John Quincy Adams Digital Diary

26. IV:15.— Slashes. Garden— Rain— Clear.

Mr Wytle came and announced himself as the person to whom my Son John had engaged to rent the Columbian Mills, and informed me that he could not comply with his engagement; which was to rent the Mills for a year for 1200 dollars, on condition that they should be put in complete repair, which is doing, and will cost more than a year’s rent— He said the person upon whom he had relied to furnish the money to carry on the business had died; and he now wanted capital— But he now proposed that I should furnish the money, and after the deduction of the Rent, to divide the profits— I told him that my Son John had the entire management of all the concerns of the Mills— That whatever he had to say upon the subject it would be well he should write to him; but that he need not trouble himself to make this last proposition, as it certainly would not be accepted— The Revd. Mr Hawley came and introduced a Mr    of the neighbourhood of Troy, New-York. Wyer called and told me some of the vagaries of J. Q. A. Boyd, who is at Williamson’s Tavern. Mr Knapp came to enquire, if I had certain Books which might elucidate the literary History of this Country antecedent to the Revolution. I have no such books here, but had a desultory conversation of half an hour with him on the subject. Mr Calvert came merely to pay a morning visit— Coll. Trumbull to mention that he had now done retouching his four Pictures at the Capitol. There is nothing left for him to do he says but the varnishing; which must be done in cooler weather— He therefore proposes to return here, and put the finishing hand to his work, next November. He complains however of the Room: of the Light, and of the circular hole in the centre of the Rotundo, which he thinks will prove an insupportable nuisance— Mr Brent called, and also sent me a number of Blanks from the Department of State previous to my departure— Mr Wirt the Attorney General came to recommend that Captain Hills an Officer in the Army, who has been ordered to St. Louis, might receive an order for some employment which may retain him in this neighbourhood— For this he assigned several reasons— I told him I had no sort of objection, provided it should be compatible with the rules of the service, and with Justice to other Officers—for which I must refer him to Major Nourse at the War Department, and to Coll. Jones the Adjutant General— I said I thought all the reasons assigned by him rather weak upon which he said Hills had a matrimonial project in his mind, which I admitted was a very good reason, and to favour which I would comply as far as my own duty would allow— Dr Watkins came for the Letter from Benjamin Ames which he had left with me and which I returned to him—recommending a person named Work to be keeper of a new Light-House in the State of Maine— Mr Rush was here, and I had further Conversation with him, respecting the measures for introducing exotic Plants: and he read me a copy of his Letter to Mr Gallatin, requesting him to procure the Models of some new machinery invented for the manufacture of Silk. He returned me my Memorandum of enquiries to be transmitted with the Circulars to the Consuls; of which he has had a copy taken— I gave this day an order for the discharge from prison of Goulman Smither, a debtor of the United States in Virginia— Took my last walk for the Season to the Slashes. The Blackberries are drying on the bushes. I have still a curiosity to know what would be the effect upon them of cultivation— I planted in my eastern bed, 12 plum stones from the trees in the Garden— They had fallen from the trees since the rain, ripe and the plums burst open—there were no worms in them— They are the black muscle, Ouseley says the best of all plum trees for Stocks; and a very fine fruit. I am putting up a box of Nuts, Stones and seeds, in Sand to send to Quincy— I signed this Evening 296 Blank Sea Letters after taking a ride to the Eastern Branch with Mary Hellen and Charles.