TO T. PICKERING, SECRETARY OF STATE.

East Chester, 12 October, 1797.

DEAR SIR, I arrived here, at Colonel Smith's, last night with my family, and I shall make this house my home till we can go to Philadelphia with safety. Even if we should be obliged to convene Congress at any other place than Philadelphia, it will be better for Mrs. Adams to remain here with her daughter than to go with me into lodgings.

I pray you to give me your opinion whether it will be expedient to convene Congress at any other place than the usual one, and if it is, whether New York is not the only convenient place. I have assisted in Congress at Trenton, Lancaster, Yorktown, and Baltimore, and know by experience that even tolerable accommodations are scarcely to be obtained at the three first, and the last is as much infected at present as Philadelphia. A proclamation, too, must be thought on and prepared. If you address your letters to me at East Chester, and recommend them to the care of Charles Adams, Esq., at New York, I shall get them without much loss of time; but if a mail could be made up for East Chester, they might come sooner. I know not whether this can be done without appointing a postmaster at this place, and I know of no one to recommend.

In a former letter I requested you to commit to paper, minutes, as usual, of matters to be communicated and recommended to Congress at the opening of the session, and I now repeat the request. I rejoice that I am now within a hundred miles of you, that the communications between us may be more frequent, and that, in case of urgency, we may soon meet here or at Trenton, or at some intermediate place.

There is a law or resolve, requesting the President to write to the governors of the States, for information whether they have adopted the amendment of the Constitution relative to the suability of States. I know not but you may have executed this resolution; if not, I beg you would write without loss of time, lest a noise should be made at the opening of the next session, and we should be charged with neglect of duty.

JOHN ADAMS.

то T. PICKERING, SECRETARY OF STATE.

East Chester, 14 October, 1797.

DEAR SIR, Your favor of the 7th, and the duplicate of it, and that of the 9th, with their inclosures, I received last night.

Dr. Rush has so many motives to wish that Congress may assemble in Philadelphia, that his testimony must be weighed with certain grains of allowance. It is but a small consolation to the senators and representatives of the United States, to say that the malignant contagion is but little spread in the city, and is chiefly confined to Southwark, since the inhabitants of Southwark, as well as Philadelphia, will have power to fill the galleries of both Houses, and bring their infection with them. Such is the aversion of the eastern members to the idea of going to Philadelphia on the second Monday in November, that I am confident there will not be a quorum of either House for many weeks after it. The members will be scattered, some at home, and some at taverns on the road, and some in Philadelphia, all in a very disagreeable, awkward, and uncertain situation. Will it not be better, then, by convening Congress at New York, to give them an opportunity of judging for themselves of the proper time, and making the adjournment to Philadelphia their own act?

The letter from Mr. William Turnbull, of Carlisle, soliciting the treasury of the mint, and Mr. Bassett's letter recommending Dr. James Sykes to the same office, I return to you, that you may file together all the applications and recommendations for that appointment, and deliver them to me when we meet to determine the question.

I thank you for writing to Mr. Hodgdon on the necessity of additional night watches. I am afraid my house will stand a worse chance of escaping the speculations of the villains than any others; but I know not what can be done to secure it, more than has been done. A sentinel at the door, if such a watch could be hired, would frighten the people of Philadelphia more than the plague.

Santhonax's departure for France will be no relief to our

1 President of the city council of Philadelphia. An attempt had been made to break open the house.

commerce, nor will any negotiations going on, or treaties we can make, until our vessels arm in their own defence. This is my opinion. I wish I may be deceived; but I believe all Frenchmen are of opinion with my old friend, the Abbé de Mably, who once said to me: "Il n'y a point de morale pour un homme qui meurt de faim." They will all, I believe, agree in this, though you and I shall not, and add, at least in practice, "Il n'y a point de traité pour une nation qui meurt de faim." I am afraid they will cure our people of their too fond attachments, if they have any, by very harsh remedies.

I shall divide my time between New York and East Chester till the meeting of Congress. Your letters, to the care of my son, will soon reach me, and the more there are of them the better.

With great regard, &c.

JOHN ADAMS.

то 0. WOLCOTT, JR., SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY.

East Chester, 20 October, 1797.

