miserable by the depredations of the once formidable navy of Britain, now degraded to a level with the corsairs of Barbary.

At the same time they are piratically plundering the Isles, and pilfering the borders to feed the swarms of veteran slaves shut up in the town. They will not suffer a poor fisherman to cast his hook in the ocean to bring a little relief to the hungry inhabitants without the pitiful bribe of a dollar each to the use of Admiral Greaves.

The venal system of administration appears to the astonishment of every good man in the corruption, duplicity and meanness, which run through every department, and while the faithless Gage will be marked with infamy for breach of promise, by the impartial historian, will not the unhappy Bostonians be reproached with want of spirit in putting it out of their own power to resent repeated injuries by giving these arms into the hand, which would have been better placed in the heart of a tyrant.

1

And now they are forbidden even to look out from their own house tops when he sends out his ruffians 1 to butcher their brethren, and wrap in flames the neighbouring towns. But I think this advertisement was as great a mark of timidity as the transaction was of a savage ferocity.2 The laws of gratitude surely demanded that they should spare that town at least whose inhabitants from a principle of humanity saved the routed troops of George the Third from total destruction after the battle of Lexington.

But nothing that has taken place is more regretted than the death of your friend, the brave, the humane, the good Dr. Warren. And though he fell covered with laurels and the wing of fame is spread over his monument, we are almost led to enquire why the useful, the virtuous patriot is cut off ere he reaches the meridian of his days, while the grey headed delinquent totters under the weight of accumulated guilt, and counting up his scores, is still adding crime to crime, till all mankind detest the hoary wretch, yet suffer him to live, to trifle with the rights of society, and to sport with the miseries of man.

The people here are universally pleased with the appointment of Generals Washington and Lee. I hope the delegates of the united Colonies will continue to act with dignity to themselves, and in a I This may be Russians. 2 See Adams, Familiar Letters, 74.

manner which will promote the glory, virtue and happiness of America. Let not the indiscreet nor the sanguinary conduct of any individual damp the ardor of such as are ready to fly to our assistance and generously to sacrifice the enjoyments of domestic life in support of freedom, and the inherent rights of their fellow men..

Your friend Dr. Cooper has just informed me that Dr. Eliot is confined on board a man of war,1 and several of the inhabitants of Boston imprisoned. The crime of the first was the praying for Congresses, Continental and Provincial, and that of others was wishing success to American army.

Sad reflections on the times into which we are fallen crowd fast upon my mind; but I will no longer call off your attention from most important matters by expressing them. . . .

JOHN ADAMS TO JAMES WARREN

M. WARREN

PHYLADELPHIA, June [July] 6th, 1775

DEAR SIR,- Every Line I receive from you gives me great Pleasure and is of vast Use to me in the public Cause. Your Letters were very usefull to me last Fall. Your Character became then known and much esteemed. The few Letters I have recd from you this Time, have increased the Desire of more, and some other Gentlemen who happened to know you, particularly Governor Hopkins and Ward of Rhode Island, have confirmed every good opinion which had been formed. I must intreat you to omit no Opportunity of Writing and to be as particular as possible.

Want of frequent Communication and particular Intelligence led us into the unfortunate Arrangement of General Officers which is likely to do so much Hurt. We never recd the most distant Intimation of any Design to new model your Army; and indeed Some of us were obliged to give up our own Judgments merely from Respect to what We took to be the Arrangement of our provincial Congress. I have made it my Business ever since I heard of this Error to wait upon Gentn. of the Congress at their Lodgings and 1 Andrew Eliot (1718-1778), pastor of the New North Church in Boston. He was not thus confined. 3 Samuel Ward (1725-1776).

2 Stephen Hopkins (1707-1785).

elsewhere to let them into the Secret and contrive a Way to get out of the Difficulty, which I hope we shall effect.

I rejoice to hear of the great military Virtues and Abilities of General Thomas.

Alas poor Warren! Dulce et decorum est pro Patria mori. Yet I regret his Appointment to such a Command. For God's Sake my Friend let us be upon our Guard, against too much Admiration of our greatest Friends. President of the Congress, Chairman of the Committee of Safety, Major General and Chief Surgeon of the Army, was too much for Mortal, and This Accumulation of Admiration upon one Gentleman, which among the Hebrews was called Idolatry, has deprived us forever of the Services of one of our best and ablest Men. We have not a sufficient Number of such Men left to be prodigal of their Lives in future.

Every Brain is at Work to get Powder and salt-Petre, I hope We shall succeed, but We must be very Oeconomical of that Article. We must not use large Cannon if We can possibly avoid it.

This Letter will go by two fighting Quakers. Mr. Stephen Collins 'and Mr. John Kaighn [Keays]. The first is the most hospitable benevolent Man alive. He is a Native of Lynn, a brother of Ezra Collins of Boston and is rich, and usefull here. The last has been the Instrument of raising a Quaker Company in this City, who behave well and look beautifully in their Uniforms. My Love, Duty, Respects etc. where due. Adieu.

