John Quincy Adams Digital Diary

355

4. IV.15. Walk round Capitol Square.

Foot. Samuel A Johnson— Richard M M’Lane Louis Ruggles— Benjamin Anderson. Samuel Bailey— John Bartley— Mordecai Buck. Daniel A. A Buckner. Richard A. Cambreleng Churchill C Davenport John Dorsey. Clement Duncan Joseph Fort— Tomlinson Gurley— Henry W. Hunt Ingersoll. Ralph I Johns Kinsey Lumpkin. Wilson Mallory— Rollin C Miller Miner— Charles Stevenson— Andrew Stewart. Andrew Van Rensselaer. Stephen Wales. George E. Barbour— James Clay— Henry M’Kinney White. Joseph M White, his brother

My third annual message to Congress was sent this day at 12. O’Clock. It was first printed as the two former had been, by Peter Force, publisher of the National Journal—and printed copies of it were furnished yesterday to the Editors of the Telegraph and of the National Intelligencer— I had visits in the course of the day from four Senators and 22 members of the House; besides Mr White, the Delegate from Florida, who introduced his brother a student who comes from the University of Virginia, and is going to Cambridge— There were about ten other visitors, among whom Governor Barbour and Mr Southard brought two copies of their Reports, and accompanying documents to be transmitted with the Message— With the members who called I had little conversation, but upon the trivial topics of the weather— General Van Rensselaer brought a file of Letters, recommending John Duer, for the appointment of District Attorney, for the Southern District of New-York, in the event of the resignation of Mr Tillotson, the present Attorney; or of his declining a re-appointment. Genl Van Rensselaer spoke of the failure of Taylor’s election as Speaker, and said that he had made himself odious to all parties in New-York by his selfishness— The General himself is prejudiced against him— I have seen in the political conduct and character of Taylor no peculiar marks of selfishness; and he certainly has been one of the most popular men in the State of New-York— A State however the most fickle in the dispensation of its popular suffrages of any one in the Union— But Taylor’s manners are not attractive, and are sometimes repulsive— The members from the South will never forgive the part that he took in the Missouri question; and they have recently assailed his private life, with charges of dissolute conduct here which have deeply affected his reputation— It is a remarkable circumstance that these charges proceed from men of the most abandoned immorality themselves— Men who having neither reputation to lose, nor principle to restrain them, are invulnerable to the poisoned shaft, which they hurl against others— On a slender foundation of truth, they raised a fabrick of falsehood against Taylor, and widely circulate reports affecting his personal courage, as well as his chastity— The difficulty of his situation was, that the falsehood could not be refuted, without bringing the truth

356 Southard— Saml. L Thomas Dr Roberdeau— Isaac Abert Wetherill Evans— of Martinsburg Lewis— of New-York

to more conspicuous light, and there was of truth enough to sully his fair fame— I deeply lament it, for Taylor has been one of the few men, in whom I have hoped to find a friend of whom I could be proud, as well as a virtuous politician— Mr Miner who is very unwell, and made a great exertion to be here at the opening of the Session, spoke of the expected manual upon the silk worm and silk, and said he had given away several thousand white mulberry trees that he had raised from the seed. Stewart was quite desponding upon the election of Speaker the manufacturing interest, and the politics of Pennsylvania— Coll. Johnson of Kentuckey, who introduced to me Mr Lumpkin one of the new Members from Georgia, told me that he was in opposition to the party there which had been so abusive upon me— He also introduced General Duncan, the new Member from Illinois— Stevenson the Speaker told me that while the message was being read in the House this day, Espy Van Horne, one of the Members from Pennsylvania, was seized with a convulsion fit— That he shouted (screamed) several times and fainted and fell. Mr M’Kinney is a candidate for the appointment of District Attorney in West-Tennessee— Evans of Martinsburg is a stranger who called to see me, from mere curiosity— Mr Lewis is a Merchant of New-York, and was introduced to me this Evening by Mr Bailey— Dr Thomas came with Miner— The leisure of the Evening I employed in reading the proceedings of the Naval Court Martial upon the trial of Master Commandant Carter— But I had risen at four this morning, and dragged the Evening heavily along till nine.