6. V. Tuesday. Garden— Ride with John on Horseback
Lowrie— Walter
Vance— Joseph
Thomas Jesse B.
Marvin Dudley
Mullany— Captain
Webster DanielBouligny Dominique
Flaujac General
Thomas Coll.
Sowed in the Garden Lucem seed—Brazilian Squash seeds and one bean Spanish Acorns, dry apple seeds, Persimmon seeds, Prune Stones and 1. Apricot with yard floating cherry-stones. None of these except the Squash seeds do I expect to come up— I this day found in the front yard 8 of the Acorns up that I had planted the 9th. of November. Mr Lowrie the Secretary of the Senate brought me a Resolution of that body, confirming certain nominations. Mr Vance a member from the State of Ohio came to recommend the appointment of General Harrison as Minister to the Republic of Colombia. This person’s thirst for lucrative Office is absolutely rabid. Vice President Major-General of the Army , Minister to Colombia, for each of these places he has been this very session as hot in pursuit as a hound on the scent of a hare. He is a Bavard, of a lively and active but shallow mind, a political adventurer not without talents, but self-sufficient vain and indiscreet. He has withal a faculty of making friends, and is incessantly importuning them or their influence in his favour. The Ohio delegation are all warmly interested in his favour, and so are those of Indiana, and part of those of Kentucky— Vance pleaded for him most earnestly, and against George Robertson, who is urged vehemently by R. P. Letcher and the friendly portion of the Kentucky Delegation. I told Mr Vance that I had not yet determined to make any appointment of a Minister to Colombia, not being entirely satisfied that such an appointment is necessary. Mr Thomas the Senator from Illinois called to speak upon the subject of the Tariff Bill now before the Senate, and the fate of which is uncertain— The professed object of the Bill is the protection of domestic manufactures, but there is compounded with it, taxation peculiarly oppressive upon New-England. The Senate are so nearly divided upon the Bill that its passage will probably depend upon the votes of the Members from Massachusetts— Mr Thomas thinks it will depend entirely upon Mr Webster, and considering his vote as doubtful, came to intimate a wish to me that I would interpose to fix his indecision— Mr Marvin, a member from New-York came and introduced Captain Mullany, who said he had seen me before, and who has some unsettled claim upon the Government. Mr Webster called, and spoke of the appointment of a Minister to Colombia, and recommended General Harrison— He had also a Letter from New-York respecting the two Officers at Cantonment Towson, charged with having disobeyed the order of the Secretary of War, and favoured the escape of the Suttler, King, from the pursuit of the Peace Officers sent by the Governor of New-York to arrest him— The Letter expressed an earnest wish that the movement of this Government for the punishment of those Officers should be prompt and vigorous— I told Mr Webster that orders had already been issued for the arrest of the Officers and their trial by a Court Martial— Mr Bouligny, a Senator from Louisiana, introduced General Flaujac of that State; now on his way to New-York to embark for France. Coll Thomas was here and amused me for an hour with his gossip— He informed me of several facts connected with the recent appointment of Postmaster at Philadelphia, strange enough, and of a very suspicious character— I took a ride of about an hour this morning on horseback, with my Son John. I have concluded to try the experiment of this mode of exercise, for the restoration of my health, which continues drooping— I was fatigued and agitated by it far more than I had expected— The heat of the day was very oppressive— My Thermometers at 81. and I found myself under such extreme lassitude through the greater part of the day that I was unable to write or read. In the Evening I attended the Oratorio, at the Unitarian Church— Mrs French was there as a singer: but the performance was on the whole dull— Home at about ten O’ Clock— My Seedling boxes of Oranges sent into the Garden.
