John Quincy Adams Digital Diary

12. IV:30. Visitors— James Barbour, S.U.S. General Brown, Noyes Barber, W. C. Bradley, G. Tomlinson, T. Fuller, J. Bailey, Walter Forward, B. W. Crowninshield, John S. Spence, Joseph Kent, Francis Johnson, Jonathan Jennings, and Joel Abbot—Members of H.R— Isham Talbot; and E. H. Mills, Senators, T. T. Tucker the Treasurer, General D. Parker, and W. C. Somerville: Judges Story and Duval; Mr Bolton, A. H. Everett, E. Wyer, and Mr Owen of New Lanark. Dr Abbot introduced a Mr Goodwin of Savannah— Mr Rufus King Senator from New-York came and spent part of the Evening with me. Most of the visitors came to congratulate me on the event of the Election— Several of them, particularly of the80the members of Congress, conversed with me upon the prospects of public affairs, and the formation of an Administration. I had received yesterday a Note from H. Clay requesting an interview, for which he appointed half past six in the Evening he then came and we had a conversation of about an hour— I then offered him the nomination to the Department of State. He said he would take it into Consideration; and answer me as soon as he should have time to consult his friends. I desired him to take his own time; but he promised if any thing should occur, requiring that he should hasten his answer he would upon my giving him notice of it answer immediately. He made light of the threatened opposition, and thought all the projects of that nature which have been announced were mere ebullitions of disappointment at the issue of the election, which would soon be abandoned— He said that as to his affair with Kremer, if Kremer had gone before the Committee, he Clay could have proved something very much like a conspiracy against himself. He could have proved that Kremer had disclaimed in the most explicit terms to several persons his having intended any imputation against Clay; and declared his readiness to sign a paper to that effect, from which he had been disswaded by Ingham, Buchanan and M’Duffie— General Brown entered this morning into an argument—to convince me that it would not be expedient that Mr Clay should be Secretary of State. He had a high opinion of Mr Clay; but if I should offer him the Department, he hoped he would not accept it; and he believed it would be better if I should not offer it to him— General Brown wishes that De Witt Clinton should be the Secretary of State— I listened to what he said, and then told him I had already made the offer to Mr Clay. Brown’s next wish is that Clinton should be Secretary of the Treasury. The members of Congress all advise variously for the formation of a Cabinet; and many are anxious to be treated confidentially.