necessary then is it for those who are
determind to transmit the Blessings of Liberty as a fair Inheritance to
Posterity, to associate on publick Principles in Support of publick
Virtue. I do verily believe, and I may say it inter Nos, that the
Principles & Manners of N Engd, producd that Spirit which finally has
establishd the Independence of America; and Nothing but opposite
Principles and Manners can overthrow it. If you are of my Mind, and I
think you are, the Necessity of supporting the Education of our Country
must be strongly impressd on your Mind. It gives me the greatest
Concern to hear that some of our Gentlemen in the Country begin to
think the Maintenance of Schools too great a Burden. I wish they could
hear the Encomiums that are given to N Engd by some of the most
sensible & publick spirited Gentlemen in the southern States, for the
Care & Expence which have been freely borne by our Ancestors & continued
to this time for the Instruction of youth. Virginia is duly sensible
of the great Importance of Education, and, as a friend in that Country
informs me, has lately adopted an effectual Plan for that necessary
Purpose. If Virtue & Knowledge are diffusd among the People, they will
never be enslavd. This will be their great Security. Virtue & Knowledge
will forever be an even Balance for Powers & Riches. I hope our
Countrymen will never depart from the Principles & Maxims which have
been handed down to us from our wise forefathers. This greatly depends
upon the Example of Men of Character & Influence of the present Day.
This is a Subject my Heart is much set upon. But I fear I have wearied
your Patience. I will conclude with my most ardent Prayer that our last
Days may be our best Days and our last Works our best Works.
Adieu my dear Friend,
Pay my due Regards to your Circle in Plymouth. Are you intimate with Mr
D. I mentiond him to you in a former Letter as an excellent Republican.
TO THE BOARD OF WAR AT BOSTON.
[MS., Samuel Adams Papers, Lenox Library.]
PHILAD Feb 16 1779
GENTN
I recd your Letr of 27 Jan and immediately communicated such of the
Contents as relate to your Application to the Govr of N Y, to the
Delegates of that State. They assured me that the Govrs refusing to
grant a Permit to Mr Shepperd for the Transportation of Flour from
thence must have been owing to the real & very great Scarcity of that
Article there; and they desired me to satisfy you in that point,
fearing that it mt be supposd to arise from other Motives. I will
consult with my Colleagues and if any Means can be used by us to ensure
Success to your Application from that Quarter you may depend upon our
Exertion.
I am inclined to think that Govr C, who in my Opinion is a truly good
Man, is apprehensive of being imposd upon by Speculators, unless he
uses great Caution; and he may perhaps not be fully apprisd of your
asking under the express Authority & Commission of Massachusetts State.
And yet I shd suppose your Letter to him would have been sufficient
without authenticated Documents manifesting your Appointment. South
Carolina is at so great a Distance that no Interposition of ours could
avail, if it were necessary in the present Instance; but I am of
Opinion there will be no Difficulty there in Case your Vessel arrives,
the Embargo being over. I will write to Mess P in B & endeavor, shd
there be any obstructions there to get them removd. A Come of Con have
under Consideration a Letter from the Council of M B1 on the Subject of
provisions, & I am informd they are ready to make Report.
If any thing shd occur which will make it expedient for me to write you
further I shall not omit the first Oppty. In the mean time I am &c,
TO SAMUEL COOPER.
[MS., Samuel Adams Papers, Lenox Library.]
PHILAD Feb 21-79
MY DEAR SIR
By the last Post I sent to Mr W C2 some Extracts from an extraordinary
Letter which I hope he has receivd. I think our Apprehensions are
thereby strengthned, of an intended Monopoly of all the Trade and I may
add of the richest Lands in America. The private & publick Letters of
my Friend on the other side of the Atlantick having honestly stated
Facts and led to important Discoveries, have renderd him an object of
the hottest Resentment of interrested Men. I protest to you solemnly
that the warm Affection I feel for a Man whom I never saw, is founded
in a thorough Conviction of his long and unremitted Attachment to the
Interests of America & of Mankind. But I will leave this Subject for
the present.
