ALS, one page, 7.5 x 9.75, August 7, 1821. Letter to "My dear Boylston," his cousin Ward Nicholas Boylston, written from "Montizello," the whimsical name (meaning 'Little Mountain') he gave his small farm in Quincy, Massachusetts. In full: "Although I have not been able to acknowledge your kind letter, I have not been less grateful for it nor the less delighted with the exuberance of the productions of your agriculture. My little hills too have been tolerably fruitful but they are mole hills in comparison with your mountains. I long to look down upon my hillocks from your lofty heights, but all such delights are forbidden and unattainable to me. I must be contented with gazing at your Wachusett from one of my Miniatures. We are blessed with the company of my dear daughter, John Quincy and her son George who desire to be remembered to you are Mrs. Boylston. The Secretary is expected by the 25th. But all is uncertain with respect to him. He is flying in the air and no man knows when or where he will alight. I shall see you at the little Hills after commencement." In fine condition, with a tear to the top edge, and old mounting remnants along the reverse bottom edge.
In this wonderful letter, Adams mentions his son, John Quincy Adams—then serving as secretary of state—as well as his wife, Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams, and their son, George Washington Adams. The elder Adams is clearly proud of his son's work in his post as the nation's top diplomat, a position in which he helped to shape American foreign policy via the 'Monroe Doctrine,' which became the cornerstone for international relations for the rest of the 19th century. A fantastic, familiar letter from Adams in his retirement from public life.
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