John Quincy Adams Digital Diary

6. VII. Lewis Williams of North-Carolina was here, with a young man named Mullet, and Eleazar Early, a travelling Presidential canvasser for Mr Crawford— George Johnson came to tell me the state of affairs concerning the Mill— Their actual condition is no better than heretofore, but their prospects are a little improved— Still extremely precarious. At one, I attended the Cabinet Meeting. Calhoun, Southard and Wirt were present— The question was presented by the President, whether Mr Silvestre Rebello should be received as Chargè d’Affaires from His Majesty the Emperor of Brazil, and the Independence of that Country be thereby acknowledged— Mr Wirt questioned the expediency of this measure, principally on the ground that the revolutionary Government established there was monarchical, and not Republican. Mr Calhoun was warmly in favour of the recognition; distinguishing between the question of Independence, and that of internal Government. Mr Wirt thought that an immediate recognition of the Brazilian Empire, would be represented as favouring the views of the Holy Alliance, and a partiality for Monarchies—and alluded to General Jackson’s refusal of the Mission to Mexico, when Yturbide was Emperor, and to the publication of his Letter assigning as his reason for the refusal that he would give no countenance to that Usurpation— Mr Calhoun said that the established policy of this Country in relation to South-America, had been to look only to the question of Independence, and invariably to recognize the Governments defacto. That we had thus recognized the imperial Government of Yturbide, and received a minister from him. That to decline the recognition of the Empire of Brazil, because it was monarchical would be a departure from the policy hitherto observed, and would introduce a new principle of interference in the internal Government of foreign Nations— That the acknowledgment of the 153Independence of Brazil was highly important, our trade thither being already very considerable, and promising to be more valuable than with all the rest of South-America— The President observed that the recognition of Brazil, as an Empire, would lessen the offensiveness to the Holy Alliance, of all the acknowledgments, as it would shew that we did not make a difference, with regard to the forms of Government. I said there were reasons for the recognition of Brazil, yet stronger than those which had operated in the case of Spanish America, in as much as the King of Portugal himself while he resided in Brazil had proclaimed it an Independent kingdom, and abolished the Colonial system of Government altogether— But of the revolutionary changes since the return of the old king to Portugal, we had not been authentically notified— I proposed therefore, that I should be authorised to see Mr Rebello, and call upon him for a statement of facts, authenticated by Documents, shewing the independent condition of Brazil de facto; and that the recognition should be founded thereon— Which was accordingly determined— The President then said he had been strongly urged to send a Message to Congress, referring to them the claim of Virginia for the payment of interest which had been declined as an allowance by Executive authority; and he read the draft which he had prepared of such a message— Some slight alteration of one of the paragraphs was proposed, but no objection was made to the sending of the Message itself. The President further intimated his intention of nominating B. Watts of South-Carolina, as Secretary of Legation to Colombia, and sending Mr Mann of North-Carolina, as special agent to Guatimala: and he mentioned that he had at length nominated B. Bates for re-appointment as Collector of the port of Bristol, Rhode-Island— There was heavy rain, the greater part of this day, and the weather cleared off with a Gale this Evening. Mrs Adams’s party was in consequence very thinly attended— About 70 persons— Mr Rebello came with Coll. Torrens, and I desired him to call at two to-morrow at the Office of the Department of State. Mr R. King, Senator from New-York was here. Left with me a Letter from H. Wheaton at Albany; of 2. April since his return. From that and other Letters, nothing decisive can be collected of the dispositions of the New-York Legislature— Yates the present Governor, was dropp’d in the caucus nomination for Governor—60 votes for Young: 45 for Yates— 106 members present. 54. absent— 75 for Root as Lieutenant Governor— No confirmation of the Congressional Caucus nomination at this City. But this Yates Root writes, may come hereafter. It is certain however that there will be no manifestation of opinion against the Congressional Caucus. 154G. Hay told me there had been sharp words, in the Tariff debate this day, in the House, between Hamilton of South-Carolina, & Martindale of New-York— And assured me that he himself never in his life lost his temper in a public debate; and that his coolness had often given him an advantage over Chapman Johnson. I asked Crowninshield, if Southard had said any thing hostile to me in his presence last Saturday. He said no— He might have said something by way of joke; but was as friendly to me as possible— Southard himself told me that great pains had been taken to exasperate Crawford against him, and that Mrs Miller had charged him with unfair and ungenerous conduct to Crawford in his illness; altogether without cause— Southard spoke also of a private Note which he had written to James Lloyd of the Senate on the Navy Appropriation Bill; which had by mistake been given over to M’Lane Chairman of the Committee of Ways and Means of the House; who had asked Lloyd, whether he might read it in the house— Lloyd answered no: but demanded the note back, and returned it to Southard. He said they were for making a dead set at him, but would get nothing by it. Mrs. Adams was obliged to retire this Evening, before the company went away.