John Quincy Adams Digital Diary

1. V.15. Monday.

Fahrenheit 28.

The old proverb of March coming in like a Lion and going out like a Lamb has been this year reversed. March came in very gently, but after a heavy rain last Friday night and Saturday morning, a Northwester swept off all the clouds and a sharp frost last night has blighted all the Apricot blossoms just opened in beauty.— This is the anniversary week of the National Institute for which such an ostentatious parade of preparation has been made. The members of the Institute, and the scientific Strangers attending here by invitation from the Society met at ten this morning at the Library chamber of the Treasury department. I went there as a member, and as a delegate with Rufus Choate and Robert C. Winthrop from the Massachusetts antiquarian Society. I delivered the credentials to the Secretary of the Institute Francis Markoe with a Letter from Thomas S. Hinde— The meeting was numerous and they marched in procession, with the President of the United States, as Patron of the Institute at their head to the presbyterian church, in 4 1/2 street where he presided and Robert J Walker the Senator from Mississippi delivered the Anniversary Address. He was followed by Professor Draper of New-York and professor Loomis of Ohio with scientific essays— I left the chamber at the Treasury Department before the President of the United States came in, to attend my duty at the house where I expected to present the Resolves of the Legislature of Massachusetts against the annexation of Texas— It was the day for the receipt of petitions and Memorials among which are included the Resolutions of State Legislatures— But this had been superseded by the assignment of this and the two succeeding days for the consideration of business relating to the Territories.— The Committee of the whole was discharged from the consideration of sundry territorial bills which had been referred to it, and they were referred to the Committee of the whole on the state of the Union. Several new Bills came in to . . .ed and referred—to the same Committee— The house then went into that Committee and rapidly drove through numerous bills till they came to one authorising the President of the United States to sell the reserved lead mines, in Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin which started a long and a sharp debate— Cave Johnson moved an amendment requiring a preliminary survey and examination of the value of the lands, but it was rejected.— The purpose of the bill is to enable the squatters to obtain for 1 dollar and 35 cents an acre, lands worth at least ten dollars an acre— The bill was however arrested for the day on the question of engrossment and the house adjourned

2. V.30— Tuesday—

Sleepless Night. At 9 this morning the select Committee on the Resolves of the Legislature of Massachusetts of 23. March 1843 met in the chamber of the Committee of Manufactures Present all the members except Garrett Davis. Mr Morse read his report, which occupied about one hour in reading. Sample’s motion made at the last meeting that a list of the Petitions referred to the Committee and reported upon, should be appended to the journal, was discussed and on taking the question by yeas and nays, Adams Giddings, Sample and Morse voted ay— Burke, Burt, Lucas and Ingersoll voted no. At my request Davis was sent for to give the casting vote, but was not found; whereupon Ingersoll moved with some immaterial modification the same resolution and it was carried against the votes of Burke, Burt, and Lucas— I was then instructed to report to the house, the Resolution that the Amendment to the Constitution proposed by the Resolves of the Legislature of Massachusetts ought not to be recommended; and the resolution asking that the Committee should be discharged from the further consideration of the subject; and the journal and the Committee adjourned without day—each member to present his own report to the house— Ingersoll however had not made up the journal, and no opportunity for presenting the report to the house occurred, this day— In the house it was the second day for the consideration of business relating to the territories, and the bills were despatched with so much expedition first in Committee of the whole on the state of the Union, John White in the chair, and then in the house that soon after two O’Clock all the territorial bills were cleared off from the Speaker’s table— But there had been some previous debate on a bill to authorise the President of the United States to sell the lead mines in Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin upon which a motion of Parmenter to lay the bill on the table was lost by yeas and nays 66 to 82—and in Committee of the whole on the state of the Union, Weller in the chair the bill to regulate the pay of the army was resumed and debated till half past four when the Committee rose and the house adjourned. Cave Johnson moved that all debate on this bill, in Committee of the whole should cease next Thursday at 2 O’Clock P.M, which was carried— I had visits from Orson Pratt and John E. Page, Mormons— And Messrs. King, Kennedy, Winthrop and Wilson dined with us.

3. Second sleepless Night

Pratt is a commissioned agent from Joseph Smith the mayor of the city of Nauvoo in the State of Illinois and Chief and prophet of the Mormons or latter day Saints, a new fanatical religious sect, who have occasioned great troubles and suffered great persecutions in the State of Missouri, from which they have been expelled by popular violence and the Government of the State. Page is a preacher of the gospel of the same sect now residing here— Pratt has two memorials from them to Congress, complaining of the injuries they have received and claiming protection and redress— Pratt said he was instructed to ask an interview, first with the delegation from Illinois, and secondly from Massachusetts— I notified the members present from Massachusetts who agreed, to meet Pratt to-morrow morning in the chamber of the Committee of manufactures— Except Henry Williams who declined to attend— Mr R. S. Morsell came and paid me the annual instalment, on our agreement of 28 March 1839.— At the house John W. Davis was meeting some obstacle to getting in a minority report, when I helped him through by making it the occasion of slipping in my report and the resolutions and journal of the select Committee on the Resolves of the Legislature of Massachusetts— I moved that all the Reports should be laid on the table and printed— Instantly a Porcupine of objections bristled up against me. Burt immediately called again for the reading of my report, and said he could not vote for its being printed unless it should be read— I said I had no objection, though it would occupy two hours and be exceedingly tedious and if my report should be read I should of course require that they should all be read— Burt persisted, and the clerk began to read my report, but he had not proceeded half a page before they arrested him, and there was a long struggle of chicanery to defeat the printing of my report— They finally took by yeas and nays on the Resolution that the amendment of the Constitution recommended by the Massachusetts Legislature ought not to be recommended—carried 153 to 13. Then that the Committee should be discharged from the further consideration of the subject—adopted without division— Ingersoll, Burke, Sample and Morse presented their several reports, and my motion was that they should all be laid on the table and printed— The motion to lay them on the table worried through with some edging— Saunders moved to lay the motion to print on the table. The further consideration was postponed till to-morrow—

4. II to IV. and VI.15

Sleepless Night.

After the decision of the house yesterday on the Resolutions reported from the select Committee on the Resolves of the Massachusetts Legislature, and the postponement to this day of the motion to print all the reports and the journal of the Committee; the house was engaged the rest of the day in a very warm debate on the bill authorising the President to sell the lead mines in Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin, which on the question of engrossment was rejected by yeas and nays 69 to 81—upon which a motion of reconsideration was immediately made, and lies over— In the evening I attended the meeting of the National Institute at the Presbyterian Church in 4 1/2 Street, and heard a Discourse by A. D. Bache on the history of Science in Europe and America—an Essay on the Indian Summer by Professor Jacobs of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania; and an account of the petrified forest near Cairo in Egypt by Dr A. D. Chaloner of Philadelphia— The Secretary of the Treasury J. C. Spencer presided at the meeting and the new Secretary of State John C. Calhoun was there I shook hands with him in silence— The weather is intensely warm and I passed the night without closing my eyes— At 2 in the morning I rose and forced my hand to write, struggling with the angel of death for two hours— Then returned to bed for two more sleepless hours— At half past 10 this morning, with four other members of the Massachusetts delegation I met in the chamber of the Committee of Manufactures the Mormon agent Pratt, and preacher Page, who set forth at large the grounds of their complaints against the Government and People of Missouri, and the persecutions for relief from which their memorials claim the interposition of Congress— The power of Congress to interfere is questionable— The right is doubtful. The memorials must be presented by a member from Illinois, and we agreed to act upon them, as the proper sense of our duties would require.— At the house, after long and wide spreading debate the bill to regulate the pay of the army was passed by yeas and nays 109 to 36— The reports from the Committee on the Massachusetts Resolves were in despite of Burt ordered to be printed, 85 to 60. And the joint Resolution from the Senate to close the Session on the 27th. of May, was postponed for consideration till the 13th. of that month.