The Spring advances, and very probably some new Overtures may soon be
made, if it is only to feel the Pulse of America. Perhaps there may be
a real Design in the British Cabinet to propose Terms of Accommodation.
We ought then to be previously thoughtful of so serious and momentous a
Subject. I have Reason to think that Britain finds herself perplexd in
the forming of Alliances and procuring Resources to her Satisfaction.
She has repeatedly and in vain applied to Russia first for Ships of War
& then for Troops. Her disappointment may be owing to the superior
Policy of France, who by interesting Russia as well as her self in the
Affairs of Prussia & the Empress of Germany may have made it improper
for Russia to take any Measure which might tend to involve Europe in
War. I am affraid if we should be seriously engagd in negociating a
Peace, there would be an intemperate pressing from without Doors for a
speedy Conclusion, which would precipitate the Affair to our
Disadvantage. It is probable that Peace may be the desireable Object in
all the Courts in Europe while they are making the necessary
Arrangements and preparing for War if that shd be the Event. If Britain
should refuse to acknowledge the Independence of America a War with
France & Spain wd probably ensue and the flame would spread. In that
Case, Britain might be obligd so far to withdraw her Troops from
America as to leave it in our power with the Spirit of Enterprize to
make such Acquisitions as wd ensure a safe & lasting Peace. But if
Europe shall remain quiet & Britain with the Acknowledgmt of our
Independence shd pro pose Terms of Accommodation, would it be safe for
America to leave Canada, Nova Scotia & Florida in her hands. I do not
feel my self at a LOSS to answer this Question; but I wish to be
fortified with the Sentiments of my judicious Friends. You may easily
discern that I write this Letter in the utmost Hurry. Adieu.
1 Massachusetts Bay.
2 William Cooper.
TO MRS. ADAMS.
[MS., Samuel Adams Papers, Lenox Library.]
PHILADE March 7-1779--
MY DEAR BETSY
Yesterday your obliging Letter of the 3d of February was deliverd to me
by Mr Hoskins. I thank you for the Concern you express for my Health,
which through the Divine Favor I again enjoy as usual. The Advice you
give me on this Head shall be duly regarded.
Your Wish that I would resign the Office of Secretary perfectly
coincides with my own Inclination. I never sought for that or any other
Place. Indeed I never was pleasd with it, for Reasons which you are not
unacquainted with. I am very sorry for Mr ---- that he should treat me with
Unkindness. I never gave any just occasion for it; but if he was bid to
do it, how could he disobey? I heartily forgive him, for I do verily
believe it did not proceed from the Malevolence of his Heart. To do him
Justice I must say he is a good naturd Man, and would do the Duties of
that office better than I should. But if he depends upon the Interest
of a certain popular Gentleman he may be disappointed; for he proposd
last Summer to Mr L, who mentiond it to me with a generous Disdain. But
a Change of Place oftentimes induces a Change of Opinion, and even a
Promise made in York Town or Philadelphia, may be forgot in the Hurry
of Affairs in Boston. I do not think Mr A. is my Enemy; or if he is, I
am under no great Apprehensions from it. There are others who are of
much more Consideration, at least in their own Estimation than he; and
even these might upon certain Conditions be made my Friends. I mean as
much my Friends as they are or can be to one another. A few flattering
Speeches to this Man, and a Promise to that, of a Vote & Interest to
keep him snug in the Possession of Places & Emoluments would
effectually secure their gracious Smiles. But who would condescend to
such Baseness for the Friendship of any Man? Let those who can do this,
enjoy the Fruits of it. I do not covet them upon such Terms. I should
become contemptible in my own Eyes; and you know that I had rather be
despisd by all the World, hard as my Fate would be, than to be
conscious to my self that I deservd Contempt.
