John Quincy Adams Digital Diary

9. V:30. A succession of visitors at the Office— Mr Thierry of the French Legation. Andrew Mitchell, a Clerk in the Treasury Department, who is not satisfied with his condition— He was an Editor of a Newspaper at New-York, and has a talent for writing— He was at the same time a candidate for executive favours and was strongly recommended to Mr Monroe, when Secretary of State— He says that Mr Monroe gave him the office he now holds only as an earnest of something better which he promised him whenever the opportunity should occur, and he thought this annexation of Florida to the United States had presented such an occasion— I asked him what office in Florida he was desirous of obtaining, and he said that of Governor; at which I was a little surprized— From a Clerk in the Treasury to the Governor of a Territory there is a large interval, and the only way in which I could account for the pretension was by the consciousness of power, of a newspaper writer— Mitchell said he understood it was probable General Jackson would not hold the Office long, but intended shortly to resign— I told him I would inform the President of his wish, as I accordingly did— But the President thought the pretension as strange as I had— There was also a Mr Hackhan at the Office, and Mr George Graham, who came to urge the appointment of A. Scott as Secretary to the Spanish Claim Commission— I told him Scott himself acknowledged he was not acquainted with the Spanish Language; which the law required that the Secretary should be; and 10that I could not approve his proposed expedient of understanding Spanish by proxy. Graham said he had told Scott that this would not answer the purpose, but he said that Scott desperately wanted the place, and that he had been and was still a very unfortunate man— Scott and his friends have also laid close siege to the President for this place, though hitherto without success— Mr Bailey with the brothers John and Edward Law passed part of the Evening with us.