This passes thro the Hands of Count de Noailles, whom you did me the
Honor to introduce to me. I duly acknowledgd the Receipt of your Favor
which he brought me; but the LOSS of my Letter was attended with an
infinitely greater, that of Coll0 Palfrey. I wrote to you largely by
him.

The Son in Law of one of our good Friends has lately arrivd here from
England, which gives great Disgust to more Persons than his near
Relations conceive of. On his Arrival, the Governor & Council directed
him to state his Reasons for going to England and returning hither
without the Leave of Government. He stated his Reasons; which in
general were to render Service to the United States, particularly by
removing the Ideas which the British Minister had conceivd of the
Attachment of nine tenths of the Americans to that Government, and
their Wishes to return to it. However frivolous this may appear to
others, his nearest Friends speak of it, can you believe me, in a high
Tone, and Mr ---- told me that Mr ------ was happy in being conscious not only of
Innocence, but of great Merit.2--Those who hope for a Change of Person in
our first Magistrate next Spring will be much embarrassd by this
Circumstance. Adieu my Friend.

1 Addressed to Adams at Amsterdam.

2 The draft at this point has the words. "the Affair is in the Hands of
the Attourney General by the Direction of the Govr & Council."

TO JOHN ADAMS.

[MS., Samuel Adams Papers, Lenox Library.]