John Quincy Adams Digital Diary

8. V. Friday. Sun rose 6:5 Walk round Capitol Square. Dinner party.

General Van Rensselaer called to make his acknowledgments for the appointment of John Duer as District Attorney for the Southern District of New-York. Mr Carroll is a retired Master Commandant of the Navy, who applies for the appointment of Superintendent of the Public Buildings, an Office not yet extant but for the establishment of which there is a Bill before Congress. Mr Carroll brought certificates of good conduct—the medal given to him as one of the Officers under Commodore Preble in the Attack upon Tripoli in 1804 and a copy of the thanks of Congress given to Commodore Patterson his Officers and Men, for their Services in the defence of New-Orleans in 1815— He some time afterwards retired from the Navy, on account of infirmity from wounds received. Mr Everhart is a still more aged warrior. He resides at Frederick, Maryland, and brought a Letter of Introduction from Mr Henry R. Warfield, heretofore a member of Congress— He had also Certificates from Coll. William Washington of South-Carolina and of Coll. Simons, dated in November 1804. and attesting his signal good conduct at the Battle of the Cowpens in 1781. He brought with him a subscription paper for rebuilding a Methodist Church at Frederick, for which he was soliciting contributions— Mr Southard came for the papers, relating to the pretension of Coll Henderson commandant of the Marine Corps, to remove Captain Kuhn as its Paymaster, and appoint another in his place— His wish to do this proceeds from personal misunderstandings between them— Kuhn is an active intelligent and punctual paymaster, and I am unwilling to see him removed to gratify merely the private pique of his commanding officer. The Laws and the practice under them have left it doubtful as to the right of the Commandant to appoint the paymaster, but there is no power given him to remove him. Henderson infers this from the power of appointing, but I am not disposed to allow the inference— I desired Mr Southard to put the papers in the hands of the Attorney, and ask his opinion, first whether the power of appointing and secondly whether that of removal is in the Commander of the Corps— Mr Southard informed me of the decease this morning of Thomas T. Tucker, the Treasurer of the United States, and named to me two persons, either of whom would willingly accept the Office— Governor Barbour had some conversation with me, on the attempt of the Cherokee tribe of Indians to establish a Constitution of Government for themselves, and on the remonstrances of the Government of Georgia against it. He referred to a Report of Coll M’Kenney of 29. November last to him, recommending that notice should be given them as early as possible that this cannot be permitted— The Governor mentioned also a Candidate for the appointment of Treasurer, and he left with me a written Report of T. L. M’Kenney upon certain changes exhibited last year by some of the Chiefs of the Great Nation against the Agent John Crowell— M’Kenney was authorized to investigate and Report upon those charges. His report is entirely favourable to Crowell and imputes all the charges to John Ridge the Cherokee— Mr Rush brought me some papers from Alabama—a message from the Governor (Murphy,) to the Legislature of the State, and a Remonstrance from the Legislature, addressed to Congress against an Instruction from the Treasury Department to the Receivers of Public Monies, at the Land-Offices, dated last August, directing them to receive in payment for lands, only Specie, Bills of the Bank of the United States or its branches or Bills of Specie paying Banks of the State— The remonstrance of the Legislature is in language little short of frantic— A blustering, bullying style which many of the State Governors and Governments adopt towards the General Administration, as if 427they considered insolence as their only means of demonstrating their Sovereignty. Mr Rush proposed some modification of the Instructions to remove any possible inconvenience to the purchasers; He is himself of a temper so mild, and a Deportment so courteous, that the bitter invective, slanderous imputations, and reproachful malignity of this Alabama manifesto was quite distressing to him— I shewed him a Letter from a man, in prison at New-York for some debt to the United States, addressed to me; which I had just received—written in much the same insulting Style; and I told him I prized them both at about the same value— Mr Rush spoke of the Candidates already started for the Office of Treasurer— We had company to dine— Thomas H. Mrs and Miss Blake, James Buchanan. Churchill. C Cambreleng, Philander Chase, Henry W. Conner, John Davis, Dr Davis, Henry Huntt, John L and Miss Kerr, William R. King, Joseph Lecompte, Heman Lincoln, Rollin C. Mallary, John H Marable, William Marks, Lewis Maxwell, Thomas R. Mrs and Miss Mitchell, Gabriel Moore, Miss Nicholas, James W. Ripley, Dr Schnebley, Mr Slaymaker, Samuel and Mrs Smith, Miss Spear, James S. Stevenson, John G and Mrs Stower, Samuel Swan, Wiley Thompson, James Trezvant, Samuel F. Vinton, Aaron Ward, Mr Wever, H. L. White, and Calvin Willey—with Mary Roberdeau, Thomas J. Hellen, and 6 in the family 32. at table. After the company were gone, I employed two hours of the Evening till Midnight in writing.