5. II— IV— VI.30.

Sleepless Night— Good Friday.

I attended again last evening the meeting of the National Institute and heard a discourse from Dr. Nott, President of Union college Schenectady, upon the origin, duration and end of the world— Learned—pious—argumentative—rhetorical, full of animation and ethereal spirit—followed by Professor A. H. Agnew of New-York, on the glacier system or period of Agassez a recent counter absurdity to that of Buffon, who supposed this globe to be a ball of fire struck off by the tail of a Comet from the Sun— Agassez represents it as a metallic ball covered over originally with a crust of ice— The house was crowded— The air uncomfortably warm; and I was at one time oppressed to faintness and went into the vestibule of the church to breathe fresh air— I came home again to a sleepless bed— Again I rose about two in the morning, and forced my shaking hand to write till the dawn of day between 4 and 5 where I returned to bed, and in wakeful slumber lay till after Sunrise— At the house this morning— The order for printing ten thousand extra copies of Joseph R. Ingersoll’s minority report on the tariff, from the Committee of Ways and Means, was after a mean struggle to suppress it, extorted from a two thirds vote— It is but half the number, already ordered of the majority report— It was private bill day—but John W. Tibbatts of the 10th. congregational district of Kentucky moved to go into Committee of the whole on the state of the Union, to take up the bill making appropriations for the improvement of certain harbours and rivers. Vance pleaded for the private claimants in vain— The house went into Committee, Linn Boyd in the chair, and the river and harbor bill, was buffeted between the parties upwards of two hours— Garrett Davis turned it into an electioneering battle ground by an hour speech of invective upon Martin Van Buren, and his administration— W. W. Payne of Alabama answered him by a counterblast against the whigs, reinforced with another hour of railing by James B. Bowlin of St. Louis, Missouri; after which the Committee rose and the house adjourned— My wife sent for Dr Thomas, who came and prescribed soporifics. At 7 this Evening I went with my wife and family to the roman catholic church of St. Matthew and heard the Stabat Mater of Rossini performed— That of Pergolezi followed and a Sermon; but I was obliged to leave the church; which was excessively crowded to an evening party at the house of Mr John C. Spencer, the Secretary of the Treasury— By him and his lady and daughter I was greeted, with much kindness.

6. V.15. Saturday.

The loss of sleep—the agitation of nerves, and the multitude and variety of calls upon me upon business public and private constantly pressing upon me scatters my thoughts into a chaos of confusion, and I cannot retain the memory of any thing from day to day— The task of redeeming my journal arrears has become more than Herculean. This morning Mr Thomas Johnson came to make enquiries about a claim of a person named Della Francia, connected with the old West Florida, Kemper insurrection claims; settled three or four times, all more than twenty years ago, and the details of which have long since been extinguished from my Memory— I told Mr Johnson that I had some remembrance that the name of Della Francia was one of those for whom settlement was made with Mr Kemper; but that all the documents with which I had ever been conversant relating to this business were at the Department of State— Mr Alexander H. Everett also called on me this morning. He is here in attendance on the meetings of the National Institute, and is to deliver a discourse at the last meeting next Monday evening. At the house the first business was a motion of Tibbatts to take the bill making appropriations for certain harbours and rivers out of Committee of the whole on the state of the Union this day at two O’Clock which was carried— Then David L. Seymour of Troy, New-York, made his separate minority report from the Committee of Ways and Means, on the Tariff; and 10000 extra copies of it were ordered to be printed— The house then went into committee of the whole on the state of the Union on the river and harbour bill, and then commenced the jarring and sparring of the western members for addition of appropriations—not a river, not a creek, not a nook or corner from Pittsburgh to Galvezton, but was to be stuffed with sweetmeats from the Treasury besides 3 times 75000 dollars for the Cumberland road and 25000 dollars for a bridge over the Ohio— At 2 O’Clock the debate ceased and the voting to reject amendments commenced, and continued till past 4. O’Clock, when the bill with sundry amendments was reported to the house but could not get no further now. The house adjourned— The account was this day received of the death of Heman Allen Moore late member from Columbus Ohio.

7. V:30 Sunday

Professor Bache and Mr Markoe, called on me this morning, and urged me with so much importunity to preside at one of the meetings of the National Institute, to-morrow, the last day of the anniversary week, that after stating to them the condition of my health disqualifying me for presiding over any public meeting, I finally yielded to their intreaties; and consented to preside at the morning meeting— As the house of Representatives will only meet to receive notice of the decease of Heman Allen Moore the member from Columbus Ohio, to hear his funeral eulogy, and to pass the usual honorary resolutions and adjourn— In the hall of the house of Representatives I heard a sermon by Professor Caswell of Brown University—Providence—from Psalm 97.1. “The Lord reigneth: let the earth rejoice”—the remainder of the verse “let the multitude of isles be glad thereof”—was not included in the text— It is but the repetition of the same idea—the natural propensity of joyous exultation— This precept to rejoice in the omnipotence of God is founded upon the tacit prejudication that he reigns in righteousness, and overrules all evil for good— But if the power of God is manifested in destruction, how can we rejoice? If Satan triumphs over truth and justice how can we rejoice? In humble resignation to the will of God, we may submit to afflictive dispensations without a murmur, confiding in the hope that justice will at last prevail; but are joy and sorrow at our command? The text seems so to presuppose— The theme is copious, and was not thoroughly explored by Professor Caswell— His text was regularly divided into the boundless power of God; easily illustrated—and the duty to rejoice for it, the only contestible point of the doctrine, but which the professor neither contested, nor stated the objections by which it is contested— The auditory was thin, and the Sermon not unacceptable— Mr wife and family attended the service of Easter morning, performed by Mr Hawley at St. John’s Church— As I was returning from the Capitol I met Mr Pakenham the new Minister from Great Britain, who had just called at my house and returned and sat with me, about an hour— From the tenour of his conversation I infer that his instructions are to preserve peace at all hazards— That he will in no event interpose any objection to the annexation of Texas, but will rather favour it— That he will come to another evasive compromise about the surrender of fugitive slaves— That he will be quite conciliatory upon the Oregon controversy leaving something unsettled and yielding as much as may be necessary to appease the South, reserving his victory for the demolition of the tariff and free trade— This afternoon I attended church at St. John’s Church where Mr Hawley, read the evening service for Easter—and half the Easter day Homily, for a Sermon—

8. V:30. Monday.

Mr Walter Forward of Pittsburgh called on me this morning, deeply concerned, and anxiously adverse, as I had found him last November at Pittsburgh against the annexation of Texas to this Union— To his enquiries as to the prospects of this event at present I could give no answer—though I now see it doomed beyond the reach of all but almighty power, and despair of that— The impulse of national aggrandizement, spurred by private avarice and corruption cannot be resisted; and it will now be consummated even without a War—with the connivance, if not with the aid of England. Morning visits also from Mr John W. Allen of Cleveland Ohio, a member of the 26th. Congress, and with him, Mr Williams and Mr Turner of that State.— At the house immediately after the reading of the journal John B. Weller of Ohio, rose with a sanctimonious face and announced the decease of his colleague Heman Allen Moore of Columbus who reached home merely to die on the 3d of this month— Weller’s obituary was pious, cold and heartless, with a string of commonplace quotations from scripture, and Burke’s what shadows we are, and what shadows we pursue— The usual mortuary resolutions were adopted, and the house adjourned— Professor Bache was at the side of my seat, and went with me to the Unitarian Church; where after a short prayer from Mr Bulfinch the Pastor, I took the chair, and presided at the ninth Meeting of the National Institute—about four hours— I read an address about five minutes long, which I had written this morning, apologising for my non attendance at the morning meetings of the last week, and expressing my regret at the very little service I have been able to render to the Institute— If the last week had been my own, and I could have lengthened this address to half an hour, I should have given satisfaction— Several papers were read on various topics and of various merit— A Letter from Levi Woodbury in favour of the Institute—a long one from Richard Rush, on the Smithsonian bequest—something from Professor Espy about storms, and lastly a Treatise by the President’s son John Tyler junr. on the controverted theories of single and double-electricity—very creditable to him— Near four O’Clock the meeting adjourned— And at half past 7 in the evening I attended the tenth and last meeting. J. C. Spencer presided and delivered a short closing address— Professor Patterson and A. H. Everett were the last performers. Dr Thomas came home with me.

