30 



ADAM ADAMS 



mar. He was born at Paris in 1710; \va*s many 

 yean professor in the college of Lisieux ; and died 

 iu 179*. 



ADAM, Robert, an eminent architect, was born in 

 Edinburgh in 1728. He was the second son of 

 William Adam, of Maryburgh, Fifohire, an archi- 

 tect of considerable reputation. While at the uni- 

 iy of Edinburgh, he formed intimacies and 

 friendships with distinguished men, which smoothed 

 the way to his future eminence. In 1754, he tra- 

 velled to the continent, made a voyage to Spalatro 

 in Dalnuitia, and resided three years in Italy. On 

 his return, he was appointed architect to the king, 

 an office which he held for six years, when he resigned 

 it to become a member for Kinross-shire in the British 

 parliament. In 1764, he published a work in large 

 folio, enriched with plates, emit led " Ruins of the 

 Palace of the Emperor Dioclesian, at Spalatro, in 

 Dalmatia." By this time, in conjunction with his 

 brother, James, he carried on an extensive profes- 

 sional business, being much employed by the English 

 nobility and gentry, in constructing modern and em- 

 bellishing ancient mansions. In 1773, the brothers 

 commenced to publish in numbers " The Works in 

 Architecture of R. and J. Adam," which contain 

 many elegant and splendid designs. Before this 

 they had accomplished that noble improvement in 

 London, called after them the Adelphi (brothers.) 

 As specimens of Adam's architecture in Scotland, 

 we may mention the register office in Edinburgh, 

 and the royal infirmary in Glasgow. Robert Adam 

 died in 1792, and was buried in Westminster abbey; 

 his I in n her James, who was also eminent as an archi- 

 tect, died in 1794. 



ADAMANT. See Diamond. 



ADAMANTINE SPAR ; a stone of peculiar hardness, 

 approaching to that of the diamond. It will cut glass 

 easily, and mark rock crystal. It is found in China 

 and India, and, as M. Pina alleges, in Italy. 



ADAMITES ; the name of a Christian sect, said to 

 have existed in the 2d century ; and also of a band 

 of heretics, which in 1421, appeared in Bohemia, 

 during the commotions occasioned by the doctrines 

 of Huss. They were called A. because both men 

 and women were said to appear naked in their assem- 

 blies, either to imitate Adam in the state of inno- 

 cence, or to prove the control which they possessed 

 over their passions. The tradition respecting the 

 former sect of this name appears to have had its ori- 

 gin in a name of derision given to the Carpocratians 

 of indifferent reputation. (See Gnostics.) The ac- 

 counts of the latter A. are not to be relied upon with 

 more certainty. These were also called Picards, 

 from the founder of their sect. Picard, (perhaps also 

 Beghards.) They appeared about the year 1421, on 

 an Maud in the river Lusinicz, where Zisca sur- 

 prised them, but was not able to destroy the whole 

 sect In the following year, they were widely spread 

 over Bohemia and Moravia, and especially hated by 

 the Hussites (whom they resembled in hatred to- 

 wards the hierarchy), because they rejected the doc- 

 trine of transubstantiation. They subsequently 

 formed one sect with the remaining Taborites, who 

 have occasionally been confounded with the A. 



ADASIS, John, a distinguished patriot of the Ame- 

 rican revolution, was born at Braintree, Massachu- 

 setts, October 19, 1735, being a descendent from one 

 of the families which founded that colony. In 1761, 

 he was admitted to the degree of barrister at law, 

 and shortly afterwards was placed in the possession 

 of a small landed estate by his father's decease. In 

 1764, he married, and, about a year afterwards, he 

 removed to Boston, where he practised his profession 

 on an extensive scale, and published in the Boston 

 Gazette several pieces, under the title of An Es- 



say on Canon and Feudal Law," which were re- 

 1'rinteil in London, in 17oX and called, "A Disser- 

 tation on Canon and Feudal Law." It seems to have 

 been the principal object of the author of this work 

 to extinguish. us far as possible, the veneration of 

 his countrymen tor the institutions of England, by 

 holding up to their abhorrence the principles of the 

 canon and feudal law, and showing to them the con- 

 spiracy which existed between 'church and Mate. 

 for the purpose of oppressing the people. He incul- 

 cates the sentiments of genuine liberty, as well as tin- 

 necessity of correct information on the partot his tel- 

 low-citizens, in order that they might be prepared to 

 assert and maintain their rights by force, if force 

 should ever become necessary, li was indeed a work 

 eminently calculated to excite the people of America 

 to resist, at all hazards, any infringement of their lilx-r- 

 ties. In 1769, he was appointed chairman of the 

 committee, chosen by the town of Boston, for the pur- 

 pose of drawing up instructions to their representa- 

 tives, to resist the encroachments of the British go- 

 vernment, and was elected, in 1770, to the legislature 

 of his state, as one of the representatives of the town 

 of Boston. His conduct in this new situation displayed 

 the same patriotism, courage, and hostility to the des- 

 potism of the mother country, by which he had always 

 been distinguished. He took a prominent part in every 

 public measure, and served on several committees, 

 who reported some of the most important state papers 

 of the time. At the time that he resumed his seat 

 in the national councils, in 1776, hostilities were ac- 

 tive between Great Britain and the colonies. But 

 the object of the latter was as yet merely to resist 

 the authority assumed by the parent country to im- 

 pose taxes upon them at pleasure. Few persons 

 entertained the idea of a dissolution of connexion ; 

 very few, even of the delegates in congress, seemed 

 to desire it ; but among those few, John Adams was 

 the foremost. Such a step was unpopular. As soon 

 as he was suspected in Philadelphia of being an ad- 

 vocate of the measure, he was represented in the 

 most odious light, and even pointed at and avoided 

 in the streets. Still, however, he persevered, imulc 

 every day proselytes, and, May 6, 1776, moved in 

 congress a resolution, which was, in fact, a virtual 

 declaration of independence, recommending to the 

 colonies " to adopt such a government as would, in 

 the opinion of the representatives of the people, best 

 conduce to the happiness and safety of their constitu- 

 ents and of America." This passed, after a hard strug- 

 gle, on the 15th of the same month, and was the 

 prelude to the glorious and daring resolution, moved 

 by Richard Henry Lee, of Virginia, on the 7th of 

 June following, and seconded by Mr A., " that these 

 united colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and 

 independent states ; that they are absolved from all 

 allegiance to the British crown; and that all political 

 connexion between them and the state of Great Bri- 

 tain is, and of right ought to be, totally dissolved." 

 The debate upon this motion was of the most ani- 

 mated character. It continued from the 7th to the 

 10th, when the further discussion of the measure was 

 postponed to the 1st of July. A committee of five 

 was also appointed to prepare a provisional draught 

 of a declaration of independence. The members of 

 it were chosen by ballot, and were Thomas Jefferson, 

 John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, 

 and Robert R. Livingston. Mr Jefferson and Mr 

 A. were deputed a sub- committee to prepare the in- 

 strument, the former of whom, at the earnest solici- 

 tation of the latter, became its author. On the 1st 

 of July, Mr Lee's resolution was again considered, 

 and debated during that and the following day, when 

 it was finally adopted. The draught of the declara- 

 tion was then submitted for the purpose of undergo- 



