John Quincy Adams Digital Diary

9. VIII:45. Just as I was leaving home to go in to London this morning I received a Letter from A. Glennie Son and Co. making enquiries, whether the Register of the Ship Baltimore will be delivered to the purchaser— She is to be sold next Monday, by a decree of the Admiralty Court— They also complain that an American Vessel at Glasgow has been refused a Clearance with Passengers, of more than one man to every five Tons; after having made engagements for one man to every two Tons, upon the faith of an order from the Lords of the Treasury, of 27. April last—placing British and American Vessels upon the same footing— The Collector now refuses the Clearance upon the new Act of Parliament of 1. July last, restraining British Vessels, from taking more than one 50Passenger to every five Tons— The agents of the Vessel have represented their case to the Lords of the Treasury, and Messrs: Glennie apply for my interposition to support them— I walked from home at two, and was overtaken in Brentford by a return Post-chaise, in which I took a seat— There was a woman in it, with a child at the breast. She left it at the public house at the third mile-stone, where the Post-boy stopped a full half-hour to bath his horses. The continual rain prevented me from getting out, and walking on— Another fellow traveller came in, instead of the woman— I left the Chaise at the Corner of Arlington Street, and walked to my Office— I had met at my own door as I left home, a poor disbanded Soldier, discharged last April from the waggon train, and pleading the usual plea of deep distress— Half way to Brentford I met the Staffordshire blacksmith’s wife, with her son going to our house— Her husband has found some work to do— She herself had run a thorn into her hand which had festered and was much swolen. The daughter was better— At Craven-Street I found Mr William Wyer, just arrived from France. He told me he had come over upon urgent business for Mr W. Gray— He was at Havre on the point of returning to the United States, when he heard of the failure of the house of Abraham Gibbs and Co. at Palermo. Gibbs himself who was a brother of Sir Vicary Gibbs, Lord Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas of England, shot himself immediately after the failure— The house had £25000 Sterling funds of Mr Gray’s in their hands: Wyer had written to them early in May to remit the money to Mr Gray’s correspondents in London—Bainbridge and Brown— They also had written to the same effect— No answers have been received. Mr Gray has drawn upon Bainbridge and Brown, on the faith that these funds had been remitted to them— Provision has however been made from other sources, to face his Bills— Mr Wyer asked me for a Letter of recommendation to Mr Pinkney at Naples, where he proposes to go, unless Mr Gray’s Son should conclude to go in his place. He is now at Paris. I wrote this Letter for Mr Wyer, who is to call for it to-morrow— I also answered the Letter from A. Glennie Son and Co. I had not finished when Mrs Adams and George came with the Carriage— I dressed and we went and dined with Mrs Porter. The company consisted of Lord St: Helen’s, Sir George Beckwith, Dr Stanser the new Bishop of Nova-Scotia, who wore a black apron, Mr Boswell; a young Lady by the name of Kelso and her two brothers— Lord St. Helen’s who is a Lord of the Bedchamber was in full Court Dress; being obliged to go this Evening to a party of the Queen’s; for which he left us immediately after the Ladies quitted the table— Sir George Beckwith was long in Canada— I remember having seen him in February 1791. at Philadelphia. He was then a young man, a political visitor from Quebec, where he was Aid de Camp to Lord Dorchester then Governor General of Canada. An interval of twenty-five years has made a very different person of him— He made enquiries concerning many of the Gentlemen who were then members of Congress— The Bishop has also been many years in America; but was only a few months since appointed to his present dignity, on the decease of Dr Inglis the former bishop. He says he has about twenty-six churches in his diocese, which extends over all the British Colonies in North-America, including the Island of Newfoundland. Sir George Beckwith says that Archbishop Carroll was a Legate of the Pope, and issued a summons in that capacity to the Roman Catholic Bishop of Quebec, requiring him to recognize his authority— The Bishop referred the summons of course to the Governor-General, and received subsequently orders not to submit to it— Dr Stanser told me it was his intention hereafter to visit the principal cities of the United States. He is to embark in a few days for Halifax— We left Mrs Porter’s about ten; and got home before twelve; an unusually early hour for a town dinner. I had received at the Office a letter from Philip Thorne of Tavistock.