I receivd a Letter a few Days ago from France dated the 7th of
December, in which my patriotick Friend Arthur Lee is mentiond in Terms
of the highest Confidence and Respect. I will give you the following
Extracts.--" Your old Friend is a Man of Honor and Integrity "--" He has been
of Opinion that the publick Money has been too freely issued here, and
has often opposd it."--"Insinuations, I have been told, have been made at
Court against him, that he was too friendly to the English, too much
attachd to Lord Shelburne, and even that he corresponded with his
Lordship and communicated Intelligence to him. This, whoever suggested
it, I am perfectly confident was a cruel Calumny, and could not have
made Impression, if his Colleagues had contradicted it in the Manner
you and I should have done. You and I have had Opportunity to know his
invariable Attachment to our Cause long before Hostilities commencd;
and I have not a Colour of Ground for Suspicion that from that time to
this he has deviated an Iota from the Cause of his Country, in Thought
Word or Deed. When he left England, or soon after, he wrote a Letter of
mere Compliment to his Lordship, a mere Card to bid him farewell, and
receivd such another in Return; which he assures me are all the Letters
that ever passd between them, and I have not a Doubt of the Truth of
it"--"Some of the Gentlemen of Character who are now in America from this
Country, particularly the ---- and ----, it is to be feard, have had Prejudices
insinuated into them against your old Correspondent. I am extremely
sorry for this, because I think it is against a worthy Character, and
because I think it will be likely to have unhappy Effects both with you
and abroad."
You may show the foregoing Extracts to such of my Confidential Friends
as you think proper. They are the Sentiments of one in whom they have
great Confidence, and may serve to convince them that the Insinuations
of Mr Dean though artfully made and designed to prejudice the
Reputation of an honest Man, are groundless, and that Dr Lee, who took
an early decided and active Part in this glorious Contest, continues
the consistent Patriot.
Your Letters my dear, cannot come to me too frequently. Remember me to
my Daughter, Sister Polly, Brother Tommy and other Friends, and be
assured that I am
most affectionately
your
March 9th
TO JOHN ADAMS.
[MS., Samuel Adams Papers, Lenox Library.]
Mar 9 [1779]
Mr L will write you fully by this Oppty. I take up my pen chiefly to
let you know that I am in the Land of the Living and bear you
affectionately on my Mind. While I am in this World I am resolvd that
no Vexation shall put me out of Temper if I can possibly command
myself. Even old Age which is making Strides towards me shall not
prevail to make me peevish. I find that an older Man than I am, can in
the apparent Coolness of Mind, stabb a dreaded Rival to the Vitals. His
Words are like Honey, but there is a large Mixture of Poison. You who
are in the Midst of Life & Usefulness, do not expect to escape the
envenomd Shaft, but you have always the Cure at hand, Moderation,
Fortitude & Prudence. It matters little what becomes of an old worn out
Servt in this World. He has his foot on the Grave & with Pleasure views
it. But the virtuous Patriot, who is in the full Exercise of the Powers
of Body & Mind, shall have my remaining feeble Voice in his Support agt
the insidious Enemy of him & Mankind. I have said eno on this Head, &
have not time to begin a new Subject. Adieu.
TO BENJAMIN AUSTIN.
[MS., Samuel Adams Papers, Lenox Library.]
PHILADE Mar 9--79
MY DEAR SIR
Mr Hoskins who arrivd here a few days ago, was kind enough to deliver
to me your favor of the 7th of Feb. It gave me a particular pleasure,
because I was convincd that you had not totally forgot your old Friend.
You see, I rank myself among your friends. HOW often have we chatted
together by the fire side, and settled essential Points to mutual
Satisfaction. Yet we have not always thought alike of Men who have
conducted the noble Contest for the Rights of our Country, which we
have been & are still engagd in. I congratulate my Countrymen on our
having thus far got through the Conflict, but we are still engagd in
it. And I repeat it, because while too many of our Countrymen are
flattering themselves with the airy Prospect of Peace, Britain, if we
may credit our latest & best Accounts from Europe, is preparing for a
vigorous Campaign. It is prudent for us to enquire of the Watchman What
of the Night? The Caution given us on another occasion may with
propriety be adapted to this. Be ye ready; lest when the Time of Danger
approaches, ye be found distracted with the eager Pursuit of Riches, or
sleeping in the delusive Lap of pleasure & Dissipation. But this is a
Digression from the intended Subject of my Letter. You ask my opinion
of two Men who have lately appeard on the publick Stage; and with your
usual Frankness, express your own opinion without a Doubt, that
Congress will soon convince the one of his Folly & the other of his
Weakness. But have you not misunderstood the Characters of these Men?