9. V:30 Tuesday.

Mr Lambden is a painter usually residing at Philadelphia, who two or three years ago painted a portrait of me, and from whom I have not since heard till this morning, when he called on me, and requested me, to sit for him again— He has the portrait still, and says it has been much approved as a likeness, by all persons acquainted with me who have seen it— He has made a copy of it, which he intends to present to the astronomical Society of Cincinnati and wishes me to give him one or two sittings for finishing touches to the present time. I agreed to meet him to-morrow morning at 10 O’Clock at his room in the capitol. On my way to the house I stop’d at the Globe Office, and gave directions to the compositor Haliday for the printing of the Reports on the Massachusetts Resolves— I spoke for 100 extra copies of mine—and gave directions for the printing of the whole. The original manuscript of the journal in Joseph R. Ingersoll was not there; having been retained by B. B. French, supposing that my copy of it would be sufficient for the printing— But I directed, that the print should be from the original journal, and afterwards in the house, French promised me to send it to the printing Office— I found the house in Session; and taking the yeas and nays on a motion to reconsider a vote of yesterday, rejecting a proposal of the Committee on the public buildings to appropriate 1000 dollars from the contingent fund of the house and authorise the clerk to contract for illuminating the hall with the Drummond light. I did not reach my Seat in time to vote but the reconsideration was refused— Sundry reports from Committees were received, among which were two by Simons chairman of the Committee on engraving—proposing the engraving; in debate upon which Cave Johnson moved to abolish the office of meteorologist in the department of Surgeon general— This dislocation of professor Espy was rejected by yeas and nays. 79 to 86— M’Kay according to notice long since given moved to suspend the rules to go into Committee of the whole on the state of the Union to take up the tariff Bill; but lost the motion by yeas and nays 80 to 84. Tibbatts then moved a resolution to cease debate in committee of the whole on the Eastern harbour bill at 4 O’Clock this afternoon; but this sprung a debate of two hours in which I took part and which closed by laying Tibbatts’s resolution on the table.— Elmer then moved to go into Committee of the whole on the state of the Union, and the Eastern harbour Bill was taken up— Davis of Indiana in the Chair— Small progress was made; the Committee rose and the house adjourned. At the National Intelligencer Office I met Jacob Barker.

10. V.30. Wednesday.

Dr Todsen called on me this morning. I had not seen him for more than a year. He is still as he was then indigent and unemployed. Sickly and destitute, but I have not the means of relieving him— I promised to take out of the Congress library for him the life of Beethoven the musical performer; but forgot to perform my promise— At 10 O’Clock I repaired to the Capitol and gave a sitting of an hour to Mr Lambden— His former portrait was there, and is one of the strongest likenesses that has ever been taken of me. He has also likenesses of President Tyler, W. Wilkins and the Senators Mangum of North-Carolina, and Morehead of Kentucky.— When I went into the house I found William J. Brown, of Indianapolis, one of the demi-demons of democracy which make a pandemonium of the house closing, under the guise of a personal explanation a renewed furious charge against Henry Clay of having said in one of his speeches that there was no need of protection— He had made the same charge one day last week, and it had been taken up, and convicted of forgery by John White of Kentucky— He had then been compelled to retract the charge, and to apologize for it— But he had now got another Report of a Speech of Clay, in which he said there was no need of protection for protection; and upon this he had the impudence to renew the charge and to rail like a maniac against Clay— White claimed the right to reply—and carried it by suspension of the rules; and again floored Brown, till he gasped for breath, convicted him of rascally slander, and left not a rag of reputation upon his back— But no man thinks the worse of Brown for this sample of his character and he will be ready to do his dirty work again to morrow, as if nothing had happened— Reports form Committees were then received and four were made by Charles J. Ingersoll from the Committee of foreign Affairs— One of these was a slave tainted sacrifice to the claim of the Spanish Minister of indemnity for the Amistad— Another against all political intercourse with Hayti— Ingersoll moved to print ten thousand extra copies of the Amistad Report— Dromgoole moved to go in to Committee of the whole on the state of the Union, to take up the Tariff-bill—lost by yeas and nays 85 to 87. Joseph R. Ingersoll moved to suspend the rules for a resolution to postpone the tariff bill till the last Tuesday in December next— Call of the house— Dromgoole moved to strike out next December and insert tomorrow lost 90 to 92. Joseph R. Ingersoll’s motion lost 83 to 100.— Message from the President on the Rhode-Island Insurrection— Referred to the select Committee of 5—adjourned at half past 4.

11. V:30. Thursday.

Mrs W. S. Smith who since Mr T. B. Johnson’s death has been residing at Mr Frye’s, came last Evening to spend some time with us.— Mr Stockton also, came in, on a short visit from Philadelphia. He dined with us this day and is to return to Philadelphia to-morrow; with an order assigning Boston for his station as purser— This morning the Revd. R. R. Gurley called on me with the Revd. Aaron Foster, from whom I had received a queer letter on the 24th. of last October the day before I left Quincy for Cincinnati. He came now with a small Album, blank excepting a creed in half a dozen lines that Permanent and universal peace is the genius of Christianity and promotive of the prosperity of Nations and claims the prayers and exertions of all philanthropists He wished my name as first subscriber to this creed. I reinforced the creed by declaring peace the Law of Nature and of Nature’s God—the vital spirit and genius of Christianity, and essential to the Liberty, Justice and Prosperity of Nations— I subscribed to this, and left him to find other subscribe as he as he may. Mr Wethered and Mr Winder came with several Letters and documents and a request that I would present to Congress the camp chest of Washington—a very unwelcome task, but which I do not see how I can decline it. I had promised to give a sitting of an hour, at ten this morning to Mr Gibert to paint my portrait; but these visitors had absorbed the time. At the house Tibbatts again moved to suspend the rules for a Resolution to cease debate on the eastern harbour Bill in committee of the whole on the state of the Union, at two O’Clock this afternoon, and then to take the question on all proposed amendments and report the bill to the house. And now he succeeded. The house went into Committee of the whole. John W. Davis in the Chair, and the whole time till 2 was consumed in debating an amendment proposed by Charles Rogers of Sandy-hill 14th. Congressional district of New-York—an appropriation of 5000 dollars for the harbour of Whitehall—which was carried 76 to 73. a succession of amendments were then voted up or down and the bill was reported to the house— There Thompson of Mississippi moved an additional appropriation, the bill was postponed, and the house went again into Committee of the whole on the State of the Union Linn Boyd in the chair and took up the amendments of the Senate, to the Revolutionary Pension bill.— The amendments of the Senate were adopted, amended or rejected and reported to the house, where they were further discussed and decided— A ludicrous altercation about skulking arose between Cave Johnson and Holmes— Adjourned near 5. Mrs Thornton, Mrs Talbot and Mary, here this Evening—

