I now sit down just to acknowledge the Receipt of your favor of the 14th of Feby, and to mention to you a Matter which considerd in it self may appear to be of small Moment but in its Effects may be mischievous. I believe I may safely appeal to all the Letters which I have written to my Friends since I have been in this City to vindicate my self in affirming that I have never mentiond Mr C or referrd to his Conduct in any of them, excepting one to my worthy Colleague Mr A when he was at Watertown a few Weeks ago, in which I informd him of the side Mr C had taken in a very interresting Debate; and then I only observd that he had a Right to give his opinion whenever he was prepard to form one. Yet I have been told that it has been industriously reported that Mr J A & my self have been secretly writing to his Prejudice and that our Letters had operated to his being superceded. So fully perswaded were Gentlemen of the Truth of this Report, and Mr D of N Y in particular whom I have heard express a warm Affection for Mr C, that he seemd scarcely willing to credit me when I contradicted it. Whether the report and a Beliefe of it engagd the confidential Friends of Mr C to open a charitable Subscription in support of his Character, I am not able to say. If it was so, they ought in justice to him to have made themselves certain of the Truth of it; for to offer Aid to the Reputation of a Gentleman without a real Necessity is surely no Advantage to it. A Letter was handed about addressed to Mr C. The Contents I never saw--his Friends signd it. Other Gentlemen at their request also set their hands to it, perhaps with as much Indifference as a Man of Business would give a shilling to get rid of the Importunity of a Beggar. I hear it is supposd in Watertown to be an Address of Thanks from the Congress to Mr C for his eminent Services, in which his recall from Business here is mentiond with Regret--but this is most certainly a Mistake. The Gentlemen signd it in their private Capacity. With Submission they should not have addressd it to another Person or publishd it to the World after the Manner of other Addressers; for if they intended it to recommend Mr C to his own Constituents, was it not hard to oblige him to blow the Trumpet himself which they had prepared to sound his Praise. But Majr Osgood is in haste. I must therefore drop this Subject FOR THE PRESENT and conclude with assuring you that I am affectionately yours, TO MRS. ADAMS. [MS., Samuel Adams Papers, Lenox Library.] PHILADELPHIA March 10th 1776 MY DEAR BETSY