John Quincy Adams Digital Diary

14. VI. Georgetown— Fahrenheit 16. Sun rose 7:22

General Brown came to converse with me on the concentration of the Army; an object which he thinks of great importance, and concerning which he had some days since sent me a copy of a Letter which he wrote to the Secretary of War in November 1820. at the time immediately preceding the last Reduction of the Army— He spoke also of the appointment of an Inspector General, which he wished might be conferred upon Coll. Eustis. He was very averse to the appointment of Nourse— Mr Lloyd spoke on several Subjects—first, respecting the acknowledgment of the Trustee Deeds, to the Apthorps, which I told him I would acknowledge before a Magistrate and send to him— Then of the recommendation in the Message to remove the remnant of discriminating duties, concerning which he wished for information to be obtained at the Departments, and some, that I gave him—and lastly of the proceedings on Commodore Porter’s trial— Mr Lloyd at Porter’s desire had moved for the proceedings of the Court of Inquiry, and Mr Southard had suggested that those of the Court Martial should be communicated with them— Mr Lloyd assented to this proposal. Though he seemed not to be aware of Porter’s motive in desiring that the Proceedings of the Court of Inquiry, only should be communicated— Mr Newton called and delivered to me a Letter, from himself recommending B    Pryor, as Collector of Norfolk, in the place of James Johnson deceased—but verbally Newton said he should prefer the appointment of Mr Prentiss. He objected to Gatewood— Mr Southard called twice— The first time I was engaged with Genl Brown— The second it was to read a Letter from Captain Morris at Paris— Somerville was very ill— I had visits from J. Bailey. J. S. Barbour, Isaacks, Lathrop and Rose of the House of Representatives, and a Card from A. R. Govan— Mr Bailey spoke of several Resolutions, which he has offered in the House of Representatives, concerning Roads and Canals, and an Amendment of the Constitution— He said he had not shewn me those Resolutions before he offered them, on account of the imputations upon him heretofore, arising from his former relations to me in the Department of State— I told him that the discussion of his Resolutions might be useful, but I must in candour say that my opinions did not concur with them— I thought the power of making Roads and Canals, given by the Constitution; and then an Amendment asking the grant of that which was already granted; equally impracticable and useless— Vandeventer came for some papers relating to the Creek and Georgia controversy 32Dickins brought me as I had requested a list of the Members of the Columbian Institute; and had some conversation with me relating to the Address to be delivered by Dr Watkins to the Society on the 7th. of January next— He spoke also of his own situation; his wish for a more lucrative place than that which he now has at the Treasury; and of his disappointment in the recent election of Walter Lowry, as Secretary of the Senate. Dickins said he had been not only disappointed but deceived by many of Mr Crawford’s friends who had encouraged him to expect their votes for that office; and yet he could not account for the election of Lowry unless several of General Jackson’s friends had joined in voting for him. He then enlarged upon the services he had rendered especially during the last two years in the Treasury—intimating that he had really performed all the duties of the Secretary— And he added that he supposed I knew that he had been the medium of communication between the Treasury Department, and the President, after all personal communication between Mr Monroe and Mr Crawford had ceased— This fact had not before been known to me; and I told Dickins so— He said that a few weeks before the close of the Administration, some words used by Mr Monroe to Mr Crawford had induced the latter to abstain thenceforward from coming to this house, or ever seeing Mr Monroe again— When Mr Southard came in I asked him if this fact had been known to him— He said yes— That one day last Winter, on coming here on business, he found Mr Monroe walking to and fro across the room in great agitation— That he told him Crawford had just left him— He had come to him concerning the nomination of certain Officers of the Customs, in Northern Ports— That Crawford recommended the nomination of several persons against whom Mr Monroe expressed several objections—that Mr Crawford, at last rose, in much irritation, gathered the papers together; and said petulantly; well—if you will not appoint the persons well qualified for the places, tell me whom you will appoint; that I may get rid of their importunities: Mr Monroe replied with great warmth; saying that he considered Crawford’s language as extremely improper, and unsuitable to the relations between them, when Crawford turning to him, raised his Cane, as in the attitude to strike, and said “you damned infernal old Scoundrel”— Mr Monroe seized the tongs at the fire-place for self-defence; applied a retaliatory epithet to Crawford and told him he would immediately ring for servants himself and turn him out of the house upon which Crawford beginning to recover himself said he did not intend and had not intended to insult him; and left the house— They never met, afterwards— Mr Southard does not recollect the precise day upon which this happened— I told him that if I had known it at the time, I should not have invited Mr Crawford to remain in the Treasury Department— It resembles the Scene between Bolingbroke and Oxford in the last days of Queen Anne.

We had this Evening the first drawing room for the Season, which was fully attended, and continued from 7 to half past ten—