- Brent Daniel
- Johnston. Josiah S
- Whittlesey
- Rush. Richard
I took this morning a shower bath; the first time for the Season. Visited
the Garden— The bud upon the Battle ground Oak has opened into five
small whitish leaves. The tall Plum tree is 33 inches high, and has
grown more than a foot in the course of the last Month— A second Tangier
Orange came up in Box N. 5. The Second Orange in Tumbler N. 4. is
withering— To multiply experiments I planted 3 yard Cherry stones in a
small tin cup, to ascertain whether they will vegetate— The Sail needle
shoot in Box N. 4. remains as when it first appeared— The morning was
cloudy with a fresh breeze, and I rode the round by the race-ground.
Mr S. H.
Smith’s and the Capitol. Mr Brent brought a Letter from
Governor Barbour, saying that
the People of Orange County had invited him to a public dinner—which
would delay for three or four days his arrival at this place. Mr
Johnston the Senator from Louisiana, introduced a Mr Whittlesey from
Middletown, Connecticut, whom from that circumstance I supposed, and
afterwards found to be an applicant for the appointment of Collector at
that Port, just vacated by the decease of Alexander Wolcott— Mr Rush
brought me an Estimate of the State of the Treasury this day; after the
payment of upwards of five Millions of principal of the Public Debt;
from which it appears that there will remain in the Treasury a balance
of four millions nine hundred thousand Dollars; and that the receipts at
the Treasury for the first half year have been twelve Millions three
hundred and sixty nine thousand dollars, so far exceeding our Estimates
of last Winter, as to warrant the expectation that the receipts of the
whole year will exceed the estimates— We have therefore every
encouragement to hope that we shall at the expiration of the year have
paid off seven Millions of the debt— Mr Rush
spoke also of the application of judge
Macomb, that the payment of the grant of Congress to
Alexander Macomb might be
withheld; and of the injunction to that effect, from the Circuit Court
of the United States might be obeyed. Mr
Rush inclined strongly to the opinion that the injunction should be
disregarded, thinking that the Government could not with propriety
interpose for merely private claim— I urged him however to suspend the
payment, in compliance with the injunction, at 18least for a few days, and to call upon judge Macomb for a written
statement of the grounds upon which he claims the suspension of the
payment: and afterwards to call upon Alexander Macomb for his answer to
the claim— I thought it highly probable that judge Macomb could not make
out a case, which would warrant the definitive compliance with the
injunction, but we should then have a full justification for
disregarding it— I had a dinner party consisting of Joseph Anderson, Dominique Bouligny, Daniel Brent,
Charles Brooks, William Clark, John Cox Delafield, Joseph Gales
junr., Archibald
Henderson, Josiah S. Johnston, John M’lean, Alexander
Macomb, Charles F.
Mercer, James
Monroe, Joseph Nourse,
Charles J Nourse, Peter B. Porter, Tench Ringgold, Isaac Roberdeau, Richard Rush,
Samuel L. Southard,
Stewart of New-York, Andrew Stewart and Thomas Tingey. The company were
invited, with notice only from last Evening, and to meet Mr Monroe, who is to proceed home to-morrow.
Governor Kent, the Mayor of Alexandria
G. Graham, Charles Hay, and Coll. Roger
Jones were included in the invitations but did not come—
None of the Ladies dined with us— Nor Johnson Hellen— We were 26. at Table. Mr Monroe spent the Evening at Mr Southards; who invited me, but I could not
go— There was a thunder shower this afternoon; and one very severe
bolt.