23. V:30. Saturday—
- Talbott Joseph
- Rich— from Connecticut
- His Son
- Gardiner
- Slade— William jun
r
- Hebb
- Bryan. John H.
- Preston. James H
- Rush— Richard
Third sitting to Mr. Greenough the Sculptor at C. B. King’s, which abridged my
morning walk— Returning from it, I met at the gate Mr
Talbott, of Frederick, Maryland, with a Subscription Book
to raise 20,000 dollars, for the purchase of a land, and buildings, to
be vested in Trustees, and to be occupied by him for a large Hotel; he
paying to the holders of the Stock an interest of 6 per Cent a year; and
to repay the principal after the year 1838. His subscription at
Frederick and Baltimore was nearly fulfilled— I declined subscribing,
but my Son John subscribed for five
Shares at 100 dollars each— I was visited after Breakfast by a Mr Rich, who told me
he came from Connecticut— His Son and a
Mr Gardner
were with him— Of these idle visitors, total Strangers, the number is
increasing, and has now become of almost daily annoyance— Mr Slade
came from the Department of State, for the second Volume of the
manuscript Reports of the Department which he took. Mr Hebb came
to renew his application for an appointment—Superintendant of the Public
Buildings—Treasurer—Chief Clerk of the Treasurer—any thing, to maintain
a family of thirteen children— Mr Bryan, member of the House
of Representatives from North-Carolina came to renew the application of
Farnifold Green a
Midshipman dismissed from the service, by sentence of a Court-Martial,
to be restored to the Navy— He left with me several Letters
recommendatory of Green from respectable persons, among whom are
H. G. Burton and W. Gaston. He enquired when the young
man should come for my decision— I advised that he should apply next
week to the Secretary of the
Navy— General
Preston, called to take leave: returning to Richmond. This
Gentleman has been Governor of Virginia, and a General in the Army— He
is now Post-master at Richmond, an office obtained for him, by the most
earnest solicitation, to Mr Monroe, and which he says is
in point of profit so far from answering his expectations, that it
compels him to live separated from his family; the emoluments of his
place not being sufficient to enable him to maintain them at that place—
Mr
Rush was here, with Letters from W. Astor, President of the American
Fur Company, urging the re-establishment of a Revenue Cutter on Lake
Superior— There has been one there heretofore; but of late none— Mr Astor complains of smuggling carried on
with Canada, which after having been suppressed by the former Cutter is
again reviving by the disuse of such a guard— A Letter from Mr Stuart
the Collector at Michillimackinac but now here, countenances the
application of Mr Astor. I thought the
request should be complied with. Mr Rush
also shewed me a confidential private Letter to him from Robert Mitchell, Collector at
Pensacola, mentioning that a friend of his, there had spent some weeks
last summer in South-Carolina, and had frequently seen Mr Calhoun,
with whom he had formerly been intimate as a Schoolmate— That he was in
the habit of speaking in the most disrespectful and unbecoming manner of
the whole Administration— Said that all the Departments were in a State
of the greatest disorder; and that if he was at
the head of the Treasury Department, he would effect the same reform in
its organization, as he had done in the Department of War— The truth is
that of the reforms in the War Department made while 445he was at its head, the most important was the reduction of
the army from ten thousand to six thousand men, utterly against his
will, against all the influence that he could exercise, and to his
entire disapprobation— And all the other changes of organization, were
upon plans furnished by Generals
Brown and Scott,
and carried through Congress chiefly by the Agency of John Williams of Tennessee. Mr Calhoun had no more share of mind in them,
than I have in the Acts of Congress to which I affix my signature of
approbation— Calhoun is a man of considerable talent, and burning
ambition, stimulated to frenzy by success, flattery, and premature
advancement. Governed by no steady principle; but sagacious to seize
upon every prevailing popular breeze to swell his own sails— Showering
favours with lavish hand to make partizans; without discernment in the
choice of instruments, and the dupe and tool of every knave cunning
enough to drop the oil of fools in his ear— My Son John dined at
Governor Barbour’s— Holzey, the black boy, belonging to Johnson Hellen, and who has been
several years with us, died about five O’Clock this afternoon. He has
been sinking several months in a consumption.
