- Shepherd
- M’lean William
- Spencer
- Egbury.
- Lowrie. Walter
- Merwin Orange
- Swift. Benjamin
- Powell— Alfred H
- Powell
- Sanford, Nathan
- Nicholls.
- Tracy, of Norwich
- Jemison
- Sparks Jared
Mr Shepherd
brought a subscription paper for an Edition printed at Philadelphia of
Malte-Bruns Geography to
which I declined signing my name—having already part of the Book as
published in numbers at Boston. Mr M’lean member of the House
from Ohio, introduced two persons from that State, the name of the
second of whom I am not sure of having set down correctly— Mr Lowrie
the Secretary of the Senate brought me a Resolution advising the
ratification of the North-eastern boundary Convention with Great
Britain— Mr
Merwin, member from Connecticut and Swift from Vermont, called concerning
a petition to Congress from a man named Brown, imprisoned under an Execution at the suit of the
United States, for debt; which Petition Mr
Swift had sent to me— I told Mr Swift that I
could not act upon it, as it claimed balances as due from the U. States
to the Petitioner, by credits for which he produced neither voucher nor
Evidence— I said if his Petition was addressed to me it should simply
state that he was in prison by an Execution in behalf of the United
States, which he is unable to pay—and he should further obtain a
certificate of his inability to be endorsed upon his Petition, by the
Attorney of the United States for the District— Mr Swift took part of the papers with him and I afterwards sent
him the remainder— Mr A. H. Powell, called and introduced a relative of his own name, and another person from
Virginia; and Mr Sanford the Senator from New-York called with
a young man of that State; returning from the South— Mr Tracy
of Norwich, Connecticut was here; and Dr Jemison, the half-breed
Seneca Indian, who has passed an Examination, for an appointment of
Surgeon’s Mate in the Navy— He came to remonstrate against the Treaty of
last Summer, which they alledge to have taken away from the New-York
Indians Lands which they had purchased under the Sanction of the
Government of the U. States, at Green Bay— And he complained that it was
not the first time that the Indians of the Six Nations had been thus
treated— Mr
Sparks also was here, and informed me that he proposed to
embark on the first of March at Boston for Liverpool: intending to pass
a year in England and France in search of Documents relating to our
Revolutionary War. We had a small company of Gentlemen to dine. Coll. John J.
Abert, Rufus G.
Amory, James Bayard,
Joseph Blunt, Mr Burns, Benjamin Gorham, the Revd. Mr
Mason, Richard Peters junr and Mr Sparks; with seven in the family 16 at table. Invitations
had also been sent to the Revd Mr
Ducachet, to J.
Sergeant, and Captain
Jones of the Navy who could not come— I sent Message N. 2.
to the House of Representatives, with a Report from the Secretary of State, in answer to a
Resolution of Enquiry concerning the recovery of debts in Mexico, from
debtors absconding from the United States, and concerning the boundary—
And Message to the Senate N. 15 with three nominations— I also signed an
order for the appointment of J. W.
Holmes, to be keeper of the Light House at Charleston
South-Carolina—in place of John
Calhoun deceased. I was quite unwell all the after part of
this day and Evening; with a dull headache, and the inflammation of my
eyes; which disabled me from reading or writing— There was an Evening
party at Mr
Boulignys which the younger part of my family attended— I
took a foot bath and retired early to bed— The perpetual succession of
visitors from breakfast to dinner crazes me; but there is nothing so
deeply alarms me as this inflammation of my eyes— I am endeavouring to
arm my breast for whatever may await me—but