12. V:15. Friday.

Dr Todsen had called upon me yesterday morning for the life of Beethoven, which I had promised the day before to take out of the Congress Library for him; but I had forgotten it, and asked him to call again this morning— Yesterday, I took the books out—two small volumes duo decimo, which I gave to the Doctor this morning, with a note of the librarian, that they must be returned by the 18th. instt.— I looked over the volumes cursorily—enough to see that he was unfortunate through life by the mere roughness of his temper.— I revised this morning the remainder of my report on the Resolves of the Massachusetts Legislature; and returned the proof with the manuscript to Mr Haliday— Ordering 100 extra copies to be sent and delivered at my seat in the house— I sat an hour to Mr Lambden who has finished the copy of his former portrait of me, and is now finishing a smaller copy, from which he proposes to having an engraving made. At the request of J. M. Edwards and Anthony, I sat also in their room while they took three larger Daguerrotype likenesses of me, than those they had taken before. While I was there President Tyler and his son John came in, but I did not notice them— The house had been half an hour in Session when I entered it and after an ineffectual attempt of Weller to go into Committee of the whole on the state of the Union sundry reports from Committees were received among which was one from Zadok Pratt, chairman of the Committee on the public buildings, glancing at an appropriation, to purchase from the funds received at the patent office, books for the use of the office; and another joint resolution with an appropriation for various purposes— It raised a running debate which closed by recommitting the Resolution. A. Stewart from the Committee on the District of Columbia reported without amendment a bill to incorporate the Georgetown College— Charles J. Ingersoll started an objection to it which raised a debate— I urged a recommitment of it, to save it— Committed to the Committee of the whole on the state of the Union. The house went into that Committee for one hour, and carried through Parmenter’s small navy appropriation, which also passed the house— Then came the private character-bounties, for perished fishing schooners. The copy-right and the use of the plates for the narratives of the exploring expetition, much debated, and finally postponed till next Friday. Dr Duncan moved to adjourn over to Monday, for the opportunity to witness to morrow the submarine explosion—but it failed—adjourned after 4. Large Evening party at Mrs Madison’s. Anna Payne’s birth day— Annexation Texas Treaty, this day signed.

13. V:30. Saturday—

I received last evening, a petition to the house of Representatives from Alanson Bills, of Indiana County, Pennsylvania, bitterly complaining that he had heretofore sent me a petition to present, claiming remuneration for public services rendered by him in the revolutionary war, and that it appeared I had, totally neglected my duty, and never presented his petition— I found on consulting my minutes, that I presented his petition, on the 27th. of March, and it was referred to the Committee of Revolutionary pensions—and it was published as N. 159. in my list in the National Intelligencer of the 5th instt. I give this as a sample of the treatment to which members of Congress are not unfrequently subject from Petitioners— The sheet of the journal including the 27th of March is not yet printed— I gave the last sitting of a full hour this morning to Mr Lambden, who finished his third and last portrait of me— He asked me also to stop on Monday morning at Haas’s Daguerrotipe shop, and having a likeness of me taken there for him to which I agreed— It was about noon when I entered the house, and found it in Committee of the whole on the state of the Union, Weller in the Chair, upon the army appropriation bill. A call on the Secretary of the Navy had been adopted on motion of Mr Summers for correspondence of Commodore M C. Perry, commander of the squadron on the coast of Africa, concerning the coloured colonies there— Vance and Ramsay, had pleaded in vain for the regular order of private business— The army appropriation bill prevailed, and the effort of M’Kay, chairman of the Committee of Ways and Means was to reduce the amount of the appropriations, to square with the reductions—of the retrenchment bill recently passed for regulating the pay of the army.— The army supporters, chiefly whigs, Barnard, White, Joseph R. Ingersoll were urging that the appropriations should be left as if the retrenchment bill had not passed— Brengle however a new whig member from Maryland was in favour of the reduction, and Archibald Atkinson of the first Congressional District of Virginia voided a hogshead of invective upon the whigs, and charged them among many other things with now claiming for themselves the merit of the retrenchments made by the 27th. Congress; but which were carried against their votes— Morse of Maine replied to Atkinson by a defence of the whigs, but soon after two, he gave way to a motion for the Committee to rise and the house adjourned— I went down to the Eastern branch and saw the experiment of blowing up by submarine explosion a ship of 500 tons, under weigh— Daniel R. Goodloe, and John Connell were here.

14. V:30. Sunday.

Midsummer heat— Trees in full blossom

Notice had been given yesterday in the daily Journals that Mr Tinsley the chaplain of the house of Representatives, would this day at the request of the friends of the late Heman Allen Moore, deliver a funeral discourse upon his decease— The hall was well filled, in the expectation of hearing him, but Mr Tustin, the chaplain to the Senate informed the auditory that Mr Tinsley had been taken ill, and from indisposition was unable to attend. The Revd James A Roberts of New-Bedford made the prayer, and Mr Tustin himself preached a sermon of an hour, from John 5.40. “And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.” A variation from the ordinary grammatical construction of the sentence which should be that ye may have life— This chapter contains the account of the man healed at the pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath day, a circumstance excessively offensive to the Jews at Jerusalem—whereupon Jesus thus expostulated with them— Toward the close of his discourse Mr Tustin involved himself in a labyrinth of discussion to reconcile free will and predestination, which he was quite unable to adjust— Immediately after dinner I received visits from the Minister of Great Britain Mr Pakenham, and his Secretary Mr Bidwell— With Mr Pakenham I had some conversation— I enquired if his negotiation with our Government on the subject of the Oregon territory had commenced. He said it had not.— But he said that he had made an explicit declaration to our Department of State that the British Government would in no respect interfere in the affairs of Texas; and he spoke of it as some what extraordinary that the fact had been publicly denied in the Madisonian, the official daily journal of the Executive— He said he had thought of addressing a note to the Secretary of State on the subject. But he manifested no feeling on the signature of the Treaty for the annexation of Texas to the United States, and left me with the impression that Great Britain would oppose no resistance to its consummation— I attended public worship this afternoon at the second Presbyterian Church where Mr Knox preached from 1. Timothy 2.5 “For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” The necessity of a mediation by God, between God and man, for the salvation of men is like predestination and free will; hard to be understood.— Mr David L. Child was here this Evening. He says there will be War with Mexico— I doubt—

15. V:15 Monday

Early this morning Harriet Livermore made her appearance here for the fourth time within the last twenty years, with a book which within the last six months, she has published at a cost of nearly 200 dollars, and for which there is no sale; and with a manuscript to publish which she comes to solicit subscriptions.— And while she is spending money profusely to print books which no body will purchase or read, she is so totally destitute that last Christmas day in New-York she had only three borrowed potatoes and half an ounce of dry bread for nourishment, and threw herself on a bed to die of hunger unless relieved by the special interposition of God—which came in the person of a female acquaintance who ministered to her wants— She breakfasted with us, and I took her printed book, and subscribed for the printing of the manuscript, giving her a five dollar bill for the whole— But I dissuaded her from printing the manuscript, and declined drawing up a subscription paper for her, as she requested. She told me she wished to preach in the Hall of the House of Representatives next Sunday, and I promised to aid in obtaining for her the permission. Mr William Darby was here to discourse concerning his payment of half a year’s rent for the house of which he has a lease from me—but he prevaricated so that I could only refer him to Mr Frye— Mr William S. Hubbell of the 30th. Congressional District of New-York, came and introduced to me a namesake of his of Canandaigua, and a Revd. Mr Eddy of New Jersey; and the Revd. Aaron Foster was with them— I had about half an hour’s conversation with them—chiefly concerning the recent revolution in the city Government of New-York—accomplished for reform; and which I greatly fear will itself as urgently need reform before the end of the year— At the house this was the day for the call of petitions, but not a petition was suffered to be presented— There was a call of the house long protracted, which produced only 173 answers of names. M’Kay moved to go into Committee of the whole on the state of the Union, to take up the tariff bill—lost 84 to 95—but they went in to Committee, Weller in the Chair and took up the army appropriation bill.— Morse finished his partisan Speech—at 2. O’Clock the time came for taking it out of Committee. It was reported to the house with amendments—one of which an appropriation for a purchase of land at Newport Kentucky was rejected by yeas and nays 58 to 96 after which the bill passed to be engrossed, and passed— And at 4. O’Clock the house adjourned—

