- Mercer Charles F.
- Arnold
- Thomas. Col
l. - Parker. Daniel
- Barbour James
- Thayer. Sylvanus
- Brent— Daniel
- Southard Samuel L
- Preston
- M
rsM Donald - Tyler Benjamin Owen
- Brown Jeremiah.
- Skinner
- M’Pherson
- Handy James H.
Took the morning bath from the Boat in the river, and the day was
absorbed, by a succession almost uninterrupted of visitors from the
breakfast to the dining hour— First from Mr Mercer, next from a
man who said his name was Arnold: that he
belonged to the County of Middlesex, Massachusetts—that he had been
travelling, and found himself here without money; he would be much
obliged to me for a loan, to bear his expenses in returning home, which
I declined— Coll. Thomas followed; going shortly for New-York,
and his suttling expedition to Bangor, Maine— He spoke very favourably
of the new Treasurer Mr Clark, and mentioned to me
some new indications of the political treachery of the Post-master
General M’lean— Of this I can no
longer entertain a doubt— He has been all along a supple tool of the
Vice-President Calhoun; but plays
his game with so much cunning and duplicity, that I can fix upon no
positive act that would justify the removal of him. General Parker came to solicit an
appointment. He supposes the Delaware Breakwater will require an Agent
for the disbursement of the money, and offers himself as a Candidate for
that place— Governor Barbour came
to make enquiries concerning the Instructions for his Mission— He
proposes to examine the Instructions of his predecessors Mr
Gallatin and Mr King, and their
Correspondence; and asked for copies of such as it might be important
for him to possess. He spoke of a Convention to be held at
Charlottesville in Virginia, the 15th of
this month, for the promotion of internal improvement—of which Mr Madison
and Mr
Monroe are to be members— He himself is elected a delegate
from Orange County, and enquired if he could without public
inconvenience so far postpone his departure, as to attend at that
Convention. I thought he might— The delay could not exceed two or three
days, and I supposed it would be sufficient for him to embark at
New-York the first of next Month— Coll Thayer the Superintendant at
West-Point, was here but I had no opportunity at conversing with him, on
the state of the Academy— I received this Evening a Letter of complaint
against him from Mr John Barney, whose Son has been recently dismissed from the Institution, by
sentence of a Court Martial. He had already been dismissed once before;
and the sentence was remitted at the recommendation of Coll. Thayer— This was the occasion of a severe
complaint against him, for supposed partiality to the Son of a member of
Congress— Now Barney heavily complains of him for partiality against his
Son, and for favour to another. Mr Brent was here 24at the same time with Mr
Barbour— Mr
Southard brought me a bundle of Letters and enclosures
from Master Commandant Charles W.
Morgan, Commander of the Sloop of War Falmouth just
arrived at Pensacola, from a cruize in the gulph of Mexico and the
Caribbean Sea— This vessel was sent out to take W. B. Rochester Chargé d’Affaires
to the Republic of Central America and John
Mason junr the Secretary of
Legation to Mexico, to the countries of their respective destinations—
He landed Rochester at Omoa, but instead of proceeding to his post, he
posted off to the British Settlement in the Bay of Honduras, and thence
back to the United States, where he arrived some time sooner than the
Falmouth which carried him out. Morgan in a private Letter to Mr Southard, intimates that Mr Rochester, was quiz’d into a very
unnecessary panic, by a British Agent at Omoa, and describes his
agitation and movements in a manner somewhat ludicrous— Rochester’s
master piece of diplomacy seems to have been in changing his ship, and
coming back in a different vessel from that in which he went out. Mr Southard spoke also of the singular
conduct of the two Sons of the late Richard Stockton, and with some suspicion with regard to
the disposition towards him of Mr Webster— The young man named
Preston, from Philadelphia,
wrote me a note, and came again with importunities for a Midshipman’s
warrant; but Philadelphia, has already more than its proportion, and
Mr Southard’s objections compelled me to
decline the grant of the warrant— Mrs M’Donald came with a tale
of poverty and distress, for Charity. Mr Tyler with a Tale of
Suretiship, and disasters, for an appointment. Jeremiah Brown, for the appointment
of Collector of the Customs, at Middletown, Connecticut. Mr Skinner,
with a plan of the City, and a project for filling up more than half the
Potowmack river on the western bank, from General Mason’s Island to below the Bridge, with a view
to deepen the channel on the city side of the river—it being exceedingly
doubtful whether it would have that effect at all. He proposes this plan
instead of a canal on the Northern and Eastern side of the City, to
which he says there are great objections: but I referred him to the
Directors of the Canal. A young man from Pennsylvania, named Macpherson, came for mere curiosity to see me; and
Mr
Handy Treasurer of the Presbyterian Church, came to inform
me that they were to chuse a Pastor in the place of Mr Baker
this afternoon from 5 to half past 7. O Clock, that they would probably
be unanimous in favour of the Revd Luther Halsey now a
Professor at Princeton College; and he earnestly invited me to attend at
the Church and give my vote as a Pew holder which I did— Mr Post was
there with the Trustees of the Church, and they were counting the votes
which were all for Mr Halsey. I signed the
Commission of John N.
Sherburne, as Navy Agent at Portsmouth New Hampshire, and
ordered the appointment of John M.
White as Light-House keeper at Smith’s Island, Maryland.
In the Garden, the Bromelia from Brazil, Pine Apple, planted in Pot N.
11. 8 May, first appeared— 4th. Date came up
in Box N. 4. In the Nursery there are Black Walnuts in the North border
67. West, none South 45. East 10.