Has not the first by his artful Address conceald his Weakness from the
pub-lick Eye, while the other, by an improper Use of the Weapons in his
hands, has given Advantage to his Adversary, and thereby discoverd his
Folly. Mr Dean had in his first Publication said so much as to make it
necessary that some other Person should say more. Common Sense
undertook the Task and producd stubborn & undeniable facts, but not
contenting himself with relating such facts only as were pertinent to
his Argument he gave occasion to the Swarms of Writers against him to
avail themselves, by diverting the Attention of his Readers from the
proper Point. I will mention an Instance. After he had provd to the
Satisfaction of every one, that the Cannon & Stores forwarded to
America by Mr Deane, had been negociated by Mary Johnson & Beaumarchais
before his Arrival in France, and consequently that the Merit of the
Negociation did not belong to Mr Dean, what Necessity was there for
Common Sense to mention them as a Present? It was nothing to his
purpose; and it was too delicate a Subject for him to touch upon, or to
attempt to prove if it had been true. His prudence therefore and even
his Veracity was called in Question by his Adversaries, and his
Authority & Influence as a Writer of facts lessend. The faithful
Historian however, will hereafter unfold the secret Politicks of the
present Day. The Newspaper Writings of these two Men, have drawn not
only the Conduct but the Characters of others into Dispute. Had Mr Dean
been only called upon explicitly to state his Charges, if he had any,
against Dr Lee, I believe he would not have attempted it, and a
Scrutiny of any Mans Character but his own would have been unnecessary.
Although he has insinuated many things against the Doctor, & steppd
aside from the Line of Propriety & Decency to bring in Invective, yet I
do not recollect that he has explicitly criminated him in either, nor
do I believe it is in his Power. If no one steps forward to accuse him,
why should his Integrity be doubted? Why should you, my Friend, express
yourself in so languid a Tone, "I cant yet but have a great opinion of
Dr Lee," and "rather than the Cause of America should be betrayd I
would give up the dearest Connections I have on Earth." Has Dr Lee
forfeited the good opinion you "always had" of him? Do you doubt his
Integrity & Attachment to the Cause of America? Has any one chargd him
with Mal Conduct? Shall the mere Insinuations & angry Reflections of a
disappointed Man lessen your good opinion of one whom you know to have
been, early, decided, active, persevering and inflexible in the Cause
of America? If this should be the prevailing Disposition, what honest
Man will be safe? The consistent Patriot, after having endurd Fatigue &
Danger for the Establishment of publick Liberty, would find himself
still in the greatest Perils among his own Countrymen. I will say
nothing decisively of Mr Dean at present; but I would assure you of one
thing, that were I connected with Dr Lee as a publick Man, and
conscious of my own Tardiness, I should think I had every thing to
apprehend, not from a peevish, fretful Temper with which interrested
Men have attempted to stigmatize him, but from his stern Virtue and
Republican Jealousy. I may be partial to Dr Lee. I confess I feel the
strongest Obligation to him, for the eminent Services he renderd to
America when he was in England, and to the Massachusetts Bay in
particular. I hope my Countrymen are not all ungrateful. Some of them,
I have been taught to believe are so; otherwise the publick Character
of an old Servant would not have been aspersd, nor wd it have been
said, as I am informd it has, that he had been bribd to desert his
Country. It is his honorable Lot to have Enemies. Honorable, because he
flatters himself his Enemies are among the weak & the wicked. I leave
my own Character, under God, in the Care of my virtuous fellow
Citizens. I will contend for Dr Lees, because I am his Friend; and I am
his friend, because I have long had abundant Reason to be convincd that
he is a Friend to our Country. I have said I may be thought partial to
him. Be pleasd then to take the Testimony of another, and show it to
his Friends and his Enemies. "Your old friend, says one, is a Man of
Honor and Integrity." "He has been of opinion that the publick Monies
have been too freely issued here, & has often opposd it." Let me remark
here that it is no Wonder he has exposd himself to the Resentment of a
Man thro whose hands the Chief of the money passed. "Insinuations, I
have been told, have been made at Court against your old friend that he
was too friendly to the English, too much attachd to Ld Shelburne &
even that he corresponded with his Lordship & communicated Intelligence
to him. This, whoever suggested it, I am perfectly confident was a
cruel Calumny. You and I have had opportunity to know his invariable
Attachment to our Cause long before Hostilities commencd & I have not a
Color of Ground for Suspicion that from that time to this he has
deviated from the Cause of his Country in Thought Word or Deed."
