Vandalia Whig and Illinois intelligencer. [volume] (Vandalia, Ill.) 1832-183?, 1833-10-16
Prom the New York Gazette.
OLD TIMES.


British Periodical, embracing all the
events of the American War, during the
year 1881, from which we intend to make
occasional extracts. The first article
that caught our eye was the following,
entitled, Rebel Intercepted Letters,' and is
an introduction to letter from John Ad-
ANS, dated at Amsterdam, Dec. | 5, 1879,
addressed to Thomas Gushing of Massa-
chusetts, then member of congress sitting
IN Philadelphia, together with several
others from distinguished patriots Of the
revolution 'out of the rebel mail taken
the goth Of March, 1897 whose names
and characters are giveni in the paragraph
below, signed GA Refugee" 1t is well
to call to mind what was said by the Brit
ish press, in those days of our purest pa
trlots, men who had the courage TO pro
lect, and the perseverance TO conduct and
lco"summate the most brilliant revolution
that the world ever saw. 1t is amusing
indeed in these days, to hear Of the illus.
lrious Adams, that, that she had read
Tristan Shandy, and affects, awkarlly
lenough. a smartness, which docs not a,
all correspond with his personal figure, OF
natural dutness!i' that stalking to the law
and politics, has spoiled an able plough
man or porter, although the trade OF a
butcher would have better suited the
bloody tura of his mind? ~ the very man
that three years after this was penned,
was introduced to the court of St. James
as Ambassador of the United States oil
America; to whom George the Third, on
his introduction as such, paid the highest
compliments; TO whom he said he was
the last sovereign in Europe that had re-
cognized the independence of America,
and who would be the last to infringe it
10 hear Thomas Gushing and Robert
Paine called "weak, significant men,
the tools of Samuel Adams. the confeder.
ate and correspondent of that hoary has-
tor Franklin"
The letter Of John Adams, alluded TO
by the "Relugee," is one OF great interest
to the cause in which the Americans
were then engaged, and want of room OH
ly compcls US to omit it.
REBEL INTERCEPTED LETTERS.
The following letter from John Adams,
the Rebel Ambassador at Amsterdam,
was found on board the prize brigantine
Cabot, carried into st. Christopher's.-
This Adams was originally bred to the
law, and is a native of the province Of
Massachusetts, in New England; he was
born at Braintree, village 0 miles south,
or rather south east. of Boston. In per-
son, he is clumsey middle size man:
and according to all appearance, by tax
ing to the law aud politics has spoiled an
able ploughman or porter, though the
trade of IA butcher would have better
suited the bloody bent of his mind. He
has read Tristan Shandy and affects,
awkwardly enough, a smartness which
does not at all correspond either with his
personal figure, or with his natural dull
ness. What has tended to distinguish
him among the rebels is, the eagerness
with which he urged the stalking up arms.
and his continued malignity towards all
the friends of peace and the mother coun
try. For those excellent qualities he was
chosen delegate from Massachusetts to
the first congress. When at Philadel-
phia, several of his letters TO his friends
in New England, were intercepted in the
mail, as the post courier was crossing
the Naraganset ferry. In one of them,
dated July Gath, IT'S, and addressed to
his wife, Mrs. Abigaile Adams, he tells
her by way of secret. ''that no mortal
tale could equal the fidgets, the whims,
the caprice, the vanity, the superstition,
and the irrilabiiiiy OF his compairiots on
their journey from New England to
Philadelphia" These compatriots were
Thomas Gushing, the person to whom the
following letter is directed, Samuel AID
ans and Robert Treat Paine. The frs