- Persico Luigi
- Fendall Philip R
- Cushing Caleb.
- Butler John
- Hay. George
- Hay Charles
Mr
Persico came and cast the mould of the bust— He told me
that he would come again in two or three days— Mr
Fendall came out and I gave him five sheets of my Reply to
the Appeal— I had a long conversation with him upon his projected
history of my Administration; and upon my political Life— He has asked
me repeatedly to furnish him some Notes for a preliminary political view
of parties from the formation of our confederacy, which I have promised
to give him; but which I have not yet had time to prepare— But he said
he thought of making that the last Chapter, which he should write, which
I told him I thought would be his best plan. He has not yet been
dismissed from the Department of State, but expects it from day to day—
He remarked upon the singularity of my fortune and history that I was
perhaps the only man who had risen to the highest Office in the Union,
by a course of action, independent of all parties— Mr Cushing
of Newbury-Port was here—informed that he was going to Europe, intending
a tour of two years in France and England; and asked me to give him
Letters of introduction. This is a request always unpleasant to refuse,
and seldom agreeable to comply with for persons who are totals
Strangers— Mr Cushing is somewhat known as a
public man; and was a tutor at Cambridge when my two elder Sons, were
Students there— I have no other acquaintance with him— While I was
President I declined giving Letters of Introduction to individuals; to
which I made few exceptions— The Solicitations for them, are now coming
upon me again, and I expect will prove very troublesome— I promised one
however to Mr Cushing— Mr John
Butler, grandson of the late Pierce Butler brought me a Letter from judge Hopkinson, and one to
Mrs Adams to Miss
Mease— He too is going to Europe with his family and judge
Hopkinson asks Letters of introduction from me for him. He will call 155here again— I walk’d to the Rockville
Turnpike-road, and thence round the Square, returning by the Race-ground
and the College. An hour and a quarter’s walk. I attempted to compose
part of a Fable; but failed— There certainly are times and Seasons for
composition more favourable than others— My fable of the Plague in the
Forest came almost of itself; and this day what I did is fit only to
burn— On returning home I found judge
Hay, and his Son Charles—who has been dismissed from his Office as Chief
Clerk of the Navy Department, at which they are both indignant— The
judge says that he visited the President twice; and spoke to him of his anxiety for his
Son— The General told him he must not believe rumours and reports— They
were without foundation— No person would be removed from office, unless
he had abused it for electioneering purposes. The judge said he told
this afterwards the same day to a gentleman who snap’d his finger and
thumb three times and said the Generals promises were worth that— Judge
Hay and Persico, both spoke to me of my Letter to the New-Jersey Rahway
Committee which is published both in the National Intelligencer, and
Journal of this Morning— The judge said he would call and see me again
and mentioned that, at the advice of Mr Rives, Mr Monroe
was now intensely occupied upon a history of his own Times— That he had
been employed some time on a Dissertation upon Government which nobody
would read— He said that both Mr and
Mrs
Monroe, were very unwell; but that Mr Monroe spent too much of his time in writing. Also that he
was much concerned about these removals from Office—for T. Swann—T. Ringgold, and S. L.
Gouverneur— I read in the Evening 6 Sections of Cicero’s 13th. Philippic.