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Adams, John Quincy. Personal Diary. Adams Family Papers.
Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston, Mass.
Washington. Tuesday. 12 January 1841.
12. VI. Tuesday
Landis John
This John Landis styles himself a painter of sacred history, Dunker with a long thick
coal black beard, a poet in his own estimation quite equal to Milton, a painter of
two wretched daubs, which have been suspended in the Rotunda for sale, and which
he urged me to purchase. I told him I could not afford to purchase pictures. He said
it might be a very profitable investment of money; for that pictures, for example,
of Raphael, Titian, Rubens or West increased greatly in price the older they grew.
The man is poor, and feeds upon his fancies.
Meeting of the Committee of Manufactuer. Present: Adams, Tillinghast, Nisbet, Davis,
Eastman and Hade. Absent: Dromgoole, Worthington, and Mitchelll. The committee from
the New York importing merchants attended, and presented a printed statement of the
amendments which they proposed to the bill, which they verbally explained, and expounded.
Some of the ammendments will probably be commended by the Committee to the House.
Their deportment was far more respectful to the committee that that of the last summer
had been. Underwood appears to be the most intelligent of the four. Hutton was of
the last summer's committee. Swan and Bent are said to be deeply concerned in foreign
house, and I have received anonymous letters from New York tending to raise distrust
of them all. But as I always distrust anonmous letters, I give little credit to them.
Two letters from the Secretary of the Treasury, with enclosures from the Collector
at New York were read, and Mr. Tillinghast drew a bill which he was authorised to
report to the House for levying a duty of 20 per cent advalorem upon imported pins.
In the House I obtained leave to present the petition of Burk and West, the Stone
cutters, for work, and it was referred to the committee on the public buildings.
Naylor gave way for the morning hours. Levysant from the judiciary committee reported
sundry bills from the Senate, to one of which concerning the abolition of imprisonment
for debt, I proposed an amendment, which after some discussion was rejected. Naylor
resumed his argument in support of his election and in answer to C. G. Ingersoll
till 9 o'clock when the house adjourned.
Meantime Mr. Roger Sherman Baldwin of New Haven, Counsel for the Amistad Prisoners,
came into the House, and I had a long conversation with him, first without the bar,
and then in the chamber of the Committee of Manufacturers, concerning their case.
He read me his brief, which I figured with him. He proposes to begin with a motion
to this Court to dismiss this case on the ground that the United States having no
interest in the case have no right to appeal from the decision of the District judge.
I must follow him, but know not yet how to order my speech aright. When I came home
I found my wife much indisposed with an attach of Erisypelas. She soon took to her
bed.