16. IV:45 Tuesday

Fahrenheit over 80

Dr Todsen called this morning, and returned the 2 Volumes of the Life of Beethoven which I had taken for him at the Library of Congress. He expressed a desire to see one or two volumes of Dupuis’s Origine de tous les cultes, which I promised to take for him from the library if they are there— Mrs Telfair came again to complain of the neglect or indifference of the committee on revolutionary claims to her claims, and to ask my advice, which can be of no avail to soften the obduracy of Richard D. Davis the chairman of that committee. At the house, Cranston presented by leave the protest of the Legislature of Rhode-Island, against the right of Congress to interfere in the internal affairs of that State— And just as he was presenting it, his colleague Elisha R. Potter went to him and asked him to tack to the protest a newspaper slip, on which were printed the message of the Governor of Rhode-Island to the Legislature, and the vote of censure by the Legislature upon the members, who signed the memorial upon which Burke raised his select Committee— The protest when presented by Cranston was ordered to be laid on the table and printed. Some time after Burke, going to the clerk’s table to examine the protest, found the newspaper slip tacked to it; and raised a tempest in a teapot, charging it as a fraud and imposition upon the house practised by the Rhode-Island members. Burke grossly insulted them; and the bulldogs of the democracy were all out upon them— Some of the whig members sustained them as well as they could, and they made a rather aukward apology— Weller moved to reconsider the order to lay on the table and print the protest— It was reconsidered. Potter then withdrew the newspaper slip, much against the will of Payne, and other of the rabid animals, who denied their right to withdraw their supplementary paper—but the Speaker decided that they had the right. The order to lay on the table and print the protest was then renewed, but they took the question of printing by yeas and nays. Five minutes after Burke smuggled in a protest against the protesters which was laid on the table and ordered to be printed much in the same snarl as the rest. Causin made on the question to print the protest an eloquent and sound speech against the whole proceedings of the house on the subject— The rest of the day was consumed in discussing the reconsideration of a vote yesterday refusing an appropriation for a purchase of land in Newport Kentucky— The reconsideration was at last denied— Dr Thomas here this evening, to see my wife.

17. V. Wednesday.

The more than midsummer heat, that has continued so unseasonably long, has at last partially subsided, and the temperature of Spring with dewy fingers cold, has taken place of the premature dog-days— My sleep of last Night was not quiet, and I first rose this morning before three— Then returned to bed without sleep and up again at daylight— I wrote to John J. Flournoy of Georgia, returning to him a petition to the Legislature of Georgia which he had sent to me to present to the House of Representatives of the United States— I had promised at his earnest solicitation to present a petition for him to the house, and he sent me the petition to the Legislature of Georgia—authorizing me by Letter to change its direction—and address it to the house— If I should do it, they would charge it upon me as forgery— Flournoy is a crack-brained Christian Slaveholder, who believes that African Slavery is sanctioned by the curse upon Canaan— At the house, Weller presented a memorial and the proceedings of a convention in this city concerning an amendment of the city charter.— Laid on the table and ordered to be printed— I presented by leave the memorial of Eliphalet Nott, B. F. Butler and other learned and literary men, who attended the late Anniversary of the National Institute, in aid of the Memorial recently presented from the Institute, praying for an appropriation for its support— I had presented the memorial of the Institute, and moved its reference to the joint Committee on the library. Objection had then been made by a single member, and the question of reference laid over But French had considered it as entered under the rule, and sent the memorial to the Library Committee on his own authority. The auxiliary memorial presented by me this day was received and referred without objection.— Numerous Reports of Committees were received almost all pernicious— The Western harbour Bill was taken up, and the previous question was withdrawn, for the homunculus Douglass to poke out a speech in favour of the constitutionality of appropriations for the improvement of Western rivers and harbours.— This brought out Rhett in all his fury and Holmes in all his casuistry, against Douglass and against the whole system of Internal improvement, federalism, consolidation and despotism— The debate was continued between the conflicting absurdities of the Southern Democracy which is Slavery and the Western democracy which is knavery, till Kennedy of Indiana slumped into a motion to strike out the whole bill, and inserting the bill first reported by the Committee omitting the Illinois river. Hopkins Quasi speaker pronounced this not in order. Kennedy appealed. Adjourned.

18. V. Thursday.

Yesterday while the house was in Session I met in the passage way outside the bar unexpectedly Mr John B. Macy of Cincinnati, one of my fellow travellers from the 1st. to the 4th of last November in the Canal-boat from Cleveland to Hebron— He came with a Son of Mr Tallmadge the Senator from New-York and spent part of last evening with me. This morning Miss Harriet Livermore came again and breakfasted with us. She has obtained Mr Tinsley’s consent to preach in the hall of the house next Sunday morning at 11. He wished her to take the afternoon at 4. O’Clock but she declined— She was opening to me this morning for advice a very long and complicated story of her claim upon her deceased father’s estate, in controversy with her stepmother but with which I have no right to interfere— We were interrupted by a visit, from Mrs Royall’s Sally, from which I was relieved for a dollar— And I hope it relieved me also from all further cognisance of Miss Livermore’s family concerns.— I was all the time, labouring with preparation for the ceremony of presenting to the house and thereby to Congress, in the name of the late William Sidney Winder, the camp chest of General George Washington used by him during the revolutionary War— There are circumstances of deep feeling in this transaction susceptible of being most invidiously turned against me, and to give an aukward and perhaps ridiculous aspect to the whole proceeding.— There was a Letter from General Washington, refering to the furniture of this chest, which after long and anxious search, I found at the National Intelligencer Office in Niles Register of 13. May 1843.— By agreement with the Speaker, immediately after the reading of the house I stated that I had this chest to present, and proposed that 3. O’Clock P.M. this day should be fixed for the operation—to which the house assented— In the interval the morning hour was consumed by a speech of Giddings against a motion of Charles J. Ingersoll to print ten thousand extra copies of a report by him as chairman of the Committee of foreign affairs in the case of the Amistad.— The house then took up the western river and harbour bill, and I retired to the chamber of the Committee of Manufacturers, and wrote till close upon three. Then returned to the house, where they had just rejected the engrossment of the harbour Bill—and Duncan had moved a reconsideration— Precisely at 3 O’Clock I presented the camp-chest with the documents my vouchers for offering it, and an address, not more than five minutes in length, and offered a joint Resolution accepting the chest, and another of respect and sympathy to the family— Mr Wethered and J. P. Kennedy followed with a few words.—

19. V. Friday.

Mr John P. Kennedy, closed the scene of the presentation of the chest by a short speech appropriate and touching, and offered a third resolution that the documents presented by me with the chest be entered on the journal of the house— All the Resolutions were adopted with one dissenting voice, John P. Hale, who upon the question of each Resolution distinctly answered no— The house then at the motion of John P. Kennedy adjourned— Mary Cutts and my grand daughter Mary Louisa had been in the Lady’s gallery and were in the barouche at the door of the house— I came home with them and Miss Cutts dined with us— Mrs Madison with her niece Anna Payne was in the house sitting in front of the Clerk’s table during the whole ceremony— This morning Mr Hubbell the member of the house from the 30th Congressional District of New-York Steuben and Allegany came with General Davis, Speaker of the present or late house of Assembly of that State whom he introduced to me— At the house, I presented by leave the Resolves of the Legislature of Massachusetts concerning the annexation of Texas of last—and moved that they be laid on the table and printed— Cave Johnson and Weller made a show of objection to the reception of them, but did not persist— Charles J. Ingersoll, made an attempt to have them referred to his Committee of foreign Affairs, but the Speaker declared his motion not in order.— The first business of the day was the question was upon the motion to print ten thousand copies of Charles Hudson’s report from the Committee of Manufacturers, with Charles J. Ingersoll’s amendment to print 10000 copies of his report from the Committee of foreign Affairs—in the case of the Amistad— Preston King said he would move the indefinite postponement of the subject—but Weller moved to lay the whole subject on the table which was carried by yeas and nays 86 to 62— Giddings’s hour speech of yesterday, had sickened the democracy of Ingersoll’s report— I had not read it— The only private business transacted was a joint Resolution for the relief of W. P. Zantzinger a purser in the Navy passed rather hastily and with a refusal to reconsider.— A bill to authorise an extra Session of the Legislature of Iowa was passed, and after the usual routine of interloping, the Western Harbour Bill was taken up and Duncan moved the previous question—on his motion to reconsider the vote of yesterday, while I was out, refusing the engrossment of the Bill for a third reading— The vote of reconsideration was carried by yeas and nays 129 to 40. and the whole bill was reopened for debate— Duncan moved to strike out the Illinois river, and a long debate ensued till past 4 when the house adjourned.