You may tell the Friends of Virtue and Liberty, that the Letter from
which the foregoing Extracts are taken was written to me by one in whom
they have always very justly placed great Confidence. I could
transcribe more Passages which mention Dr Lee as "a worthy Character,"
the unwarrantable Lengths to which the Animosities of interrested Men
have been carried against him, & the Inveteracy of many Subaltern &
collateral Characters but I think I have given enough to satisfy every
reasonable Man.
Adieu.
TO MRS. ADAMS.
[MS., Samuel Adams Papers. Lenox Library.]
PHILADA Mar 23 1779
MY DEAR BETSY
In Answer to a part of yours of the 20th of Feb. which I overlookd, I
will transcribe an Extract of a Letter which I wrote last December to
the Council of Massachusetts State. You may show it to my Friends &
inform that I am still determind to return to Boston in April or
May--there to resign the place I hold as Secretary and to get my self
excusd from any further Service here. No "Bribe" shall prevail on me to
desert my Country. I will still exert my poor Abilities in her Service.
But as I am satisfied that there are others who are much more capable
of serving her in this Department than I am, I may be allowd to say,
that after near five years absense from my Family, and in a Climate
unfriendly to my Health. I have Reason to expect I may be permitted to
spend the Remainder of my Days in my native Place and enjoy the
Pleasures of domestick Life. There, I shall on all occasions contribute
my Mite in promoting the Peace and Prosperity of my fellow Citizens. In
their Service, I began my political Race. I have ever kept their
Interest in View. It will never be in my Power to render them much more
Service; but my best Wishes for them will be coequal with my Life.
I do not think my Countrymen are ungrateful; but I am affraid there is
a Faction among them, consisting of a few Men, who are under the
Dominion of those Passions which have been the Bane of Society in all
Ages--Ambition and Avarice. I wish their Number may not increase. They are
congenial Spirits with Hutchinson and those who aimd at grasping Wealth
and Power. America, when she was wise, was jealous of such Designs. She
opposd them though they were backd with the Wealth and Power of Great
Britain. Such Kind of Men do me great Honor as they ever have done in
being my Enemies. While such Men exist, and I believe they ever will in
this World of Vanity, an honest Man would feel mortified indeed, to
have it said that all Men spoke well of him. These Men hate, but I
would not believe them if they were to say, they despisd the Man whose
Integrity they cannot shake. They dread, but they cannot despise him of
whom they entertain an opinion, that he is a virtuous Citizen.--I do not
covet their Esteem. They are not among the Multitude of my Brethren, of
whom I should count it an Honor to be accepted. The Eclat of the World
is Vanity. There is a solid Satisfaction in ones having, and being
conscious that he merits the good opinion of Men of true Discernment
and real Worth. But to have a Name among the weak and the wicked is
Shame and Reproach. Adieu my Dear. I hope to see you shortly, and then
I will explain to you why I have written in this Strain.
TO JAMES WARREN.
[MS., Samuel Adams Papers, Lenox Library.]
PHILADE March 23 1779
MY DEAR SIR
I am to acknowledge the Receipt of your Favor of the 12th & 28th of
Feby. The Letter you mention in the former came to hand, but I am apt
to think it will have no Effect at all. There was an omission in the
Navy Boards not having Notice officially of the inclosd Resolution of
Congress, but I hope the Delay has not been attended with any material
Inconvenience.