John Quincy Adams Digital Diary

3. VI:15. Forbes called this morning at my house, and told me that having had a conversation with the President, he had concluded to accept the Agency to Buenos Ayres or Chili— J. B. Prevost is now at Buenos-Ayres, having been ordered over there from Chili— When he first came there he was desirous of returning to Chili; but of late has expressed a preference to remain at Buenos-Ayres— Forbes wishes also to be there in preference to Chili; because it is not so far from home, and because he has a horror either of having to go round Cape Horn by Water, or to cross the Andes by Land. Coll. C. Freeman one of the Auditors of the Treasury, brought me several confidential Letters, received by him, from an Officer, to be laid before the President— They tend to implicate the Collector of the Port of Savannah; his brother, the Clerk of the District U.S. Court, and even the District Attorney of Georgia, some as interested in a piratical privateer from that Court, others as conniving at the crime or suppressing the Evidence of it— All this appears by a declaration of Ralph Clintock, now under sentence of death for Piracy in the same vessel, and reprieved for two Months. A. S. Bullock, married a daughter of Elliott one of the Senators from Georgia— Freeman’s correspondent says the mice are to be destroyed and the Tygers escape— I took the papers to the President and left them with him— Mr Thomas Lloyd Halsey, heretofore Consul at Buenos-Ayres, and dismissed for misconduct came again to my Office, attempted again to exculpate himself, and solicited to be restored to the appointment. The reasons which he assigned for his conduct were quite inadequate to his justification. He had been charged with extorting unlawful fees in his Consular capacity; for which he had nothing to alledge, but that he had followed the example of the Consuls at Gibraltar and Lisbon. He had sent blank Commissions for privateering from Buenos-Ayres to this Country; stipulating that the prizes should be sent to Buenos-Ayres, consigned to him, with a Commission for him of 5 per Cent upon the Sales. He had gone over to Artigas; bought blank privateering Commissions of him, and sold them at Buenos-Ayres in violation of the Laws of the place— He had once been ordered to quit Buenos-Ayres within 24. hours by the Supreme Director Pueyrredon, and De Forrest came with a positive demand that he should be removed. For his privateering concern he had only to say that he thought it accorded with the views of this Government, because Aguirre had been suffered to build armed ships here, and send them to Buenos-Ayres; because there had been so many armaments from Baltimore, under the eye of the Government which had not been prevented; and because Carrera had been particularly assisted from this Country. I told him that nothing of this was justification for him— The Government had never in any of those cases either sanctioned or connived at any violation of the Laws; which they must have done by leaving his conduct unnoticed— He then said he had a claim against the Government of Buenos-Ayres, in behalf of which he desired the interposition of this Government; and left the papers concerning it with me, for examination. He had also a Consular Account to settle at the Treasury, many charges of which the 5th. Auditor, Pleasonton declined admitting without my approbation. He left this Account also with me— I sent my unsigned note to General Vives.