14 May 1828
adams-john10 Margot Rashba Anti-Masonic Party Recreation
536

14. IV:45. Wednesday. Heavy Rain— Evening walk.

Brent Daniel Reed John Newton— Thomas His Son Lively— Sloane. John Baker Bigelow Barbour James Woodcock David Tyler. Benjamin O Blunt N. B. Graham George Davenport John Wright of Virginia Sheets of Ohio. Southard Saml. L

The weather deprived me of my morning ride. Immediately after breakfast I visited the garden, but within five minutes was called back by visitors— Mr Brent brought me a Letter and a Note from the Post-master General’s assistant Abraham Bradley, respecting the appointment of the Postmaster at Philadelphia, and some other Post Office Transactions. Mr Reed came and asked me for the papers relating to the Petition of Benjamin Winslow, which he said he thought he should pursue no further; having recently heard that there was a surety responsible for the amount of the penalty— I told Mr Reed, that Winslow in the intercepted Letter vehemently urged the Captain of his vessel to commit perjury himself and to make all his crew do the same— I said this was too gross— I could not interfere to discharge him now. He took the papers and said he would return them to the Department of State or to me— Mr Newton, a member of the House from Virginia, introduced his Son, and Mr Lively of Norfolk who he said was on the Administration Ticket of Electors. Mr Sloane of Ohio introduced a Mr Baker of that State— Mr Bigelow the young Clergyman who preached yesterday at the Unitarian Church called— He has been recently travelling in Europe, and told me he had been last Summer at Vienna. He spoke also of the Tomb of my father and Mother under the Temple now building at Quincy, which he said he had seen about three weeks since— The remains of my Parents were removed from the family vault to that their last abode, in March— Mr Bigelow approved the design, and spoke of it with strong feeling— He said the Sarcophagus was in a style of grandeur and simplicity, and bore a close resemblance to the Tomb of Scipio Africanus— Governor Barbour brought the record Book of Executions by Sentences of Court Martials and a copy of it made out for Mr Wickliffe the member from Kentucky; who procures it for precedents to justify General Jacksons Execution of the Militiamen— It appears that there are upon the Record twenty-six of these Executions ordered by him— I gave Governor Barbour the Memorial to Congress of the Anti-masonic Convention at LeRoy, addressed to Congress and which the House of Representatives by Resolution the day before yesterday, referred to me— Mr Woodcock, a member of the House from New-York came with the proceedings of a Court-Martial at West-Point upon Cadet Beers, who was sentenced to be dismissed, and which sentence I approved on the 14th of March last. A Son of John Barney’s was sentences at the same time, for the same offence (card-playing) and to the same punishment. But 537Barney was restored, and Beers’s friends, complain of it as partiality, which they impute to Barney’s father’s being here in Congress— I recurred to my Record of Orders, and found it expressly stated in the remission of Barney’s Sentence that it was in consideration of his previous good conduct, and of the recommendation of the Superintendant— I read it to Mr Woodcock who expressed a wish to see the Superintendants Letter— But that was to the Secretary of War, and must be at the Department. Woodcock expressed the hope that Beers might still be restored, but I told him it was too late. B. O. Tyler came it seemed to talk of the Anti-Masonic Le-Roi convention Memorial, which gives him great concern— He is himself a Mason, and sympathises with their troubles— Coll. King the Suttler, who contrived to make his escape, was a friend and had been a boarder at Tyler’s, who thinks him entirely innocent— Tyler read me a piece which he had prepared for publication, in defence of King— There were some imprudent remarks in it, which I advised him not to publish, and he said Mr Bateman the Senator from New-Jersey had given him the same advice— Mr N. B. Blunt the Messenger who went to England in March, with the Conventions concluded by Mr Gallatin, with the British Government, and ratified on our part, and has now returned with them and the Ratifications exchanged, was here— He came from Philadelphia, in company with Mr Clay, who stopped yesterday at Baltimore, where he was received with great enthusiasm— Mr George Graham the Commissioner of the General Land-Office, gave some explanation of his answer to a second Resolution of the Senate, concerning the Accounts of T. A. Smith Receiver of Public monies at Franklin Missouri. Mr Davenport member of the House from Ohio, introduced a Mr Sheets of that State, and Mr Wright from Virginia— Mr Southard mentioned a Letter that he had received from Mr Elmer in New-Jersey, respecting the use made of the name of the late Richard Stockton, to countenance some of the electioneering Slanders against me— I visited the Nursery between 4 and 5. O’Clock, but was again immediately called back to visitors— At the dusk of the Evening, I took a half an hour’s walk— Signed an order for the discharge from prison of Joshua Grady confined at Alexandria, for petty Larceny. Signed also 21. Land-grants; and received from the General Land-Office 495.

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