absence of a year and a half. During that period the
younger Adams attended a public school in Paris, while his leisure hours
were filled with the instructions casually derived from the conversation
of John Adams, and Dr. Franklin, and other eminent intellectual persons,
by whom his father was surrounded. The improvement of the son during his
sojourn abroad is thus mentioned by John Adams, just before his
embarkation on his return to America.

"My son has had a great opportunity to see this country, but this has
unavoidably retarded his education in some other things. He has enjoyed
perfect health from first to last, and is respected wherever he goes, for
his vigor and vivacity both of mind and body; for his constant good humor,
and for his rapid progress in French, as well as in general knowledge,
which, for his age, is uncommon."

John Adams now regarded his public life as closed. He wrote to Mrs. Adams:

"The Congress, I presume, expect that I should come home, and I shall come
accordingly. As they have no business for me in Europe, I must contrive to
get some for myself at home. Prepare yourself for removing to Boston, into
the old house, for there you shall go, and I will draw writs and deeds,
and harangue juries, and be happy."

This calculation was signally erroneous, as all calculations upon personal
ease and peace by great and good men always are. He remained at home only
three months, and during that time he had other and higher occupations
than drawing writs and deeds. He was elected Delegate to the Convention
charged with the responsible and novel duty of forming a written
constitution for Massachusetts. In that body he labored with untiring
assiduity, as in Congress; the constitution thus produced was in a great
measure prepared by himself, and it is due to his memory to record the
fact, that it was among the most democratic of all the constitutions which
were adopted by the new States. The younger Adams having returned to
America with his father, had thus the advantage of seeing republican
theories brought into successful, practical application.

About this time Congress resolved on sending a Minister Plenipotentiary to
Great Britain, to negotiate, if possible, a treaty of peace. John Adams
and John Jay received each an equal number of votes. The result was the
appointment of M. Jay as Minster to Spain, and of John Adams as Minister
to the Court of St. James. He was instructed to insist on the independe