John Quincy Adams Digital Diary

4. V:15. Friday

Met at half past ten this morning at the chamber of the Committee of Manufactures, the select Committee of the Smithsonian bequest— Present Adams, F. O. J. Smith of Maine, Charles Ogle of Pennsylvania, Charles Shepard of North-Carolina, John P. Kennedy of Maryland, and James Garland of Virginia— Absent Orrin Holt of Connecticut, Waddy Thompson of South-Carolina and William H. Hunter of Ohio— I had yesterday personally notified all the members to attend this meeting, except Hunter who was not in the House. Holt told me that he was engaged on the great Land Committee; and Thompson promised to come, but forgot it— The references to the Committee were the two Messages of the President, with Documents 10 and 11. of the present Session— A Memorial from Charles Lewis Fleischmann, a Bavarian but now a Citizen of the United States, and attached to the Patent Office, who proposes the Establishment of an Agricultural Institution and Farm School at the cost of about 300000 dollars—a memorial of Walter R. Johnson praying for the establishment of an Institution for prosecuting experiments in certain physical Sciences; and a Petition from Samuel Martin of Campbell’s Station Tennessee, who with much other matter prays that the Smithsonian fund may be applied to the Instruction of Females. I submitted also to the Committee a printed paper signed Franklin proposing the establishment of Professorships, and various courses of Lectures. I read 5I read the two Messages of the President, and the circular of 18 July 1838 from John Forsyth, Secretary of State; asking for opinions concerning the disposal of the fund, and stated the substance of my two Letters in answer to Mr Forsyth— I read also the Act of 1. July 1836. accepting the bequest and pledging the Faith of the United States to its application conformably to the direction of the Testator— There was some desultory conversation, and Mr Garland moved an adjournment till next Tuesday Morning at ten O’Clock, for a fuller Meeting of the Committee which was agreed to. H.R.U.S— Private business day. Reports from Committees called. May of Illinois moved to suspend the rules, to take up the Resolution for a Committee of Inquiry into the defalcation of Samuel Swartwout late Collector of the Customs at New-York— Lost by yeas and nays 101 to 88. not two thirds— Thomas of Maryland then called for the consideration of an amendment to the rules, proposed by him— That every alternate Friday should be assigned for the passage of private bills, not disputed— But after an hour’s discussion, this also was refused, and the Bill for the relief of Pamela Brown, widow of General Jacob Brown was taken up as first on the private Calendar, having been postponed last Friday— The Bill is a grant of five years half-pay of the General to Mrs Brown, on the principle of the act of 1802, that he died by reason of the wound that he received in the campaign of 1814. This Bill was most vehemently contested by the spigot-sparing, bung-outpouring economists of both parties, and by the Kinderhoek Ochlocracy, mainly because I favoured it— Sherrod Williams made a long and inveterate speech against it, but Bronson, Taylor and Foster of New-York, especially Foster very strenuously supported it— I followed Foster, in a short, confused, and very ill digested Speech in its favour; after which Taylor said a few words, scarcely heard for the overwhelming call for the question— The previous question was moved and carried. A call of the House— Motion after motion for adjournment, repetitions of calls for yeas, and nays, and every dilatory expedient, was resorted to by Williams, Duncan, and Dromgoole, who clustered together to defeat the Bill, in vain— The last devise was by Duncan who when his name was called on the passage of the Bill; but when all the names had been called through and he had thus ascertained a large majority for the Bill, demanded the call of his name; voted ay, and when the Speaker had declared the Bill passed gave notice that he should to-morrow move a reconsideration of the vote. But Rice Garland of Louisiana, defeated this movement by moving at once the reconsideration, and then the previous question which was carried; and the reconsideration refused; and the Bill again declared to be passed—the vote in its favour was 109 to 72. and the trickery to defeat the will of this majority was so dirty that Frank Thomas the ablest and bitterest man among them disclaimed it— Mr Morgan of Virginia introduced to me Mr Mahand of Monongalia in that State, as he said a political friend of mine, who told me that he had never seen me but once before, and that was at a drawing room at Mr Monroe’s when 6when he heard a conversation between C. F. Mercer & me in which I spoke in strong terms against the law which he was then urging through Congress, making the African Slave-trade piracy.— Alexander Smyth afterwards, as an electioneering engine against me, charged me with being in favour of the African Slave trade, and applied to Mercer for a certificate of what I said in that conversation to support the charge—but Mercer refused him. Mr Mahand this day told me that Smyth through his colleague Jackson had applied also to him for a certificate that he had heard me in that conversation speak in favour of the African Slave trade— That he had also refused the certificate, and had told Mr Jackson what he had heard me to say; and it was in strong disapprobation of the act, making it punishable with death, as piracy— Mr Mahand is now a member of the Legislature of Virginia, and said that having always been politically my friend, he had asked Mr Morgan to introduce him to me, as it might be the last time he should ever have the opportunity to see me— Evening at whist.