20. IV. Saturday.

Messrs Arnold and Girault called to see me this morning. I had an hour of conversation with them— They are the Undertakers and preceptors of a high school in this city, for young gentlemen, of which they sent me a few days since the prospectus— They have built a school house within three doors of my dwelling house, and propose about the first of next month to open it with something of an imposing solemnity. They sent me a very flattering invitation to preside on that occasion and to deliver an address upon the nature and objects of this institution— I could not accept it— I am unfitted for all public exhibitions of myself in person henceforth and forever— Mr Girault is a Frenchman and spoke with much sensibility of the recent decease of Stephen S Du Ponceau; and with good sense of Robert Walsh who vegetates at Paris on a pension of 1500 dollars a year paid him by Gales and Seaton, for an Olla Podrida of weekly gossiping Letters, about Literature and Politics Irish repeal, English Corn Laws, Louis Philippe and the Duke de Bordeaux.— At the house John Wentworth of Illinois made a personal explanation; assuring the house that he did not use the words By God! yesterday, as reported in the Intelligencer; but only exclaimed, My God! an exclamation of deep sensibility, but in no sense or intention of using profane language. Alexander H. Stephens, presented Resolutions of the Legislature of Georgia, in answer and adverse to those of the Legislature of Massachusetts proposing the amendment to the Constitution— He moved to refer them to a select Committee of 9—but Cave Johnson moved that they be laid on the table, and printed, which was carried— Then followed sundry reports of Committees, of no significance— A Bill for repairing the Pennsylvania avenue— Motion to lay on the table, lost 74 to 83.— M’Kay moved to suspend the rules to go into Committee of the whole on the state of the Union to take up the Navy or Post office appropriation bills—lost 88 to 91. Vance pleaded very hard for the private Calendar—but M’Clernand moved to go into Commee of the whole on the state of the Union, to take up the Western harbour bill, and that prevailed, 120 to 59— Tibbatts concluded his dull speech in support of the Bill— John R. J. Daniel of Halifax North-Carolina railed for an hour against internal improvement, and Alvan Cullom of Livingston 4th. District of Tennessee founded the same base string— The Illinois river was struck out 118 to 49. for fear of a Veto— The bill then passed to be engrossed by yeas 110 to 75—and finally passed 108 to 72.— Duncan moved a reconsideration— No quorum voting— Adjourned.

21. V. Sunday.

Rain—great part of the Night; followed by a dark, gloomy day— I had obtained from Mr Tinsley, with some reluctance on his part, the permission for Harriet Livermore to preach in the Hall of the House of Representatives, this morning and I went with my Granddaughter Mary-Louisa and heard her She was alone, and had the appearance of being solitary and desolate. She complained of being weak, and of having been obliged to walk from her lodgings to the Hall— She read the 35th. and part of the 36th. chapter of Job, and took for her text Isaiah 55.6. “Seek ye the Lord, while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near. 7. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways, my ways saith the Lord— 9. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways, higher than your ways, and my thoughts, than your thoughts. 10. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow, from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater; 11. So shall my word be, that goeth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me, void; but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”— The discourse of an hour and a quarter was a commination of the judgments of God upon us as a sinful nation. It was a denunciation of the crimes of the age, with a multitude of awful threatenings to the careless, impenitent—not however so impressive as it had been when she preached here seven years ago. She is older, weaker, and is in no wise, more pleasing— Her mental hallucination has continued near forty years— She has not found followers to form a sect— She has met no encouragement from the world; but is as immovably fixed in her monomania, as when it first came upon her 35 years ago. After dinner I attended at St. Johns Church where Mr Pine read the evening service for the second Sunday after Easter and preached from 1. Corinthians 15.37. “And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: 38. But god giveth it a body, as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.” From this text Mr Pine deduced the doctrine of salvation by Faith in Jesus Christ— His sermon was well written and well delivered— Joseph R. Ingersoll told me his name

22. V. Monday.

My old serving man, and afterwards butler and steward Antoine called on me this morning with a Letter to his agent for taking care of his land purchases in the territory of Wiskonsin— Thirty years have passed away since Antoine, then a Piedmontese deserter from the army of Napoleon in his Russian Campaign, entered my service at Amsterdam— He was fifteen years in my service— Fifteen more have passed since he left me— I seldom see him— He says it always agitates his nerves when he comes to see me. How many recollections crowd upon my soul, when I see him! and what are to be the feelings of my last days and hours? This was a memorable day in the annals of the world— The Treaty for the annexation of Texas to this Union was this day sent in to the Senate; and with it the freedom of the human race— In the house it was a no less disastrous day. M’Kay chairman of the Committee of Ways and Means made his long fore-announced motion to suspend the rules to go into Committee of the whole on the state of the Union, to take up his anti-tariff bill; and after a call of the house upon which 194 members answered to their names, the motion was carried by a vote of 104 to 94. the majority consisting of that floating class of Janus-faces, who decide all great and critical questions, by holding themselves at market till the last hour, and then let the hammer fall to the highest bidder.— The vote against reconsidering the passage of the Western harbour bill had been 73 to 111— The number voting on the motion to take up the anti tariff was 198. probably the largest vote of the Session— The standing supremacy of the Slave representation is 112 a bare majority of the whole house consisting of 80 Slaveholders and 32 free trade auxiliaries— This is the average allowing 8 Slaveholders for occasional defection from their iron rule, and an equal number of Laodicean freeman neither hot nor cold, and ever wavering between Slavery and Freedom— This day the Speaker put G. W. Hopkins in the Chair and no sooner was the bill read than Charles J. Ingersoll started to take the lead of this whole movement by moving to strike out the 1st. of September, and inserting the 1st. of January next for the beginning of the new tariff— At the very same time Robert Dale Owen the Scotch Atheist had a diabetic hour speech against the Tariff, and the English corn laws and paupers, by heart; and could not restrain himself from letting it off— There was a long debate whether upon the petty question to change the day for the bill to commence, the whole tariff controversy could be discussed— Ingersoll’s motion was at last rejected, and Robert Dale, went through his hour without brequent, he willily lying it over till the next Presidential Canvas shall be settled— Wright followed for half an hour and then moved the Committee to rise, and the house adjourned— Cave Johnson moved to meet at 10. A.M—lost.

