John Quincy Adams Digital Diary

20 V:45. Cabinet Meeting at one O’Clock— Mr Crawford, being indisposed, did not attend, and Mr Wirt is absent from the City— Mr Calhoun and Mr Thompson were present— The President proposed again the question whether Ministers should forth-with be sent to the Southern Republics— The opinions of Mr Calhoun and Mr Thompson were both against the measure— Calhoun’s chiefly because there appeared to be no urgent necessity for the measure, and because there was no strong manifestation of public sentiment for it— He observed there were only two or three Newspapers, and those not leading Prints, that were clamorous for it, and in general the public acquiesced in the course now pursued by the Executive. Mr Thompson’s objection arose from a doubt of the power of the President to appoint a Minister during the recess of the Senate— I observed that my opinion had been that we should receive a Minister from the South-American Governments before sending one— As this opinion however had not been much countenanced, I did not wish to hold it too pertinaciously; and with regard to the Republic of Colombia, there was less reason to be punctilious, as having received from them a Charge d’Affaires, the mere appointment of a person of higher rank, to go there, would be less of a departure from the regular order of establishing diplomatic intercourse, than it would be to be first in making any 324diplomatic appointment— I should not object to the appointment of a Minister on that account, and I thought a Minister to the Republic of Colombia, ought to be appointed now, or at the Meeting of Congress— I supposed that a Treaty of Commerce might be negotiated with that Republic; but I should not propose or desire to obtain by it any exclusive advantages. Mutual advantages and reciprocity are all that we ought to ask, and all that we can be willing to grant— As to running a race with England to snatch from these new Nations, some special privilege or monopoly, I thought it neither a wise nor an honest policy.— Do what we can, the commerce with South-America will be much more useful and important to Great Britain than to us, and Great Britain will be a power vastly more important to them than we: for the simple reason, that she has the power of supplying their wants, by her manufactures— We have few such supplies to furnish them, and in articles of export are their competitors. Yet I was not apprehensive that England would obtain from them any exclusive advantages to our prejudice.— They had no partialities in favour of England, they were jealous of her— England would be in no hurry to send Ministers to them, unless prompted by our example, and for fear of us— The British Ministry were embarrassed by our recognition of the South-Americans; as was apparent from a late debate in the House of Commons— The French Government were equally so, and Zea had taken the most effective means of compelling their acknowledgment, by letting them know that those who should acknowledge would have all their trade. As to the question of appointment during the recess of the Senate—The words of the Constitution were against the exercise of the Power— The reason for the words is in its favour. At the close of the Session of the Senate before the last, they had no such scruple of the power of the President to appoint during the recess; for at the last hour of their Session they passed a Resolution recommending such an appointment— At their late Session, however, a different doctrine did prevail with them; and as with it, some temper had been mingled, it was very probable if an appointment should now be made they would pass a negative upon the nomination— Mr Thompson said he had no doubt they would reject it— That at the last Session they had been unanimous in their opinion against the President’s right. The President read a passage of a Letter that he had received from Mr Madison upon the Subject— It mentioned that there had been an occasion upon which the question had been thoroughly examined by the Executive, and determined in favour of the right. But did not say when; now under what administration— Nothing definitive was resolved upon; but the President desired me to converse further with Mr Torres; and ascertain whether a Minister will probably be sent from Colombia here— After Calhoun and Thompson were gone—I proposed to the President, that the Mission to the Republic of Colombia, whether to be appointed now, or at the Meeting of Congress, should be offered to Mr Clay— I thought it doubtful whether he would accept it—very probable that he would make no delicate or generous use of it—and that the comments upon the offer, both of his partizans and of others would be various, and in many cases invidious. But upon the whole the effect upon the public would be favourable— He wanted the offer— The Western Country wished it might be made to him. His talents were eminent— His claims from public service considerable— The Republic of Colombia and particularly Bolivar, with whom he has been in Correspondence, will be flattered by his appointment, or even by information that he had the offer of it— In the relations to be established between us and that Republic Mr Clay’s talents might be highly useful; and I did not apprehend any danger from them— The President appeared to be well disposed to take this course; he said that Mr Clay’s conduct towards him and his Administration had not been friendly or generous, but he was disposed entirely to overlook that— He stood upon ground quite independent of Mr Clay, and as he had never needed his support, he had never felt the want of it. He would consider of the 325proposal to offer him the Mission, and was not indisposed to it— As to myself Clay’s conduct has been always hostile to me, and generally insidious— From the time of the Ghent Negotiation, I have been in the way of his ambition, and by himself and his subordinates he has done all in his power to put me out of it— In pursuing a generous policy towards him as an enemy and a rival, I do some violence to my inclination, and shall be none the better treated by him, but I look to personal considerations only to discard them; and regard only the public interests— Mrs. Adams, with her brother, and Mary Hellen, left us at 6 this afternoon to go to Philadelphia— He continues in a very feeble and infirm state of health, and goes now chiefly to consult Dr Physick— About nine this Evening, for the first time in my life I saw through my Opera Glass the Planet Mercury: a Boston Newspaper some days since had announced that it would be visible this Evening in Conjunction with the Moon. I found it by that indication and saw it for the space of half an hour— Johnson Hellen who was with me part of the time saw it distinctly with the naked eye; but I could not.