23 December 1811
adams-john10 Neal Millikan Court Life and Society, European Privateering
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23. Mr P. O David a Citizen of the United States, though a native of France came for a Passport, which I gave him— He is going to Prussia and to Sweden, there to embark for America.— Mr Montréal came and shewed me a letter he had received from France, respecting the Radius a vessel of Mr W. Gray’s taken by a French privateer into Copenhagen and condemned at Paris— Mr Plummer came to inform me that Mr George Thorndike died this morning at eleven O’Clock, and to take advice of me respecting his funeral. Mr Dana and he, who propose to take the management of it, intend to pursue the same course as that taken at Mr Blodget’s death; the expence of which he says amounted to about 1500 Rubles.— They think to have the funeral on Thursday or Friday— I received a visit of introduction from Count Frohberg Montjoye the new Minister of Würtemberg, with whom came Count Schenk his Predecessor now recalled— From the Department of the Ceremonies, I received the Notice for the Court to-morrow, and the invitation to the Ladies and to me, for the Ball to be given by the Empress-Mother in the Evening— Madame Colombi paid a morning visit to the Ladies. I called on Mr Hynam to enquire whether he had yet ascertained with precision the proportion between the English and Russian weights— But he had not— Met in my walk before dinner the Chevalier Bezerra, who begins to doubt of the Turkish Peace— In the Evening we had visits from Messrs: Patterson, Hollins and Woodward.— I finished reading the Oration upon the Government of the Republic, and read those, upon the Classes, and for the Megalopolitans.— They are all said to have been delivered before any of the Philippics. That upon the Classes, relates to the designs of Artaxerxes, king of Persia, upon Greece, and against declaring War— That for the people of Megalopolis is founded upon the principle of preserving the balance of power, between the Thebans and Lacedemonians— They are in a more temperate style than the Philippics, but not inferior to them for closeness and subtlety of argument.

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