ons
to those of the nation on the happiness of his house. He thanked
us, and said, "I am rejoiced, because the nation is happy. The
time of gratulation and congratulations is nearly over with me: I
am astonished that I have lived to see and know of this event. I
have lived now nearly a century: [he was ninety in the following
October:] a long, harassed, and distracted life."--I said, "The
world thinks a good deal of joy has been mixed with it."--"The
world does not know," he replied, "how much toil, anxiety, and
sorrow I have suffered."--I asked if Mr. Adams's letter of
acceptance had been read to him.--"Yes," he said, and added, "My
son has more political prudence than any man that I know who has
existed in my time; he never was put off his guard: and I hope he
will continue such; but what effect age may work in diminishing
the power of his mind, I do not know; it has been very much on the
stretch, ever since he was born. He has always been laborious,
child and man, from infancy."--When Mr. J.Q. Adams's age was
mentioned, he said, "He is now fifty-eight, or will be in July";
and remarked that "all the Presidents were of the same age:
General Washington was about fifty-eight, and I was about
fifty-eight, and Mr. Jefferson, and Mr. Madison, and Mr.
Monroe."--We inquired, when he expected to see Mr. Adams.--He
said, "Never: Mr. Adams will not come to Quincy, but to my
funeral. It would be a great satisfaction to me to see him, but I
don't wish him to come on my account."--He spoke of Mr. Lechmere,
whom "he well remembered to have seen come down daily, at a great
age, to walk in the old town-house,"--adding, "And I wish I could
walk as well as he did. He was Collector of the Customs for many
years, under the Royal Government"--E. said, "I suppose, Sir, you
would not have taken his place, even to walk as well as
he."--"No," he replied, "that was not what I wanted."--He talked
of Whitefield, and "remembered, when he was a Freshman in college,
to have come in to the _Old South_, [I think,] to hear him, but
could not get into the house;--I, however, saw him," he said,
"through a window, and distinctly heard all. He had a voice such
as I never heard before or since. He cast it out so that you might
hear it at the meeting-house, [pointing towards the Quincy
meeting-house,] and he had