John Quincy Adams Digital Diary

17. IV:30. Tuesday. Short ride— Light Thunder Shower.

This was the first of the oppressively sultry Summer days, in which the withering ray of the Sun, turned to a rusty the fresh verdure of the grass Commons under my eye— I shortened my ride to little more than an hour— Mr Southard brought me a long argumentative Letter of twenty two pages from General Scott; full of his rights and his wrongs, and the common Law of the Army— Mr Southard brought also a Letter from Coll. Henderson, with a small pamphlet containing a system of accountability for clothing arms and accoutrements, issued to the Marine Corps; an amendment to the existing regulations, which requires the approval of the President. Mr Southard thinks the proposed system an improvement upon the army regulations— He had also a memorial form Mr Marvin, the member of the House from New-York, with a note signed by six of the seven members of the Committee on Roads and Canals, recommending an examination and survey, of several Routes for a National road from the City of Washington to the North-western frontier of the State of New-York—with these papers there was the printed Report of the Committee of Roads and Canals and the Bill reported by them, which the House did not reach for discussion before the close of the Session. Mr Southard left these papers with me for examination. Mr Elgar was here and I examined with him upon the plan of the City, the spot where Messrs. Hunter and Wheat propose to erect their building— I was satisfied that no permanent building ought to be erected upon it; for it is part of the public Square upon which the City Hall now stands— And I requested Mr Elgar to discourage Messrs. Hunter and Wheat, from persisting in their application; by informing them that they must pay the ground-rent, as if the Land were individual property and that they must not expect the buildings will be permitted to remain after the expiration of the lease— Mr Elgar complained that Mr Persico was rather slack in the execution of his work, on the Pediment of the Capitol, and asked me to speak to him— Dr. Sewall came and introduced the Revd. Dr Chapin the new President of the Columbian College— They have recommenced their course of Instruction; but as yet without much encouragement— Mr Patterson, and Mr Morris of Baltimore were here deputed from the Baltimore Rail-road Company— General Macomb had directed the withdrawal, of several of the Engineer Officers, who had last year been assigned at the request of the Company to assist in making their Surveys, and among the rest, Lieutenant Trimble— Mr Patterson and Mr Morris represent that of three brigades of United States Engineers now employed upon their Surveys, the continuance of two is so indispensable that the withdrawal of them, would delay the operations of the company for a whole year: and that Lieutenant Trimble is one of those, without whom they could not proceed— But that they could spare one of the three brigades— I referred them to the acting Secretary of War, with the assurance, that all possible accommodation should be yielded to their wishes— Mr Rush was here, and had a new question upon the construction of the act for the relief of the Revolutionary Officers. The amount of pay to each Officer is limited so as not in any event to exceed the full pay of a captain in the line of the Army— The question was whether this should be a captain of Infantry, of Cavalry or of Artillery. I thought it should be the one 578or the other according to the Corps in which each Officer served— The result of this indeed is that a General of Infantry receives not so much as a Captain of Cavalry, or of Artillery; but this is the Spirit of the Law which provides that a General shall receive no more than a Captain of the same arm—and the expression of the Law is that each Officer shall receive his pay— Now the pay of an Officer of Artillery could not be his pay to an Officer of Infantry. The reduced pay to Officers above the rank of Captain is the established principle of the Acts, for which Congress are responsible; and as the whole is a gratuity, the superior Officers have no right to demand that it should be proportioned to their rank. Mr Rush spoke again of the choice of Directors for the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, about which he is much troubled— There is a question between Walter Smith and General Mason, for Georgetown— Between Judge Washington, and a Mr Janney for Alexandria, and there was one suggestion which he inclined to favour, to set aside the three Corporations and make a full board not belonging to either of them— This I thought quite inadmissible— Mr Marvin came to speak again for the discharge of Josiah Sheldon from prison— The original papers were not to be found; but Marvin left with me a copy of Sheldon’s petition to the Secretary of the Treasury— Mr Holbrook called and I informed him that the Land wanted by him was not of the reservations at my disposal— General Macomb came with Mr Southard, and we conversed upon the application from the Baltimore Rail-road company; and upon that for the Surveys of roads through Painted Post, to the North-western boundary of New-York— We agreed that no Engineers should be withdrawn from the Baltimore Company except those whom they say that they can spare. I am to read the papers and answer the application for surveys to Lake Ontario, to-morrow— A man named Carey Pratt, came into my chamber about four this afternoon and said—The Battle of Bunker’s Hill was this day fifty-three years ago, and I was there— He left with me a Petition to be put on the Pension list; but he was not in the Continental Service— Visited the Garden after dinner— Found in Southern seedling bed one Persimon— White mustard seed, coming into blossom.— Light Thunder Shower.