JOHN ADAMS

Secret and Confidential, as the Saying is. The Congress is not yet so much alarmed as it ought to be. There are still hopes, that Ministry and Parliament, will immediately receed as soon as they hear of the Battle of Lexington, the Spirit of New York and Phyladelphia, the Permanency of the Union of the Colonies etc.: I think they are much deceived and that we shall have nothing but Deceit and Hostility, Fire, Famine, Pestilence and Sword from Administration and Parliament. Yet the Colonies like all Bodies of Men must and will have their Way and their Humour, and even their Whims.

These opinions of Some Colonies which are founded I think

I (1733-1794), son of Zaccheus and Elizabeth Collins.

2 (1729-1807).

in their Wishes and passions, their Hopes and Fears, rather than in Reason and Evidence will give a whimsical Cast to the Proceedings of this Congress. You will see a strange Oscillation between love and hatred, between War and Peace - Preparations for War and Negociations for Peace. We must have a Petition to the King1 and a delicate Proposal of Negociation, etc. This Negociation I dread like Death: But it must be proposed. We cant avoid it. Discord and total Disunion would be the certain Effect of a resolute Refusal to petition and negociate. My Hopes are that Ministry will be afraid of Negociation as well as We and therefore refuse it. If they agree to it, We shall have Occasion for all our Wit Vigilance and Virtue to avoid being deceived, wheedled threatened or bribed out of our Freedom. If we Strenuously insist upon our Liberties, as I hope and am pretty sure We shall however, a Negotiation, if agreed to, will terminate in Nothing. it will effect nothing. We may possibly gain Time and Powder and Arms.

You will see an Address to the People of G. Britain, another to those of Ireland, and another to Jamaica."

You will also see a Spirited Manifesto. We ought immediately to dissolve all Ministerial Tyrannies, and Custom houses, set up Governments of our own, like that of Connecticutt in all the Colonies, confederate together like an indissoluble Band, for mutual defence, and open our Ports to all Nations immediately. This is the system that your Friend has arrived at promoting from first to last: But the Colonies are not yet ripe for it a Bill of Attainder, etc., may soon ripen them.

JOHN ADAMS TO JAMES WARREN

PHYLADELPHIA, June [July] 6th, 1775 DR SIR, -I have this Moment Sealed a Letter to you which is to go by my hospitable honest benevolent Friend Stephen Collins.

2 lb., 162.

3 lb., 212.

1 Journals of the Continental Congress, 11. 158. 4 lb., 204. This was in recognition of an humble petition and memorial of the Assembly of Jamaica to the King, dated December 28, 1774, and printed in Massachusetts Gazette March 2, 1775

5 On taking arms. Ib., 128.

But I have several Particulars to mention to you which are omitted in that Letter. Ten Companies of expert Riflemen have been ordered already from the 3 Colonies of P[ennsylvania], Maryland], and Virginia] 1 some of them have marched under excellent officers. We are told by Gentlemen here that these Riflemen are Men of Property and Family, some of them of independent Fortunes, who go from the purest Motives of Patriotism and Benevolence into this service. I hope they will have Justice done them and Respect shewn them by our People of every Rank and order. I hope also that our People will learn from them the Use of that excellent Weapon a Rifled barrell'd Gun.

A few Minutes past, a curious Phenomenon appeared at the Door of our Congress a german Hussar, a veteran in the Wars in Germany, in his Uniform and on Horseback, a forlorn Cap upon his Head, with a Streamer waiving from it half down to his Waist band, with a Deaths Head painted in Front, a beautifull Hussar Cloak ornamented with Lace and Fringe and Cord of Gold, a Scarlet Waist coat under it, with shining yellow metal Buttons, a Light Gun strung over his shoulder, and a Turkish Sabre much Superior to an high Land broad sword very large and excellently fortifyed by his side - Holsters and Pistols upon his Horse — In Short the most warlike and formidable Figure, I ever saw.2

He says he has fifty Such Men ready to inlist under him immediately who have been all used to the service as Hussars in Germany, and desirous to ride to Boston immediately in order to see Burgoigne's light Horse. This would have a fine Effect upon the Germans through the Continent of whom there are Multitudes. What will be done is yet uncertain. I should not myself be fond of raising many Soldiers out of N. England. But the other Colonies are more fond of sending Men than I expected. They have their Reasons, some plausible, Some whimsical. They have a Secret I Journals of the Continental Congress, 11. 89.

2 "On motion, Resolved, That the delegates from Pennsylvania have liberty to treat with and employ 50 Hussars, who have been in actual service, and send them forward to join the troops before Boston under General Washington." Journals of the Continental Congress, II. 173. This action was hasty and ill-advised, and three weeks later Congress directed the discharge of any who had been engaged under this resolution. Ib., 238. In June, 1776, the Congress determined to raise a German battalion in Pennsylvania and Maryland. 2 Pennsylvania Archives, x1. 73. Its colonel, Nicholas Haussegger, commissioned in July, 1776, deserted to the British in July, 1778.