John Quincy Adams Digital Diary

26. Morning visit from Mr Montreal, who said that Count Romanzoff was making preparation to go out of Office— On my expressing some doubts, he mentioned a Circumstance which happened yesterday and which indicates that the Count is really preparing for Events, and expects to resign or to be dismissed. Mr Strugoffshikoff was here and I engaged to take the house for another year. I went at Noon and met Mr Gallatin and Mr Bayard at their lodgings— We had some Conversation concerning the letter to be written to our Government— Mr Gallatin proposed to me to make a draft of it; but I thought it more proper that it should be drawn up by them. Mr Gallatin asked me if I would then make the Translation of our inofficial historical Note, which I readily promised, and offered to take upon me any thing of mere labour which they would see fit to assign to me— Adding that I would decline nothing of any other kind with which they would charge me, but if they preferred it would leave the drafting to them— It has appeared to me that each of them was at first a little tenacious of this originating part of the business, and I determined from the first moment I perceived it, to accommodate myself entirely to their wishes. Mr Bayard hinted to me that from the composition of the mission, the People of America would have high expectations of the ability of all our official papers; and that to make them as perfect as possible, we must animadvert very freely upon each other’s work— This may be very proper, particularly if there should be controvertible papers to be drawn; but to make three drafts of every formal Note or letter we have to write, which any private Secretary would be as competent to write as either of us, would seem to me making a Mountain of a Mole-hill— So I intend to leave all composition to them at their discretion. We considered the manner in which it would be most advisable to report our interviews with Count Romanzoff. My practice has been to give the whole substance of my Conversations with him in my dispatches to the Secretary of State; but as all our joint dispatches will be published, we concluded it would not be proper to pursue this method. But only to notice what was material, and in such a manner, as that the Count may have no occasion to regret any 14Confidence in conversing with us— If it be necessary to write any thing which ought not to be made public, it must be addressed to the President himself.— Mr Gallatin gave me the historical Note which I took with me, and began upon the translation this Evening— While I was there, Mr Lewis and Mr Harris called— Mr Lewis had the news of Lord Wellington’s great victory over Soult— Mr Harris gave me letters from Mr Fosdick and Mr Beasley.— The Ladies went and passed the Evening at Mrs: Krehmer’s— Mr Todd spent part of it with me.