23. IV:45. Tuesday.

I answered the Letter of Julius Pratt and Co of Meriden, Connecticut which accompanied their present of an ivory cane to me— I answered also the Letter of Henry L. Ellsworth, Commissioner of Pensions, with which he delivered the cane to me— I took these Letters, together with a copy of the Letter from Pratt and Co. and the cane, leaving them all with Mr Ellsworth, the cane to be kept in custody of the Commissioner, among the curiosities of the Office, until the right of petition shall be restored by the extinction of the gag-rule in the house of Representatives— The donors of the cane request me when that event shall occur to have the date of it added to the motto held by the eagle on the top of the cane— In depositing the cane at the patent office, I reserved to myself and my legal representatives the right to borrow it hereafter to have the date added to the motto, when the fact shall be realized, and then that the cane be finally deposited in the Office— Mr Goodwin of Hartford was at the Office with Mr. Ellsworth, who promised to forward my Letter to Pratt and Co. and to keep the cane safely— At the house, after the reading of the journal there was no Quorum— Hopkins moved a Call, which was commenced, but soon superseded as the members came in. Mr Pollock, the member from Pennsylvania, replacing the late Henry Frick was sworn in and took his seat— The house immediately went into Committee of the whole on the state of the Union, G. W. Hopkins in the Chair on the Tariff bill.— Joseph A. Wright of Indiana, concluded an agricultural hour speech against the existing Tariff of 1842. and in favour of the present bill— John White of Kentucky then took the floor and consumed his hour in discoursing, not upon the tariff but in defence of Henry Clay against a base concerted attack of Lynn Boyd, George W. Hopkins and Walter Coles, in the Newspapers reviving the old lying accusation of a bargain between him and me for my appointment of him as Secretary of State, for his vote in my favour as President— After refuting this charge, White was passing to another ridiculous imputation the git of which was that Clay in a speech upon the Missouri question had spoken of black slaves and white slaves— The hour expired. White pleaded hard for another hour; but the house would not indulge him and he had so exasperated the ruling party, by driving them from their battery of Slander, that one of them George Rathbun, sitting near where he spoke, started up and in a transport of rage turned upon him and struck him—a short fight ensued—a rush of members over the tables and chairs to part them— The Speaker took the chair— A pistol ball was fired at M’Causland a member, by a Kentuckian named Moore whom he was turning out of the hall— The ball missed him, but passed through the door, and wounded an Officer of the police named Wirt— Then 3 hours of debate a select committee of 5 to investigate, and adjourned.

24. IV:30. Wednesday.

Before the reconciliation took place yesterday between the parties to the fray in the house, I had risen, and requested Dromgoole to withdraw his motion that the Sergeant at arms should take the two members into custody, for a motion which I proposed to make for the appointment of a select committee of investigation according to the precedent in the case of the fray between Wise and Stanley— But Romulus M. Saunders took the floor from me, for the same identical proposition; and after the reconciliation I thought there was no farther occasion for a Committee— The party majority however clung to the appointment and carried it, of a Select Committee of five—Saunders, myself, Dromgoole, Reuben Chapman, and Hardin of Illinois— The selection of the 3 Slavemongers was a sufficient indication of the use to be made of this Committee— Saunders notified them to meet in the room of the judiciary committee immediately after the adjournment of the house— Having heard that General Almonte the Mexican Minister was to depart to-morrow for New-York with his family to-morrow, I called at his house and took leave of him— I told him that I had received several applications in behalf of individuals my countrymen, prisoners at Perote, taken at Mier, with intreaties that I would solicit President Santa Anna for their release— That under present circumstances I could not justify myself for such interposition; but I still hoped he would return from New-York to this city, and that the Peace between our Countries would be preserved, and in that event would speak further with him on this subject— This morning, Andrew Kennedy and John White asked a suspension of the rules to enable them to make personal explanations in refutation of misstatements in the Globe— The vote for suspension was 98 to 64 not two thirds— Committee of the whole on the state of the Union, first Weller and then Hopkins in the Chair.— Jacob Brinkerhoff of Mansfield 11th. Congressional District of Ohio made an hour anti-tariff speech— Wethered and John P. Kennedy, Edward Joy Morris and Washington Hunt Tariff speeches till half past 4 when the committee rose and the house adjourned— The select Committee met in the room of the judiciary Committee. I found immediately that Saunders, Dromgoole and Chapman were intent upon turning this quarrel into a party engine, and gave notice that I should not attend the meeting of the Committee to morrow morning, and should ask to be excused by the house from further service on the Committee— I gave a sitting of an hour to Mr Gibert to paint my Portrait— Mr and Mrs Milton Brown, and General Jones of Tennessee and his daughter visited us this evening.

25. V:30. Thursday.

Dr Laurie called on me this morning for an answer to a Letter that I had received from him soliciting my interposition with the Mexican President Santa Anna to obtain the release of Dr William M. Shepherd a nephew of his wife, captured as a Texian Prisoner at Mier and now confined in the Castle at Perote— I answered him as I had answered Mr Breese yesterday that it would give me great pleasure to contribute all in my power to obtain the release of the prisoner; but that in the present state of our relations with Mexico, I could ask no personal favour of President Santa Anna. At the house, immediately after the reading of the journal, I requested to be excused from serving upon the select committee on the quarrel between Rathbun and White.— And to be excused also from assigning my reasons for the request— I said I might by the rules of the house release myself from the service; being a member of two other Committees. But I preferred to be discharged from this Committee by authority of the house. And as the Committee would probably have occasion to sit this day and to-morrow, I wished that another member might be appointed to supply my place. The Speaker put the question and I was excused, without a negative voice. John Slidell of New-Orleans then rose and announced the death of Pierre Evariste Bossier a member from Louisiana of consumption, last evening at his lodgings in this city— Slidell pronounced a genteel eulogy upon him larded with latin and french proverbs and crowned him with a chaplet of French Creole virtues. He offered the usual sympathising resolutions, to wear crape, to attend the funeral to-morrow at Noon, and to adjourn—which were adopted without further notice— I went into the Senate chamber and had my answer to Mr Breese delivered to him— The Message came in from the house announcing the death of Mr Bossier— Henry Johnson after premising that the deceased possessed all the fine qualities for which the Creoles were so eminently distinguished offered the usual resolutions, forgetting the one to attend the funeral which was however supplied at the suggestion of Benjamin Tappan of Ohio— They were adopted and the Senate adjourned— I spoke to Mr Crittenden who said Mr Clay would be here to-morrow and his Letter on Texas would be published in the National Intelligencer Saturday morning. I sat an hour for my picture to Gibert— Called at the Office of the National Intelligencer, where Gales told me they had not yet received the Letter from Mr Clay. Evening visits from Mr Thom—and from Messrs Saltonstall, Stanley and Kinnicutt.

26. IV. Friday

Mr Von Raumer and his Son, are Travellers from Berlin—Prussia— They come with an open Letter of recommendation from Henry Wheaton, the Minister of the United States at Berlin, addressed to perhaps 30 individual public men in the several States of this Union and among the rest to me— The Letter is endorsed or countersigned by Edward Everett at London, about the first of this month. Mr Von Raumer has already published a book of travels in European countries, said to be in high repute but of which I had never heard— He comes now, to travel in this country and then publish another book of travels.— He called on me this morning, and in his conversation seemed to have his curiosity chiefly attracted to the subject of Slavery. I went to the Capitol before 11. and gave a sitting of an hour for my portrait to Gibert— While with him a man by the name of Fazio with a thick bushy beard came in, and remained till I came away.— He is the son of a Man formerly attached to the Spanish legation, and was at last Spanish Consul at New-Orleans where he died— At Noon I attended at the House of Representatives the funeral obsequies of Pierre Evariste Bossier, the late member of the house from Louisiana, which were performed according to the rites of the Roman Catholic church, and his profession of faith. There were seven romish ecclesiastics who took part in the ceremony, but the chief performer was the Revd Mr Ryder President of the Georgetown College; who pronounced the Latin prayers; went round the coffin, sprinkling it with holy water, shaking incense over it, and closing with a funeral discourse in English— His text was from 2. Maccabees 12.43. “And when he had made a gathering throughout the company to the sum of two thousand drachmas of silver, he sent it to Jerusalem to offer a sin offering, doing therein very well and honestly, in that he was mindful of the resurrection. 44 For if he had not hoped that they that were slain should have risen again, it had been superfluous and vain to pray for the dead 45. And also in that he perceived that there was great favour laid up for those that died godly. (It was a holy and good thought—) Whereupon he made a reconciliation for the dead, that they might be delivered from sin.” The sermon was a controversial dissertation, upon the funeral rites of the Roman Catholic church— I rode to the grave-yard with Messrs Jenks, Dickey and Pollock, members of the house from Pennsylvania, and on returning they alighted at their lodgings— I went to the Hall where the Speaker took the Chair, and with two other members present adjourned the house—and I came home— I attended with Mrs John and Isaac Hull an evening party at Mr W. W. Seaton’s.— Canicular heat.

