John Quincy Adams Digital Diary

549

24. IV:45. Saturday— Ride— Company to dine— Eve till Midnight at the Capitol.

Sergeant. John Smith and Son Austin. Captain William Anderson Samuel Armstrong W jr and Son Miner Charles Seymour Horatio Barbour James Marks— William M’Lane Louis Van Buren Martin Smith. William Cobb Thomas W Southard Samuel L

Garden— Catalpa’s appearing in Eastern seedling bed— Ouseley took from my chamber to the garden seedling pot N. 2. with the    walnut six apple trees and white mustard growing— He thinks the plant in Tumbler N. 2. which came up the 14th. a grape vine— Oranges 3. 4. 5. are piercing the surface of the Earth at the sides of the same tumbler, and a Tamarind is heaving up at the Centre— And another in seedling pot N. 1.— These were planted 31. March and 4. April— This day was crowded with business and with visitors. Mr Sergeant introduced a Mr Smith and his Son, from Philadelphia— Captain William Austin had heretofore a complaint against the Government of Brazil for the seizure of a vessel commanded by him— Mr Anderson member of the House from Pennsylvania, and Mr Armstrong from Virginia with this Son, came to take leave and Mr Anderson thanked me for the nomination of his brother a Major in the Marine Corps, for a brevet of Lieutenant Coll which the Senate have confirmed— Mr Miner member of the House from Pennsylvania, and the Senators Seymour, Marks, M’Lane, Van Buren,

550 Burges Tristam Everett Lawrence Joseph Kendrick Clay— Henry Maxwell Lewis Forward Chauncey Bates Isaac C Lee William Taylor William Merrill Bradlee and Son Duncan— Joseph Wing Austin E Bailey— John Rush— Richard

Smith of South-Carolina and Cobb of Georgia, came successively, on visits to take leave— Governor Barbour came and delivered to me his Letter of resignation, and with it a Letter of kind and friendly feeling upon this new appointment— He mentioned something of the business which he leaves in the Department of War, and something of the Instructions that he is to receive upon his mission— Said he had private concerns to arrange which would occupy some weeks, and that he would be ready to embark by the first of August—perhaps in July— Mr Southard called to enquire if I should go to the Capitol this Evening— Mr Burges the member from Rhode-Island introduced Dr Everett a Surgeon in the Navy and Mr Lawrence, member from Pennsylvania, a Mr Kendrick of that State, who was earnestly disposed to sell me a horse— Mr Clay was here for a few minutes— Mr Maxwell and Mr Forward of the Committee of enrolled Bills brought me    Bills and one Resolution which I read and signed— Mr Bates, member of the House from Massachusetts called to take leave— William Lee, the second Auditor came, I suppose to speak on the subject of Mr M’Kenney’s Accounts which the Comptroller Cutts still scruples to pass.— I told him that I could not authoritatively interfere in the case— William Taylor the Consul at Vera Cruz called to pay a visit, being on a temporary absence from his station. Mr Merrill was here one of the Contractors for whom a warm interest was taken by Mr Marvin— He claims an allowance upon his contract for damage by a storm sustained upon Articles after they were delivered. I had declined authorising the allowance for want of authority and referred them to Congress— He now desired me to reconsider this opinion, and told me the whole story over again—but he still had not the contract, and adduced no new fact which could justify me in reversing my own decision— Mr Bradlee of Boston, with his Sons called and brought a Letter of introduction from Mr Webster. General Duncan, a member of the House of Representatives from Illinois, and Mr Wing the Delegate from Michigan came successively to speak of the appointment of Commissioners to treat with the Winnebagoes, and other tribes of Northern Indians for which a Bill had passed both Houses of Congress— They were both anxious that the Commissioners should be appointed as soon as possible; and the negotiation forthwith commenced—hostilities by the Winnebagoes being apprehended— As the Bill had passed the House of Representatives, the appointment of the Commissioners was given to the President—the Senate inserted the clause, requiring the concurrence of their own body—reduced the appropriation from 25 to 15000 dollars with a discretionary power to the President to apply part of the reduced sum to a Treaty with the Choctaws— I told Duncan that I proposed Governor Cass of Michigan should be one of the Commissioners, with which he expressed himself satisfied, and recommended Governor Clark of Missouri and Pierre Menard of Illinois to be the others— Wing enquired of me whether I intended that Cass should be a Commissioner, and I said I did— He then with some apology asked if Mr M’Kenney was to be also a Commissioner— I answered no— He said that his reason for asking the question was that Governor Cass’s acceptance of the appointment would be only upon the contingency that Mr M’Kenney should not be joined in the Commission— He said that Cass was upon very friendly terms with M’Kenney and did not wish in any manner to injure him; but that having on their former joint Commissions with him got his accounts involved in difficulties he was not willing to incur the same hazard again— Mr Cutts had told me this yesterday— Mr Bailey the 551member from Massachusetts came to recommend a Mr Doggett formerly of Massachusetts but now an inhabitant of Florida, for once of the new judicial appointments in that territory. But Mr Doggett is now in prison for debt in this City and the Delegate, White, strongly objected to his appointment on the score of character— Mr Rush was here, and I had again a long conversation with him, upon the state of the Post-Office at Philadelphia— He had sent me a fresh Letter from C. J. Ingersoll, shewing new evidence of frauds, on the part of the last Postmaster Bache— A thorough scrutiny into the management of the Office for the last three years appears to me to be necessary, and T. Sergeant the brother in Law of Bache, ought not to be there while the examination is carried on— But T. Sergeant is a man of respectable character which would be hurt by the removal of him from Office under these circumstances— He is brother to John Sergeant, one of the ablest, purest, fairest men in Congress, a warm and most efficient friend of the Administration— Mr Rush still thinks it most advisable to make the Postmaster General sensible that his duty imposes upon him the obligation of suggesting it to T. Sergeant the awkwardness and delicacy of his situation, and the propriety of his retiring from it— I must reflect upon the subject further— Mr Rush, Mr Southard, and Mr Everett dined with us—and went with me at seven in the Evening to the Capitol— My Son John followed and Mr Clay joined us at the Capitol— I remained there till Midnight, reading and signing Bills, brought me successively by the Senators Ellis and Bateman, and the members of the House of Representatives Forward and Maxwell, the joint Committee of enrolled Bills— Among them was the Bill authorizing a Treaty to be held with the Winnebago and other Indians, immediately after signing which I sent in to the Senate. Message N. 41. nominating Lewis Cass and Pierre Menard as the Commissioners. They were immediately confirmed. W. Lowrie, Secretary of the Senate brought me Resolutions of that body confirming the nominations of General Macomb, as Major General of General Harrison as Minister to Colombia of the Marine Corps staff, and some others— I had sent this morning Message to the Senate N. 40. Nominating Peter B. Porter of New-York as Secretary of War and some others—a motion was made to act upon them immediately; but the rule of the Senate requiring an interval of one day could be dispensed with only by unanimous consent, and an objection was made— In the course of the Evening Genl. S. Smith, B. Ruggles, W Hendricks, B. W Crowninshield, J. Reed and other members of both Houses came in and took leave— The Count de Menou also came in and expressed his gratification at the passage of the Bill reducing the duty upon wines— About Midnight I left the Hall after requesting Mr Bateman of the Committee of enrolled Bills to send me to-morrow morning all the Bills not presented to me this Evening— The two Houses shortly afterwards adjourned, to meet again at 6 O’Clock Monday Morning. I took Mr Southard and Mr Rush home, and got home myself at little before one in the Morning.