John Quincy Adams Digital Diary

16. VI:30. Judge Todd called this Morning at my house and had some further conversation with me respecting the appointment of his Son as agent to Venezuela— He enquired what would be the compensation, and how long it was to be expected the agency would continue, and what would be its principal objects— I answered him as far as I was authorised by the intentions disclosed heretofore by the President, and premised to take immediately his directions with regard to the remainder. Coll. R. M. Johnson also came and two I returned to him Duane’s two Letters. The Coll. was uneasy at being under the necessity of returning a negative answer to both Duane’s applications, and asked whether he might not hold out to him an expectation of being employed hereafter if an opening should present itself for an agency in Mexico. I told 266him I thought it would be most candidate with Duane to hold out no expectation to him whatever. The same objection against him now existing in the Presidents mind, would probably continue to exist namely that the appointment to an office of considerable emolument and of high confidential trust of the Editor of a Newspaper, the daily columns of which had for years been filled with imputations of the grossest kind both upon the capacity and integrity of the President and every member of his Administration would be generally disgusting to the Public, who would take it as a mere buying up of an enemy— Duane talked of the President’s obligations to him, which the President altogether denied. Duane would not pretend I was under obligations to him— I owed him neither love nor fear— But I should not stand in his way. Johnson said Duane was a man of great information and considerable talents, but without judgment—a proof of which, was in his complaints against the President, in the very Letter by which he was soliciting favours from him. He asked whether, if he should obtain recommendations of Duane from the two Senators from Pennsylvania, I thought they would influence the President in his favour. I said I could not tell—perhaps they might— At least I was sure the President would give all due consideration to any recommendation from the Pennsylvania Senators— How far it might be advisable to apply to the Pennsylvania Senators, for their recommendation I was sure he would duly consider. I doubted whether they would give it— At least two years ago, it was at the most earnest and vehement intreaty of the Pennsylvania Senators and most particularly of Mr Roberts that the Aurora was dismissed from the publication of the United States Laws. Roberts then reasoned the affair over both with the President and with me; and his principal argument was the indecency of continuing public patronage to a Printer whose papers were teeming with the most willful and malicious Slander against the President, his Administration and all its friends— Now Duane having a daily newspaper to work with; and being in the constant habit of venting all his private resentments and all his splenetic humours in his paper, against whoever displeased him, it might be no very agreeable thing to the Senators of Pennsylvania to be asked in his favour, for that which they could neither honestly grant, nor safely refuse— When compliance would only be to promote the views of a common defamer, and refusal would expose them to all his malevolence— Johnson said he should duly consider all this; and added that he had also been requested to recommend Dr Thornton for a mission to South-America, and Dr. Allison, to succeed him as superintendent of the Patent Office—Johnson is a man who can refuse no favor to any person— He would recommend ten persons for one and the same place, rather than say no, to any one of them— I told him of the President’s intention to appoint judge Todd’s son to go to Venezuela, with which he was very well pleased. The President had already spoken if it to him— Mr Eddy one of the Members of the House of Representatives from Rhode-Island, came to make complaint against Asher Robbins, District Attorney of the United States, and Charles Collins, Collector of the Port of Bristol in that State; for connivence at, and participation in the African Slave-trade. He said that the fact was notorious as daylight that vessels were constantly fitted out and despatched from Bristol for the Guinea trade. That Collins had a plantation in the Island of Cuba which he had lately stocked with negroes, and where he had spent the last Winter— That Robbins during the late War with Great-Britain had made a trade of the Laws against the trading intercourse with the enemy— That John Carlile of Providence, had told him that he had paid Robbins 500 dollars for discontinuing a prosecution which as District Attorney he had commenced against a man for trading with the enemy, contrary to Law— That he had told him William Blodget had as agent for several such foul traders paid Robbins from five to eight hundred dollars each, for discontinuing several prosecutions against them. And he said that now, Robbins was carrying on the same kind of traffic in the Laws against the Slave trade— Eddy said that it was extremely disagreeable to him, to feel himself under an obligation of duty to give this information; but as no one else would do it, he had resolved that the Session of Congress should not pass over leaving the President uninformed of these flagrant violations of the Laws— He further referred me to Mr Burrill the Senator for a confirmation of the facts— He said something of a Mr Pitman as a suitable person for the appointment of District Attorney in place of Robbins— I told him I would make report of his information to the President, and let him know the result— At the Office, Manuel Torres the agent from Venezuela came and told me that his Negotiation with the Bank of the United States for money had not succeeded, and he therefore now came for a supply of arms from the Government. I desired him to make the application in writing, and promised to lay it before the President— He shewed me the Letters which had passed between him and L. Cheves, the President of the Bank, with whom he professed to be entirely satisfied. But the main object of Torres in this visit manifestly was to discredit William D. Robinson. He had already written me a Letter disclaiming a publication in the Washington City Gazette of 6. December last, and of which he now told me that Robinson was the author— He said that Robinson while in England had 267fastened himself upon General Devereux, and had persuaded him to transcend his instructions and authority from the Government of Venezuela in a manner which would certainly be disapproved. He had induced him to delay and to change his plan of operations and to undertake a foolish expedition against Cuba and Mexico, for which he had no sort of authority, and which if pursued would certainly fail. Robinson was very ardent in the Patriot cause, and he Torres was very grateful to him for his zeal; but he was very well known, and not much esteemed in Venezuela. Before the commencement of the Revolution there he had been employed as a spy by the Spanish Government, and in consequence of it had now claims on the Government of Spain. He had induced Devereux in England to issue Commissions for Officers in the name of the Government of Venezuela, and to entrust him with blank Commissions of the same kind to be sold in this Country; and Robinson had been making attempts to put some of them off, here and at New-York. But all this was unauthorized and would undoubtedly be disapproved in Venezuela. The people there were not at all disposed to submit to the assumption of Sovereign and Independent authorities in their name by foreigners and especially by heretics— The English troops who had enlisted in their service would be well maintained and well paid for their services; but the assistance wanted of them was military and not political— They were soldiers, and not Sovereigns— The Venezuelan Government had already been disappointed by two English Agents, one of whom was named Hamilton, and who had failed in furnishing supplies of arms for which they had contracted, and been paid, and this was one principal cause of the necessity they were under of obtaining a supply in this Country— Much of this information of Torres had already been given in Duane’s Letters to R. M. Johnson, and the coincidences shews where Duane obtained it, as well as the confidential intimacy of Duane, both with Torres, and with Robinson— It discloses also the management of Robinson here as Devereux’s agent, while he is soliciting the agency from the United States to Venezuela— N. Silsbee, T. Newton, chairman of the Committee of Commerce H.R. Baron Stackelberg and Dr Thornton were also this morning at the Office, and absorbed the day— We spent the Evening with a party at Mr Bulfinch’s.