27. V. Saturday.

Mrs W. S Smith left us and returned to Mr Frye’s last Thursday— From last Night to this morning a sudden and great change from high summer heat to a rain, chilly East wind with frequent showers took place;— Mr Henry Clay arrived in this city yesterday, on his way homeward from an extensive tour to the South as far as New-Orleans— In the National Intelligencer of this morning is published a Letter from him against the annexation of Texas at this time. Mr Giddings called on me and introduced to me one of his constituents named Ford, who comes as a delegate to the whig convention to be held at Baltimore next Wednesday to nominate Henry Clay, as the whig candidate for election to the office of President of the United States next December— The Delegates to that Convention, and to that of the Convention of young men to be held the succeeding day at the same place are already swarming here from all parts of the country. Among the rest Mr Gibson, the Mayor of Schenectady, who presided at the hospitable dinner which they gave me there last summer, called this morning with his friend a Mr Strong of Geneva, in that State— At the house Dromgoole moved a Resolution to cease debate in Committee of the whole on the state of the Union upon the tariff bill on Monday, the 6th. of May, and take it into the house— Several of the whigs insisted that the time was too short— Charles J Ingersoll moved as an amendment Thursday the 9th. of May— Andrew Stewart moved to lay the Resolution on the table—carried by yeas and nays 88 to 83 Weller in a burst of passion said well—we will pass the bill next Wednesday. The motion to go now into Committee of the whole on the state of the Union, to take up the Tariff bill was resisted, but without avail. D. D. Barnard made an effort to get up the Eastern harbour Bill but failed— The day was consumed in the dullest of hour speeches, with Hopkins in the chair, by James E Belser of Alabama, against the tariff, Richard Brodhead of Easton Pennsylvania for it, John Slidell of New-Orleans, on both sides, and Lewis Steenrod of Wheeling, Virginia, anti-tariff to the backbone— Four speeches, four hours— At half past four the Committee rose, and the house adjourned. I went to Gibert’s Room to sit an hour for my picture, but he was not there Among the strangers who called me out to shake hands with me this day was Mr Grattan, the British Consul at Boston— This evening we were delightfully surprized by the arrival of our Son from Boston, which he left the day before yesterday afternoon.— Martin van Buren’s Letter against the annexation of Texas at this time, was published this Evening in the Globe.

28. V. Sunday

I attended public worship at the hall of the house of Representatives, with my Son, and Isaac Hull Adams. The Chaplain of the house, Mr Tinsley was there and set the tune for singing the hymns by two lines at a time; and I expected his long promised funeral discourse on Heman Allen Moore and the other members of Congress who have recently died; but instead of that, a Revd. Dr. M’Lean of New-York, said to be a Bible Society Missionary, preached with, I think the broadest Scottish accent that I ever heard, from John 17.20 [“]Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word:” and especially 21. [“]That they all may be one; as thou father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou has sent me—” This passage is from the awfully solemn discourse held by Jesus immediately before he was betrayed by Judas, and arrested for trial. The discourse is mysterious in the highest degree— In the chapter he repeated declares his unity with God the father—his own existence before the creation of the world and his own glorification, even by the crucifixion which he was about to suffer, a cup which he yet prayed might pass from him— I did not consider the Sermon appropriate to the time, or place; not yet specially adapted to promote the distribution of bibles— The auditory was unusually thin— Mr Tinsley brought the Revd. Dr to my seat, and introduced him to me. I met there my very old acquaintance Joseph Russell of Boston; and also the Revd Dr Francis Parkman, who dined with us, and whom we heard preach after dinner in the Unitarian Church— He gave out two texts—first Micah 6.8. “He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?— ” secondly—Mark 10.17. “And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running; and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do, that I may inherit eternal life?”— This was a warm and forcible exhortation to justice, mercy, and humility before God, which comprize the whole duty of man— In the evening we had visits from Mr Philip Hone of New-York and Timothy Child, member of the 26th. and 27th. Congresses from Rochester in that State. He told me that in the Globe of last evening there was published a Letter from Martin van Buren to William H. Hammet, a member of the House of Representatives from the State of Mississippi; declaring against the annexation of Texas to this Union at this time— We had also an evening visit from Mr John Connell.

29. IV:45. Monday.

Morning visits from Robert C. Schenk, of Ohio and four delegates from the west to the Baltimore Clay Conventions to be held on Wednesday and Thursday next, among whom was Mr Phillips one of the Committee from Marietta who accompanied me to Pittsburgh last November— My Son went with me this morning to the house, and as a member of the Senate of Massachusetts was admitted on the floor of the house— Weller of Ohio presented a Memorial from a Convention of inhabitants of this city, concerning the amendment of their corporation charter. he had already presented another memorial on the same subject— They are referred to the Committee of the whole to consider hereafter the affairs of the District. Dixon H. Lewis offered a Resolution calling on the President for [“]copies of such portions of the correspondence, public or private, in the years 1816, 1817, 1818. 1819 and 1820, between our Ministers at the Court of Madrid, and the Department of State, between those Ministers and the Spanish Secretaries of State, and between the Department of State, and the Spanish Ministers accredited to this Government, and which correspondence may not have been hitherto communicated to either house of Congress, and published under the authority of either.— Provided however, that the President shall not deem it incompatible with the public interest to furnish the copies referred to—” Objections were made to receiving the resolution. Lewis moved to suspend the rules, for which I voted and which was carried 119 to 23 John W. Davis immediately moved the previous question. He withdrew it however at my request for me to move an amendment to strike out the proviso— Lewis after some resistance accepted the modification, and the Resolution was adopted without the proviso.— The house then went into committee of the whole on the state of the Union, Hopkins in the chair on the tariff bill— Weller, Alexander Ramsey of Harrisburg 14th. Congressional District of Pennsylvania, Jacob Collamer of Woodstock 2d. District of Vermont, Moses G. Leonard, of the city of New-York, and Abraham R. M’Ilvaine of Chester 7th. District of Pennsylvania, expatiated five hours pro and con for and against the tariff—with various merit— Collamer’s speech bearing off the palm for the day— I borrowed an hour for the sitting to Gibert for my portrait, and he said he would let me off with one sitting more— There were numerous visitors from all parts of the Union, delegates to the whigh conventions to be held at Baltimore on the 1st. and second of May were in the house— An attempt was made to force a night Session, which failed for want of a Quorum—and my objecting to do business without one

30. V. Tuesday

Mr Henry Clay with his son, called yesterday at my house, and was received by my family, but I was not at home— This morning I called with my son at Mr William A. Bradley’s, where he lodges, and saw him— He looks much weather beaten, and is very hoarse but in good health and Spirits— At the house, they went almost immediately into Committee of the whole on the state of the Union, upon the state of the Union tariff bill, Hopkins in the chair, Albert Smith of New-York, closed an hour speech against the bill, and was followed by Linn Boyd of Kentucky who after a few words in favour of the bill, turned off to his new vamped old slander of a corrupt bargain between Henry Clay and me, that, he should be appointed Secretary of State on condition that he and the Kentucky delegation should vote for me as President of the United States.— Boyd used up his hour in replying to John White’s hour speech in vindication of Mr Clay against these charges— This stale and base columny, already abandoned and recanted by those who first invented and imposed upon the credulity of their partizans these men are now blowing the coals up to kindle again into a flame to consume Clay’s election hopes and my honest fame— Boyd closed his speech with another attack upon Clay for his vote in favour of the Bankrupt act of 1842. Caleb B. Smith came next with a strong hour speech in favour of the tariff— Preston King of New-York, with a shorter one against it. George P. Marsh of Vermont and Benjamin A. Bidlack continued the debate with high and low powers till past 5. O’Clock, when the Committee rose— John White moved to adjourn over to Friday, but failed by yeas and nays 59 to 68— I walked home, and then went and dined with the Austrian Charge d’Affaires Mr Hülzemann— A dinner party given to Mr Clay. My Son dined with Mr Grinnell— Mr Josiah Quincy junr was on the floor of the house this morning.