- Thompson Gilbert L.
- Fletcher Noah
- Willis William
- Gilpin
- Reilly Boyd
I have neither time nor space for commenting upon, or even for stating
many of the interesting transactions of every day. The fate of my
Resolution offered yesterday, to stop hereafter the pay of absentee
members of the House of Representatives would furnish matter for four
pages of this diary—but it must pass— I called at the National
Intelligencer Office with a special request to Mr Gales
that the proceedings of both houses upon the resolution might be
correctly reported— The report in the Intelligencer of this morning of
the proceedings in the house is grossly incorrect, and there is no
report at-all of the proceedings in the Senate— This morning Mr G. L.
Thompson called on me to mention that he had made a
discovery of a fund of upwards of a million of dollars in the Navy
Department consisting of unclaimed Seamen’s wages, which might be
applied to any other useful purpose— This morning at the meeting of the
Committee of foreign Affairs were present Adams, Cushing, Everett, Granger, Caruthers,
Shepperd, White absent, Meriwether gone home, and Stuart, sick— Mr Cushing produced his report on the Mexican
claims— After some discussion it was agreed that some amendments should
be made to the report and Cushing was authorised to make it, if approved
by Mr Everett and myself.— Adjourned to meet
again next Tuesday if Congress should still be then in Session— In the
house the approaching close of the Session was manifested, by the
transaction of much helter skelter business— Gwin of Mississippi continued to teaze the house with the
most perverse perseverance to pass the bill to give a gratuity of about
4000 dollars under colour of refunding to General Jackson a fine levied upon him by Judge Hall at New-Orleans, in 1815—
This is a crumb of political swindling got up by Davezac a profligate French Creole of
New-Orleans, now commorant in the City of New-York, and disgracing it as
one of its representatives in the State Legislature— Gwin has been
harassing the house day after day to get up this bill reported by three
out of nine members of the judiciary committee with a characteristic
five points report by Charles J.
Ingersoll— Gwin failed to get up the bill this day but it
will be carried in the next Congress, if not in the next Session.— Two
notable bills were driven through the house this day. One to repeal the
proviso to the 6th. Section of the Act of 4.
Septr. 1841. suspending the distribution
of the proceeds of the Land-sales, among the States— The bill finally
passed by yeas and nays 104 to 86.— The bill for remedial justice was
also crowded by a rallying of the whigs, first through the Committee of
the whole on the state of the Union, Joseph R. Ingersoll in the Chair, and finally through the
house by yeas and nays 92 to 84— The bill for the relief of William Willis passed the Senate—
Old Mr
Gilpin aged 78 came down 20 miles on horseback this
hottest day of the Summer to see and talk, and dine with me— Noah Fletcher came to claim my aid to
save him from dismission as a Clerk— And Boyd
Reilly for an Invention.