DEAR SIR, — I have received your favor of the 16th.1 Thank you for your care in writing to Mr. Sands, who has furnished me with two thousand dollars, for which I gave him duplicate receipts, to serve for one, according to your desire. Though I rejoice to learn from your letter that the sickness in the city is diminishing, I cannot admit your walk through the principal streets of it to be full proof, because it is generally agreed that the principal streets are deserted by the inhabitants.

You remember the anxieties and alarms among the members of Congress in 1793, their continual regret that no power had existed to convene them elsewhere, and their solicitude to pass an act to provide an authority in future. There will be so much uneasiness among them, if that authority is not exerted, that there will probably be no Congress formed before Christmas, and a few who will venture into the city will be there in idleness and out of their element.

This letter is printed in Gibbs's Federal Administrations, vol. i.

p. 568.

I thank you for the sentiments you have expressed relative to the system to be pursued. Can you send me a copy of the speech at the commencement of last session? I have no copy of it here, and perhaps shall find it difficult to procure one. I should be glad, however, to know your opinion, whether our envoys will be received or not, whether they will succeed or not; with hints at your reasons, if any intelligence has furnished any. The organization of the stamp tax suggests a vexation to me. The bill was worth money, and money was so much wanted for the public service, that I would not put it at risk; otherwise I would have negatived that bill; not from personal feelings, for I care not a farthing for all the personal power in the world. But the office of the secretary of the treasury is, in that bill, premeditatedly set up as a rival to that of the President;1 and that policy will be pursued, if we are not on our guard, till we have a quintuple or a centuple executive directory, with all the Babylonish dialect which modern pedants most affect. I pray you to continue to write me as often as possible.2 With high esteem, &c.

JOHN ADAMS.

TO OLIVER WOLCOTT, JR., SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY.

East Chester, 26 October, 1797.

DEAR SIR,I have received your favor of the 20th, and thank you for your vigilant attention to the progress, or rather to the decline, of the fever in Philadelphia.

I request your explicit opinion, and pray you, if you can, to obtain those of Mr. McHenry and Mr. Lee, whether, from the prevalence of contagious sickness in Philadelphia, or the existence of any other circumstances, it would be hazardous to the

1 In the original organization of the departments, a remarkable variation from the general system of accountability to the President had been made in the case of the secretary of the treasury, who has ever since made his reports directly to the legislature, and not under the supervision of the President. Mr. Adams appears to have considered this measure as another step in the same direction. 2 Mr. Wolcott's reply is to be found in Mr. Gibbs's work, vol. i. p. 571. He promised an argument on the last topic, but he never sent it. There is an opinion given upon it by the attorney-general, in which he quotes five precedents, without perceiving that these might be used as confirming the President's view.

lives or health of the members of Congress to meet in that city on the second Monday in November. If you cannot, with very clear consciences, answer in the negative, I shall issue a proclamation convening Congress at New York. For myself, I have no apprehension of danger; but the members of Congress will be more exposed than I shall be, and I hold myself intrusted with the care of their health, a precious deposit, which I will preserve according to the best of my judgment, with perfect integrity, and with more caution than I would my own.

It is scarcely worth a question, whether they shall be convened at Trenton, Lancaster, or any other place. I know, from painful experience, they cannot be accommodated at any of those places. The place must be Philadelphia or New York.

Si quid novisti rectius, imperti.

I am, dear Sir, as ever, with great regard,

JOHN ADAMS.

TO T. PICKERING, SECRETARY OF STATE.

East Chester, 26 October, 1797. DEAR SIR, I have to thank you for your summary, in your letter of the 23d, of the despatches from Mr. Pinckney, Mr. Murray, Mr. Bulkely, &c.

Mr. Murray arrived in season to renew his old friendship with his predecessor. They had spent some weeks together at the Hague, more than a dozen years ago. Mr. Adams had an opportunity to introduce Mr. Murray to his friends, and to communicate to him the train of affairs; an advantage which Mr. Murray earnestly wished before he sailed from Philadelphia.

Mr. Pinckney has been well acquainted with Mr. Gerry. They have always been upon terms of friendship, and I doubt not he will be as well pleased as if Mr. Dana had accepted.

Poor Portugal has been intimidated into concessions, as humiliating to herself as pernicious to the world. I am not surprised that M. Marbois should wish that Colonel Pickering had not pushed the point of gratitude so far.' He may well be

1 This alludes to a passage in Mr. Pickering's letter touching the translation